Spinach Salad

 I don't usually like salad made at home, especially leafy salads, which use leaves like lettuce or spinach, which has to be eaten raw. I do not own a salad spinner, and I somehow have this compulsion to wash the leaves, before they are consumed...and that makes them, kinda soggy....which I do not like. However, this recipe given by my friend Gargi, is nice. Yes, the spinach becomes a bit soggy after washing the leaves and adding the dressing, but it doesn't matter. It tastes great. Also, if u use prewashed baby spinach leaves found in the salad leaves section in the supermarket, they do not get wilted and remain crisp ...they are perfect for this recipe.

It is a fresh, nutritionally rich and flavorful recipe. You can add different colored vegetables and nuts of your choice, like cucumbers, grated carrots, olives, sunflower seeds, walnuts, etc

Cherry tomato tarte tatin

Tarte tatin is a French recipe, discovered or created by accident.I read the story about it here. Caramelized fruit is layered at the base and covered with a pastry dough and baked and served upside down. I have made the savory version of the same, with ready made pastry dough. It is a very quick snack which I made for my kid when he returned from school. Well, it does require about 30 minutes of baking time....and more preparation if you make the pastry dough from scratch. As, I used the ready made shortcrust pastry found in the frozen section of the supermarket, I will post the recipe of short crust pastry some other time. 

Honey dew-coconut-sago dessert / 椰汁蜜瓜西米

 This dessert recipe was shared by my friend Geetanjali. When she shared a picture of it on fb, I had to make it. It looked so delicious. I filled two servings in a dessert glass for the picture and whatever remained, I ate it 1/4 cup a time....without realising I finished it all up... while I was photographing it. It was so good. The recipe is very simple, boil the sago/sabudana and grind rest of the ingredients and mix it all together. I searched internet to get more details about this dessert, liked the recipe here, followed it with few changes.

Chicken Manchurian (NO-deep-fry version)

I have wanted to try this recipe for a long time.....but I never have the correct ingredients when I wished to make it, so this time I tried a bit differently with whatever ingredients, I had in my kitchen. This recipe falls under "Indian-chinese" cuisine, which is quite different from the regular chinese cuisine.

Palaka chi patal bhaji (Spinach gravy from Maharashtra)

My mother wanted me to blog about some traditional recipes made in Maharashtra(a state in India). I love this recipe made by my mom and my aunt.They serve it with Bhakri (a flatbread made with bajra(pearl millet flour) or jowar(sorghum flour) and homemade white butter). This recipe is made in all Maharashtrian homes. I learnt this recipe just a few years ago from my friend Malvika.  She had made it at my baby shower lunch party. I loved it so much, and I was so happy when she shared this recipe with me. It is a very nutritious and healthy side to a traditional Maharashtrian menu.

I have used fresh China Spinach that is available here. You can use baby spinach, red spinach or any other variety available. 

Carrot and methi puri (deep-fried flat-bread with carrots and fenugreek)

This is my first post on this blog about deep-frying. Puris are delicious puffed up flatbreads, which are made by rolling a ball of dough and frying it on high heat so that it puffs up. As an occasional treat, this bread is lovely. Usually, Indians have it for breakfast or during festivals. I make puris for my kids for their after school snack or school bento. Puris with alu (potato vegetable) or chana (chickpea curry) is a yum breakfast/brunch combo. 

This recipe is about puri made with added vegetables and spices, which can be had just by itself or with some pickles. I have served my puris with my friend Aruna Mani's pickle which she gifted me  :) Recipe for the Mango thokku pickle is on her blog here.

A well made puri, should puff up and have a deep pocket, something like this....:)

Chicken Biryani

I am posting after almost 2 weeks, haven't cooked anything which requires more than 15 minutes recently. It's mid-year primary school exam time in Singapore, and my son is preparing for it. So,other than my gym time, I have been spending my days trying to decipher word problems of chicken and legs, car and bike wheels , ratios and fractions, area etc.....not to forget problems involving batteries, magnets....learning about parts of insects, leaves..and what not. I seem to be learning a lot every 3 months during exam time here...:) ....well , which gives me no time for cooking. However, I had made this biryani some time back for my korean guests and had clicked a lot of pictures. So, in the past week, I sorted the pictures after my 5th grade exam studying was done, a few at a time and now today is the day to post one of the most delicious recipes, I have learnt.... :)

Biryani cooking is a long process. The vegetables or meats are slow cooked along with rice in a sealed pot with aromatic spices...to make the utmost flavorful yet one-dish meal. Make this for a party or a get-together, and that is the only thing you need to make...with a side of salad. Earlier, I used to think that biryani is some what like pilaf(stir-fried rice) presented in layers with meat or vegetables. 

Last year, I decided to learn how to make a good biryani (minus the added oil/ghee, yet flavorsome and which will not be similar to a pulav....err..stir fried rice...:). My fb friends as usual came to my rescue. I posted a question on my wall and was flooded with replies and suggestions. What they all said is....1. "biryani is "shahi" :) ... to make it shahi ... do not skimp on crispy fried onions/potatoes.(I find deep-frying very tedious, yet addictive...if I deep-fry one day....for the next 2-3 days, I would do that...and that is certainly not good, so I try to avoid :) ) 2. Add ghee in deep pockets of the layers of rice/meat/vegetables while giving "dum" (explained later....) 3. Use fresh spices and herbs. 

I have tried many biryani recipes, since then, with chicken/vegetables and eggs and settled on a recipe that requires minimum fat(about 1 tbsp ghee for flavor) and can be used for all three versions with little modifications for each. This recipe is based on my friend Durga Arivan's famous "foodiemomcooks" recipe.

