Mangana And Paneer Biryaani

 Mangana

One of my favorite sweet dish, so much so that every Saturday mom use to make this for lunch and i always looked forward to it. Finally I decided to make it on my own, off course with the recipe help from mom. I modified it a little bit though.

Ingredients

1 Cup Harbara Daal

3/4 Cup Jaggery

1/2 Cup Cashews

1/2 Cup Raisins

3 Cup Milk

A pinch of Cardamom Powder

Salt to taste

Method

• Pressure cook the harbara daal by adding 1.5 cup water over 4-5 whistles.
• Add jaggery, cashews, raisins, cardamom powder and salt and cook over medium flame for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool down
• Add milk to the cooled mixture and serve

Notes

Isnt it simplest sweet dish ever :) The taste is amazing esp because of jaggery, daal and dry fruits.

You can use coconut milk instead of normal milk but since mom uses milk I used same.

Paneer Biryaani

Last week I made this but didn't get time to post it. Long time ago Anuja had asked me about preparing the biryaani with something veg. I remember she mentioned that she doesn't want it with paneer but I just couldn't help but make it with paneer. So sorry for fulfilling your wish only half way through but this recipe is just for you. Hope you get to try it and like it :) It turned out a simple affair and yet very delicious. This one is inspired by Spicy Biryaani recipe but I modified it little bit so as to take Paneer taste into account.

Ingredients

3 Cup Rice

400g Paneer

4 Tomatoes

3 Onions

2 Potatoes

1 Cup Cashews

1/2 Cup Almonds

8 Cinnamon

15 Cloves

15 Cardamons

1/2 Spoon Poppy Seeds

1/2 Spoon Black Pepper

1 Spoon Jeera

1/2 Spoon Saunf

1/2 Spoon Turmeric Powder

1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder

1 Spoon Corriander Powder

1/2 Spoon Ginger Paste

1/2 Spoon Garlic Paste

1/4 Cup Curd

1/2 Cup Milk

2 Pinch Saffron

8 Spoon ghee

4 Spoon Butter

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

• Cut the paneer into cubic pieces
• In a bowl, mix turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, curd and salt to taste.
• Add cubed paneer pieces in it and mix well so that the marrination is completely covering the pieces. Keep it in dry, cool place for around couple of hours.
• Soak rice in warm water and keep aside
• In a pan add butter and shallow fry the paneer pieces to light brown tinge over medium heat. Keep them aside
• In same pan, in same butter, add 4 cinamon, 5 cloves, black pepper, poppy seeds, jeera, sauf, corriander powder, almonds and 1/2 cup cashews and roast it over low-medium flame till light aroma feels the air. The masalas would be light brown by now.
• Add one diced onion and cook till onion turns light brown. Let the mixture cool down.
• In a mixie grind 3 tomatoes and keep aside.
• Grind the above cooked masala with remaining tomato to form fine paste.
• In a pan, add 2 spoon of ghee and this masala and roast for a while.
• Add tomato puree and salt to taste in it and cook till the gravy thickens
• Add paneer pieces and cook till the gravy dries completely. Keep aside.
• Pressure cook potatoes, cut them into slices after removing their cover and keep aside.
• Warm Milk, add saffron and keep aside.
• In a pan, boil water and add the soaked rice. Cook till almost done.
• Drain remaining water and run it through cold water.
• In a small pan, heat 4 spoon of ghee and add 4 cinamons, 10 cloves, 15 cardmom and salt to taste. Roast for couple of minutes and add it to the rice. Mix well and keep aside.
• Cut the remaining 2 onions into thin slices.
• In a Pan, add little oil and fry the onions onto medium-high flame till they are light brown in color. Keep aside.
• In same oil, fry the remaining 1/2 cup cashews and keep aside.
• Grease the cooker with 2 spoon of ghee and layer biryaani. Spread the potato slices to cover the cooker bottom first. Spread 1/3 of rice, then spread a layer of half of paneer masala, sprinkle some cashews, and browned onions.
• Do the same layering again (Rice, masala, cashews and onions) and then cover it with remaining 1/3 portion of rice.
• Sprinkle Some more cashews and onions, keeping aside a few for decoration.
• Make few through and through holes through the layered biryaani with the back of spatula.
• Spread the saffron milk in them.
• Cover with the lid and pressure cook over low heat for 25- 30 minutes.
• Garnish with left cashews and onions and serve.

