Mirch ka Salan

Hyderabadi Biryani and Mirch ka Salan are a match made in heaven. This is perfection so many levels I can't keep count. I was first introduced to this when my neigbhour brought over some delicious smelling biryani and mirch ka salan and I fell in love at first sight, smell and taste. I tried several recipes before I stumbled on VahChefs video post on mirchi ka salan. It was the closest I could get to the taste I remembered from my childhood. I modified the recipe slightly to suit my taste..so here goes.


Ingredients

1/4 cup of roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of coconut (I used desiccated)
4 Banana peppers
1 medium onion - chopped
5-6 dried red chilies (adjust more or less depending on your spice level)
2 cardamom
3 cloves
1" cinnamon piece
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds OR 1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 heaping tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon brown sugar or jaggery (optional)
3 tablespoon oil
1 cup water

Method

Step 1
I used banana peppers because that is the spice level my family is comfortable with. You could use any kind of pepper you like. Deseed the peppers and cut is vertically like you would for Chili bajji. Heat a wok or pan and add a tablespoon of oil and roast the chilies until he skin is wrinkled and then set aside. To the remaining oil add peanuts and roasted it until slight brown and set aside, Repeat the same for sesame seeds, dried chilies, coriander and cumin seeds and coconut.

Step 2
Add one more tablespoon of oil and add all the whole garam masala (cardamom, cloves and cinnamon -CC) followed by onion. Sauté until slight golden and add the ginger garlic paste. Let it cook for 2 minutes until the you loose the raw smell of ginger and garlic.
Step 3
Put the roasted peanuts, red chilies, sesame seeds, coriander and cumin seeds, coconut and everything from Step 2 into a blender and make a smooth paste. In the same pan as above add the remaining oil and pour the paste from the blender. Add turmeric and salt to the mix and set the heat to medium and slow cook the mix. Pour water into the blender to get all the good tasting masala from the sides and pour some of the water into the pan if the mixture gets too thick. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes until oil accumulates on the side of the pan. Then add the yogurt, tamarind paste and jaggery to the mixture and remaining water from the blender. Mix well and tell it come to a boil. Then add the roasted banana pepper and set the heat to medium. Slow cook for another 10 minutes. Adjust salt to taste.

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Hyderbadi Biryani

Jaggery will add a sweet tang to the dish but not overly sweet. The spciyness from the chilies, sourness from the tamarind and the sweetness from the jaggery blends very well together and gives a whole new dimension to the dish. If you are not a big fan of it then you could omit that ingredient. On the otherhand if you have an open palette then go ahead and try it with jaggery. I promise you, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Chicken Keema Mattar

Ingredients
1 lb minced chicken
1 medium onion chopped
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup peas (cooked or frozen)
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
3 chilies chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
3/4 tablespoon of fennel powder
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon cooking oil
Cilantro to garnish

Method
Heat oil in a pan and add fennel powder followed by onion. Sauté for few minutes until golden brown then add the chilies and ginger garlic paste. Fry for couple minutes and then add chili powder and turmeric powder and the shredded cabbage. Mix well and let everything cook completely. When the cabbage is wilted and cooked to half its original quantity add the minced chicken to the pan and incorporate well with the veggie mix. Use the spatula to break the chicken in to smaller pieces and keep stirring to evenly cook all sides. This should take anywhere between 10-12 minutes. Then add the garam masala powder to the chicken and veggie and mix well. Reduce the heat and slow cook the chicken until it is done. Add peas 5 minutes before taking the chicken off the heat and mix well.
Garnish with cilantro  and serve hot with parotta. Alternatetively, cool the keema and stuff it into paratas for tasty keema parata.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani (Dum)

My mouth starts watering at the mere thought of Hyderabadi biryani. This is one dish I am ready for any time of day or night. The slow cooked and time consuming process of making this utterly delicious biryani is well worth the wait. You will be rewarded with a steaming, aromatic, flavorful melt in you mouth mixture of rice and meat. You can do this with lamb (most preferred) or chicken. My first try was a disaster but then I didn't realize that making Hyderabadi biryani was down to a science and I didn't have a teacher. Sanjay Thumma the host of http://www.vahrehvah.com/ and his video demos gave me the courage to attempt this recipe again. I can now triumphantly say that I have mastered the technique and  can flawlessly executed Dum biryanis every time.