 Ingredients:

For chicken marination:

• 1 and half kg chicken (mixed pieces of thighs and breast, with and without bones)
• 1 cup curd
• juice of half a lemon(about 2 tbsp)
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp of ginger and garlic grated
• 1 tbsp kasoori methi
• 1 tsp each of turmeric/coriander/cumin/chili powder and salt(about 1-2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp of orange or red color(optional)

 For biryani rice:

• 2 cups of cooked basmati rice
• 2 large onions(one for chicken gravy and one for topping)
• 2 tomatoes
• whole garam masala:  2 bay leaves  4-5 cloves, 7-8 peppercorns, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 3-5 cardamom pods
• other spices: 1 tsp each of coriander, cumin, turmeric and salt, 1 tbsp of garam masala
• 1-2 green chilies
• A bunch of mint and coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp ghee plus 1 and 1/2 tsp oil (you can use ghee too)
•  Nuts (cashew nuts and raisins) about 2 tbsps -- optional
• A large pinch of saffron soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk

 Recipe:

Chicken preparation part 1:

• Wash and cut the chicken to about 1-2 inch pieces. Drain the water and dry with kitchen paper. 
• Add a tsp of turmeric, ginger and garlic paste, salt and lemon juice. Mix the chicken in this marinade and keep it aside for 15-30 minutes.

• Make a mix of curd and dry spice powders. Add kasoori methi and food color(optional). Check and add more salt if needed. Pour this marinade over the chicken. Mix well.

• Keep this chicken aside for about 3 hours to overnight. (I kept it overnight)
• When you are ready to cook the biryani, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with foil. 
• Spread out the chicken , over the foil. Cover with another foil and make a sealed packet.

• Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Last 5 minutes, open the foil and let it bake uncovered so as the liquid from the marinade dries out.
• Take the tray out of the oven and let the chicken cool.

Chicken Preparation part 2:

• Chop the chili, onion and tomatoes in long slices.

• Heat a tbsp of ghee in a wok, add whole spices and heat them for a minute.

• Add one chopped onion and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add Tomatoes and stir-fry for further 2-3 minutes till the tomatoes are mushy. 

• Add the powdered spices and the leftover marinade and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 

• At this point, add the chicken and mix everything well. 

• Cook for about 5 minutes till the chicken is mixed well with the gravy.
• The chicken is ready for the biryani

Rice:

• I cook rice in a microwave to get the perfect separate grains, yet it is soft.
• You can cook the rice in a pressure cooker or on stovetop or a rice cooker. 
• You can flavor the water with whole spices and then later discard.
• I used 2 cups of long grained basmati rice with about 2 and half cups of water. The water level should be about 1 cm above the rice level when you begin cooking the rice.
• Allow the rice to cool.

Other preparation:

• Chop onion in long slices. Potatoes in discs.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil/ghee in a pan. Keep the heat high and drop the onion slices in hot oil. Keep stirring them till they are cooked and somewhat browned or darkened. I use this version of fried onions. They are not crispy but with the same flavor.(You can do same with the potatoes-- I haven't used the potatoes)

• Drain them on paper towel and keep them aside. 
• In the same pan, stir fry the cashewnuts and raisins and keep them aside.
• Heat about 1/4 cup of milk in the microwave or stove top and add a big pinch of saffron to it. Keep it aside.

• So, now it's time to assemble the biryani. Keep the cooked rice, saffron infused milk, fried onions(and potatoes--optional) and fried nuts together ready to assemble the biryani.

Assembling the biryani:

• It will have 2 layers of chicken and 2 layers of rice with topping of saffron milk, onions, and coriander.
• You need a deep pan for biryani. 
• Lightly grease the bottom of the pan with a half a tsp of ghee(or spray it with a oil spray). Arrange the potato discs at the bottom. If not using the potatoes, put half of the chicken mixture. Press it down flat. 
• Next arrange the rice layer. Press the rice down on the chicken firmly with a spatula.
• Drizzle few drops of saffron milk on the rice.
• Repeat to get another layer of chicken, rice and then milk. 
• Spread the fried onions on top. 
• Also add, fresh chopped coriander and nuts and drizzle the remaining saffron milk.
• Now, cover the pan with the tight fitting lid and cover the gaps with a foil or chapati dough.
• Place this biryani pan on a skillet which is heating on a low to medium heat.
• Let it cook for 20-30 minutes. This process is called "dum"

• Alternatively, if you are using an oven proof cookware, you can do the final step in an preheated oven at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
• Serve and eat :D 

To get the barbecued smoked flavor in the biryani:

• I like the barbecued smoked flavor in my biryani. 
• Heat a piece of charcoal on the open flame of your stove.

• Once the charcoal is hot, keep it a steel plate and put the plate with the charcoal in it on top of the cooked biryani.
• Drizzle few drops of oil or ghee, the charcoal will start to smoke. 
• Immediately, cover the lid on top of the smoke so as the smoky flavor envelops the biryani.

• Do try, it gives it an amazing flavor :D

Quantity:

• Serves about 8-9 people as a full meal.  
• I didn't use all the rice, maybe about 3/4 of the full quantity.

Notes:

• You can make the same recipe, without the marinating time for vegetarian or egg based version.

egg biryani 

vegetable biryani

• You can increase the chili powder and salt in the marinade and the chicken preparation according to your spice level.
• And you can certainly deep-fry the onion and potato topping.... :), that gives the authentic flavor to the biryani.