Notes

I used 1 layer of rice 1/2 paneer and then again another layer of rice with rice from just 2 cups of raw rice. Also used half quantity of cashews, onions and garnishing spices. Stored the remaining half portion of paneer masala for later use this week. I just had to do the rice and onion portion again and could quickly make the dinner. Helped on the hectic day a lot. :) And it tasted even much better as well because of storing masala for few days :)

I always use the potato layering to cover up cooker so that the biryaani doesnt get burnt while pressure cooking it. I am speechless for that idea, helps a lot.

Also stored the marrinated paneer in fridge since it was quite hot here. But i think even in other time thats a better way so that it dries even further and the marrination sticks to paneer.

Chakali And Tandoori Chicken

Chakali

This time for Diwali I decided to prepare some faraal - snack items prepared especially for Diwali. So the preparation started with getting recipes from mom. When I looked at recipe for chakali, I just couldn't believe it is going to be so easy to make it and yet so quick. I had fun preparing this one and it tasted awesome. Item that is my and ajoy's favorite.

Ingredients

2 Cup Rice Powder

1 Spoon Maida

1/2 Spoon Red Chilli Powder

1/4 Spoon Sesame Seeds

1/4 Spoon Carom Seeds

1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter

Oil

Salt to taste

Method

• Mix rice powder, maida, sesame seeds, carom seeds, red chilli powder, salt in a plate
• Add in the butter and mix well.
• Make a soft dough ball (not too tight, not too loose but soft consistency) by adding water to it and kneading it well
• Knead half portion of it and put it in chakali maker.
• Heat oil on high
• Turn the heat to medium, make chakalis from the maker on a plate and transfer them to the oil.
• Fry from both sides till light red in color
• Repeat for remaining ones, making sure oil is hot enough before adding chakalis to the oil.
• Let it drain the oil on the kitchen towel, cool it and store it in air tight container

Notes

If you are using homemade butter, then wash it with cold water before use.

The chakalis should be taken out before they turn completely reddish as the color darkens after removing and cooling it down.

 Tandoori Chicken

One of the best starters we both love. In hyderabad I use to prepare this with Everest Chicken Tandoori Masala but this time I made it with my mix of masalas. It tasted awesome.

Ingredients

6 Chicken Leg Pieces

3/4 Cup Curd

2 Spoon Red Chilli Powder

1 Spoon Garam Masala

2 Spoon Ginger Paste

2 Spoon Garlic Paste

4 Spoon Lemon Juice

1/2 Spoon Chaat Masala

2 Spoon Oil

1/2 Cup Butter

Salt to taste

Method

• Make horizontal cuts on the chicken pieces
• Apply 2 spoon lemon juice and 1 spoon red chilli powder to it and keep aside for 30 minutes
• In a bowl mix curd, garlic paste, ginger paste, 1 spoon red chilli powder, 2 spoon lemon juice, garam masala, oil and salt
• Apply the above marination to chicken and store in fridge for 4-5 hours
• Preheat oven to 395F(200C)
• Melt the butter and sprinkle some on the chicken and bake it for 15 minutes
• Turn the chicken to face other side and sprinkle more butter on both sides. Bake for another 15 minutes
• Again turn the chicken and sprinkle remaining butter and bake for another 10 minutes
• Sprinkle chaat masala and serve with onions rings and lemon wedges

Notes

Instead of leg pieces you can use 700g mixed pieces as well.

In restaurants, they use color to make it look reddish but I didnt have it neither did I intended to use it.

I baked it over this bakeware set. It helps in dropping off extra marination, butter in the tray.

Chicken Rolls

Its been a while since I made any chicken dish.. It was always Ajoy who ended up cooking chicken or mutton which obviously is exactly of one type. Gravy remains same and chicken or mutton changes :) So today I thought probably i can make some chicken dish to surprise him. What would have been better than his favorite roll.

