Layered Chicken Biriyani

Once my friend Jeny invited me and made this biriyani on Christmas eve. I thank Jeny for sharing this recipe with us.

Prep Work:

• Grind 2 sticks of cinnamon, 10 cloves and 10 pods of cardamom.
• Wash 2 cups of rice and cook it with ¼th of the above ground ingredients.
  
• Cut and marinate 1 lbs chicken (thighs/drumsticks) with the remaining ¾th of the above ground ingredients.
  
• Grind ½ cup pearl onions with 1" long ginger, 9 garlics, 3 green chilies, ¾th cup of mint leaves and 3 tbsp coconut.
  
• Grind 1 tsp poppy seeds, blend it with ¾th yogurt and 1 tsp lemon juice.
  
• Set aside 1tbsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp chili powder and ½ tsp turmeric powder.
  
• Cut onions length-wise and measure it to 2 cups.

left to right: onions, mint leaves, lengthwise sliced onions, cloves, star aniseeds,
cardamom, cinnamon stick, ginger, shallots, garlic and green chilies



left to right: lemon juice, yogurt and poppy seeds



left to right: Gound (shallots, ginger, garlics, green chilies, mint leaves
and coconut), blended (yogurt, poppy seeds and lime juice) and
powdered (cloves, star aniseeds, cardamom, cinnamon stick)

left to right: coriander powder, chili powder and turmeric powder

Method:

• Add half of the onions to the pan and fry them till they turn golden brown and save it for later. We are going to use this portion of onion for garnishing.
  
• Add 2 tsp of oil and 1 tbsp of ghee to the pan. Add remaining half of the onions to the pan. When it turned golden brown.
  
• Pour the ground ingredients (½ cup pearl onions with 1" long ginger, 9 garlics, 3 green chilies, ¾th cup of mint leaves and 3 tbsp coconut) and add coriander , chili and turmeric powders to the pan.
  
• Add the marinated chicken and salt. Cook them for 10 - 15 minutes in medium heat. When its is completely cooked, pour the blended ingredients (poppy seeds, yogurt and lemon juice). Cook in low-medium heat until oil separates.
  
• Spread a layer (½" thick) of cooked rice in a oven safe pan, top it with a layer of chicken gravy. Repeat this process. Garnish with fried onions ans 2 tbsp of ghee.
  
• Cover the pan with wet paper towel an bake for 10 minutes at 350 0 F.

Tofu Scramble

Myself and my husband are not that fan of tofu. I know tofu is rich in protein and I want to add it to our diet. So I tried this. It worked..we loved it :-)

Recipe:

• 1 pack tofu cut into cubes. (Cook them in boiling water for 5 minutes. When done, squeeze out water completely and shred them into small pieces).
  
• Thinly sliced 1 medium size onion and 2 green chilies.
  
• 1 cup diced peppers of desired colors.
  
• ½ cup finely chopped cilantro.
  
• ½ tsp red chili powder (as required), ½ tsp tumeric powder.
  
• For seasoning - 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dhal.

clockwise: tofu, bell pepper, green chilies, onions and chili powder



tofu scramble garnished with cilantro

Add 1 tbsp oil to a skillet. When hot add mustard seeds and urad dhal. When they start sputtering add onions, green chilies, pepper to it and saute' them. Now add the shredded tofu to it and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt, turmeric and chili powder to it. Cook for another 5 minutes. Now turn heat off and garnish with cilantro.