French Toast

Serve : 4 persons


Ingredients:

• 1 Loaf of bread
• 4 Eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 chotti elaichi (cardamom)
• vanilla essence
• 2 tsp sugar
• oil (to fry)

Blend all ingredients together (except for bread) and keep the mix aside.
Cut bread into diagonal halves.
Take a non stick pan and pour 1/2 spoon oil in it.
Dip the bread into the egg mix just covering it fully and put it in heated oil in non stick pan.
Fry (not deep fry) until golden brown and turn around.
Fry until golden brown on other side and a little crisp.
Serve Hot with Pineapple Jam & Jelly!!

Prawns Biryani - Feb 2012

Step2

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Step-4

 Prawns post step-4

Step 5

Ready to serve

Serving : 4 persons

Ingredients
500 gms best basmati rice
500 gms large/medium prawns

To marinate prawns: 1 cup yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2.5 tbsps ginger-garlic paste
Salt to taste

To fry: 4 large onions sliced thinly (divided into 3 equal portions)
3 large tomatoes chopped finely

For dry masala:
4 tbsp coriander seeds/1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp saunf
2" piece of cinnamon
5 cloves
5 pods green cardamom
10-12 black peppercorns
2 dry red chillies

For wet masala:
2 green chillies
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

To garnish:
3-4 tbsps fresh chopped coriander
4-5 tbsps cooking oil/butter

Preparation:

Step1:
Marinate the prawns in the ingredients mentioned under "To marinate prawns".

Step2:
Heat a griddle or flat pan on a medium flame and gently roast all ingredients mentioned under "For dry masala/ spice mix" till they start to become slightly darker and give off a faint aroma.Peel the cardamom pods and remove seeds. Throw skins away. Now grind all the roasted ingredients to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.

Step3:
Now boil water, add 1 tsp of the whole garam masala, bay leaf,1 badi elaichi in it.
Now mix well and after two minutes add the soaked rice to it.
Cook the rice until 3/4 th is done, drain and keep it aside. Mix two tsp of butter in rice softly, taking care the rice is not broken.
Grind the ingredients mentioned under "For wet masala", to a smooth paste in a food processor.

Step4:
Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan till hot and then fry 1 of the 3 portions of sliced onions till crispy and golden. When done, drain and remove from the oil and keep aside on paper towels to garnish biryani later.
In the same oil, add the remaining sliced onions and fry till soft. Now add the tomatoes and fry till soft.
Add all the dry and wet masala ingredients prepared earlier and fry till the oil begins to separate from the whole mix.
Now add the prawns and all the marinade to this spice mix. Stir and allow to cook till the prawns are done. Do not overcook as the prawns will get rubbery in texture. Season with salt if required. Remove from fire.

Step5:
Take another vessel with flat base and grease with some oil.
Place alternate layers of prawn and rice, starting with rice.(Rice-prawn-rice-prawn-rice),sprinkle garam masala powder and melted butter in between the layers and on the top.
Carefully end it with mixture of fried onion and coriander leaves on top.
Cover and seal it with an iron tawa and over it another vessel filled with water to keep pressure.
Cook it further on low flame for 30 min. However keep checking in between after 20 min ,if rice is cooked.

Prawns Biryani is ready to serve.

Chicken Dum Biryani

Person- 3 (with good appetite)

Ingredients

• 500 gm boneless Chicken (pieces)

• 250 gm Basmati Rice (washed and soaked for 30 min)

• 2 tbsp Garam Masala (whole; recipe below)

• 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder

• 25 gm Butter

• 2 tsp Garlic (chopped)

• 2 tsp Ginger (chopped)

• 1 cup Onions (sliced)

• 1.5 tsp Red Chili Powder

• 0.5 tbsp Coriander Powder

• 4 tbsp Oil

• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder

• 1 cup Curd (yogurt)

• 3/4 cup Tomato (chopped)

• 4 Bay Leaves

Keep following out of above for the marinade:

• 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder

• 1 tsp Ginger (chopped)

• 1 tsp Garlic (chopped)

• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder

• 0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder

• 1 cup Yoghurt

• Salt (according to taste..keep on lower side as you can add salt later as well)

For Garnishing:

1.5 Medium size Onion

50 gm of coriander leaves

Main Recipe : How to make Chicken Biryani:

Step 1:

•Put all the ingredients of the marinade in a bowl and mix well.

•Add chicken pieces to it and leave for an hour.

Step 2:

•Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add 2 tsp of whole garam masala.

•Allow it to crackle or for 2 min(whichever I early), add sliced onions and cook it till light golden brown, keep it on medium heat.(foto-1)

•Add 0.5 tsp of the garam masala, and all the remaining ingredients, including tomatoes, but excluding rice. (foto2)

•Cook for 5 minutes, combine marinated chicken with it.

•Cook until chicken is tender.(take care there is water left in chicken).

Step 3:

•Now boil water, add 1 tsp of the whole garam masala, bay leaf,1 badi elaichi in it.

•Now mix well and after two minutes add the soaked rice to it

•Cook the rice until 3/4 th is done, drain and keep it aside. Mix two tsp of butter in rice softly, taking care the rice is not broken.

Step 4:

Slice 1.5 Onion sliced long.

Heat 4 tsp of oil in a pan and try deep frying onions in it on low flame. Until Onions are dark brown.

Strain onions from oil and keep it separately

Mix finely chopped coriander leaves with onion

Step 5:

•Take another vessel with flat base and grease with some oil

•Place alternate layers of chicken and rice, starting with rice.(Rice-chicken-rice-chicken-rice),sprinkle garam masala powder and melted butter in between the layers and on the top

•Carefully end it with mixture of fried onion and coriander leaves on top.

•Cover and seal it with an aluminum foil. Alternatively you can keep an iron tawa and over it another vessel filled with water to keep pressure.

•Cook it further on low flame for 20 min. However keep checking in between after 10 min ,if rice is cooked.

•Chicken Biryani is ready to serve.

Recipe : How to make whole Garam Masala (as I dint get it in market):

0.5 tbsp cumin seeds

0.5 tsp black pepper

4 small green cardamom seeds

4 whole cloves

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

Toast all of the above spices in a tawa. Toast them dry (no water no oil). Toast on low heat, you don't want the spices to burn. When the it starts smelling good (about 5 minutes), remove from heat. Let them cool just a little bit, maybe 3-4 minutes. Grind them up in a grinder. The important stuff really is the cumin and coriander. In case you are using coriander powder then u can add it later while cooking chicken.