Ingredients

500g Boneless Chicken

2 Cup Maida

1/2 Cup Wheat Flour

1 Big Onion

1 Cup Broccoli

1 Cup finely diced Tomato

1/2 Cup Tomato Ketchup

1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 Spoon Red Chilli Powder

1/2 Spoon Black Pepper Powder

1/2 Spoon Garam Masala

1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder

1/4 Spoon Corriander Powder

1 Spoon Grated Ginger

8 Garlic Cloves

Salt

Oil

Method

• Mix in maida, wheat flour, salt and couple of spoon of oil and add in water and knead the dough well. Keep aside.
• Dice the chicken into small cubes.
• Heat oil in a pan and add in the chicken cubes. Cook stirring it occasionally
• When chicken turns white in color, add in grated ginger, turmeric powder, red chili powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, garam masala and pepper powder and cook till masalas start to leave aroma
• Add in tomato ketch up and cook further for 5 more minutes.
• Add in diced tomatoes and salt and cook till chicken is done completely stirring occasionally. Keep aside
• Heat a shallow pan with a spoonfull of oil and add in sliced onions, diced garlic and brocoli and cook till they are completely done. Add in salt and a pinch of pepper powder and stir well. Keep aside
• Beat the egg and put it in wide pan.
• Make a small lemon sized balls of the dough and roll thin roti
• Dunk the roti into the egg only on one side and then put it on the hot tawa with the non egg washed side down
• Sprinkle few drops of oil on to top of the roti and flip it and cook till both the sides are done. Put it on a plate
• Spread couple spoon of chicken we made earlier in the middle as one line. Add in half spoon of onion-brocolli mixture on it.
• Fold the roti from the bottom and then folding the left side on top of the mixture and roll tightly to cover the mixture completely. Serve hot with ketchup or just like that.

Notes

I wanted to keep the rotis light so instead of putting a complete egg on top of each roti i chose to egg wash one side and that worked well. rotis were light and the taste of chicken came out really well.

Paneer Pattice

Today morning Ajoy demanded something fancy and new for breakfast. After thinking for a while I came up with this :) It was tasty and we had it as brunch instead :)

Ingredients

4 Cup Finely diced Paneer

4 Potatoes

3 Spoon Corn Flour

1 Spoon Ginger

3 Green Chillies

5 Garlic Cloves

1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

• Cook the potatoes in pressure cooker.
• In a mixie grind ginger, garlic and green chillies with 1/4 cup of water to fine paste.
• Heat oil in a pan and turmeric powder and the paste in it and saute for couple of minutes
• Add the diced paneer and salt it in it and cook till paneer is done well. Keep aside
• Peel off the potatoes and mash them to fine paste.
• Add in corn flour and salt to taste and knead to nice dough
• Make lemon sized balls and press down to make cups.
• Fill these cups with spoonful of paneer we made earlier and add close and flatten it
• Heat oil really well and fry till brown on all sides. Serve hot with ketchup

Notes

While frying the pattice, the oil should be really hot otherwise the potato coating will stick to the bottom.

Veg Biryaani

I had been making this for a while now, but its only yesterday that I actually managed to click the photos. So here I am posting this recipe, esp for all my vegetarian friends who are craving for Biryaani.


Ingredients
3 Cup Rice
350g Bhendi
250g Small Eggplants
250g Carrots
2 Raw Bananas
4 Potatoes
4 Onion
3 Tomato
2 Spoon Pudina Leaves
10 Garlic Cloves
2 Spoon Grated Ginger
1/2 Cup Cashews
1/4 Cup Almonds
1 Spoon Dry Coconut
1/2 Spoon Poppy Seeds
2 Dried Red Chillies
1/4 Spoon Saunf
1/4 Spoon Black Pepper
1 Spoon Jeera
1 Spoon Corriander Seeds
3/4 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
1 Spoon Garam Masala
2 Cardamom
2 Cloves
3 Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Milk
A Pinch Of Saffron
Salt to taste
Ghee
Oil