Ingredients
2 pounds chicken thighs and/or legs pieces with bones
3 cups of basmati rice
1 cup fried onions
handful of mint leaves
handful of cilantro
1 teaspoon of your favorite biryani masala (homemade or store bought)
1 pinch of saffron soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk
For the Marinade
1 cup Yogurt
2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2  tsp Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin powder
10 small Chilies split into two
handful of mint leaves
handful of cilantro
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 lime - juiced
Salt to taste
Cinnamon 1", Cloves 7, Cardamom 7 – powdered
2 Bay leaves
2 Black Cardamom
Cinnamon 1", Cloves 4, Cardamom 7 – whole
Star anise – 1
Oil 3 tablespoon
Method
Mix all the items in the For the Marinade list with the chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours before ready to cook Biryani. Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes and boil the rice until half done in salted water. Drain rice and spread on a large plate.
Place a thick bottom sauce pot, specifically one with a tight lid, on medium high heat and dump the chicken with all the marinade into the pot.[Note: the pot should be big enough to cook the chicken and rice together]. Cook for 4 minutes while stirring the chicken couple of times. Level the chicken at the bottom of the pot and put 1/3 of the rice and level it nicely to cover the chicken. Sprinkle 1/3 of fried onion, 1/3 chopped mint leaves and 1/3 of cilantro. Repeat this layer 2 more times. On the final layer sprinkle the teaspoon of biryani and saffron milk evenly over the rice and cover the pot with its lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 35 minutes. Switch off the stove and let the rice cook in its own steam for 10 more minutes before you open the lid. Gently mix the chicken and rice. Serve hot with Mirch ka salan or Bagara Baigan.

[Note: If the lid is loose, place a wet towel over the pot to completely cover it and place the lid on top. This will provide a tighter cover which is key to the cooking process. It is trick I learned from Sanjay Thumma]

Gobi Manchurian

I am on a roll creating different manchurian varieties and I still cant get enough of it. I am already salivating at the thought of Chili Parotta. July 4th long weekend is just around the corner and I have a long list of things to do. I hope I find time for good home cooking and enjoying time around my family.

Ingredients
2 Cauliflower cut into medium size flowerets

Dry Mix for the Cauliflower Corn Starch – 2 tablespoons
All purpose flour – 2 tablespoons
Pepper powder
Chili Garlic paste – 2 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Oil to sauté

Veggies
Green bell peppers– cut into small cubes
1 medium onion – cut into small cubes
spring onions – cut into 1" length pieces
2 garlic pods chopped
1" pieces of ginger chopped
2 Serrano peppers finely chopped
Oil to sauté

For Sauce
Dark soy sauce – 2 tablespoon
Green Chile sauce – 2 tablespoon ( your favorite brand)
Tomato ketchup – 2 tablespoon
Corn Starch – 1 tablespoon
Red pepper flakes – 1 teaspoon
Water – about 4-5 tablespoon

Method
Wash the flowerets in hot water and drain well.Mix all the dry mix for the cauliflower together and coat well with the mix. Heat some oil in a wok and shallow fry the cauliflower in batches until cooked to golden brown. Set aside. If there is no remaining oil, then add about a tablespoon of oil to the same wok and add chopped chilies, garlic, ginger and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chopped bell peppers and sauté for another 2 minutes. In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and pour it over veggies and mix well. Let it cook for few minutes until the sauce thickens. Now mix in the fried cauliflower with the veggie and sauce mix to coat well. Turn off the heat and let it cook in the heat for few minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with fried rice or hakka noodles