Method

• Pressure cook 2 potatoes
• Soak rice in warm water for half an hour.
• Soak poppy seeds and keep aside
• Fry the whole egg plants, bhendi, peeled and diced bananas, 2 potatoes, and carrots and keep aside.
• Boil a pot full of water and add in the soaked rice. Cook till almost done Let the extra water drain completely through sieve.
• Heat a spoon of ghee and add in cardamoms, a cinnamon stick, cloves and salt. Add it to the rice and keep it aside.
• Heat oil and add in finely chopped 2 onions. Fry till translucent and keep aside.
• In same pan heat another spoon of oil and add in jeera, red chillies, coriander seeds, black pepper, saunf, dried coconut, cinnamon, 1/4 cup cashews and almonds.
• Add in garam masala, red chili powder, poppy seeds, pudina leaves and earlier fried onions. Cook till spices start spreading aroma.
• Let the mixture cool down and then adding the chopped tomatoes grind it to fine paste.
• Heat the ghee and add in the ground mixture. Fry till oil separates
• Add in all fried vegetables and salt to taste and cook for couple of minutes. Keep aside.
• Warm the milk with safron and keep aside.
• Deep fry the thin sliced onions and cashews till they are crisp and light brown in color. Keep aside
• In a greased cooker layer the sliced boiled potatoes, then 1/3rd of rice, 1/2 of vegetable, again 1/3rd portion of rice, remaining half of the vegetable and remaining portion of the rice.
• With big spatula make through and through wholes in the layer and sprinkle the safron milk.
• Let the cooker sit on low heat till the pressure builds up. Garnish with the earlier fried crisp onions and cashews. Serve hot with raita.

Notes
Instead of cooking vegetables in gravy i added fried vegetables to the gravy. The taste was awesome and i could make sure that none of the vegetables are underdone or overdone.
I also wished I had those baby potatoes instead and could use them whole deep fried instead of diced ones.

Dhokar Dalna

I had been meaning to cook it ever since I had it in Kolkata at relative's place. I wasnt feeling all that great that day so couldnt enjoy it to fullest but whatever I had was sure good enough to motivate me to make it. So finally after almost an year I get chance to make this.

Ingredients

2 Cup Harbara Daal

2 Tomato

2 Green Chillies

2 Spoon Ginger

5 Garlic Cloves

1/2 Spoon Jeera

1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder

1/2 Spoon Corriander Powder

Oil

Ghee

Salt

Method

• Soak the daal overnight and keep aside.
• In a mixie, grind the daal to smooth paste. Keep aside
• In a pan, add in couple spoon of oil and let jeera splutter in it.
• Add in 1 spoon of grated ginger, turmeric powder, salt and daal paste we made earlier. Cook till daal separates from sides of the pan.
• Grease a plate and pour the daal mixture over it and spread uniformly. Let it cool.
• Cut the diamond shaped pieces of this daal and shallow fry them in oil. Keep aside.
• In a mixie, grind tomato, green chillies, remaining 1 spoon of ginger, garlic cloves to fine paste.
• Heat a pan with spoonful of oil and add the above ground tomato paste in it. Cook till mixture is cooked.
• Add in jeera powder, coriander powder, salt and 3 cups of water. Let it boil.
• Add in earlier fried daal dhokas in it and let the mixture simmer till dhokas start absorbing the gravy.
• Garnish with spoonful of ghee and serve.

Notes

I didnt make the gravy too spicy and hence didnt make use of garam masala. Instead I kept it light and let the dhoka taste through the gravy. Worked out quite well.

Tandoori Prawns

Its been a while since Seattle saw sun barring couple of days last week so having barbeques in patio is long gone time. But this is my effort to feel like those beautiful sunny evenings.. I came up with recipe on my own as I started adding spices but the taste was so good that i cant wait to fry remaining prawns tomorrow night.

Ingredients

3/4 Kg Prawns

1 Spoon Tandoori Masala

1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder

1 Spoon Corriander Powder

1/2 Spoon Jeera Powder

1/4 Spoon Garam Masala

1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 Spoon Ginger Paste

1/2 Cup Thick Curd

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

• Clean the prawns shells and marinate it with salt.
• Add in ginger paste, chilli powder, corriander powder, jeera powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and mix well. Keep aside for atleast half an hour.
• Add oil to a pan and heat it really well.
• In the earlier marinated prawns, add in tandoori masala and curd. Mix well. Add this mixture onto the heated pan.
• Let the prawns cook on medium heat without flipping or stirring them till the side is completely done. Then flip them and cook the otherside too. Take of the heat and serve.

Notes

Cooking on medium heat and not flipping the prawns serves as great trick to get that tandoori-charred-smoky flavour that any authentic tandoori dishes have.