Cooking - Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biriyani

Cooking with Kalyan - Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biriyani

The reason why I haven't been cooking and blogging here for so long, is that I recently moved to the US - I now live in Bensalem, PA. It's a small, quiet suburb, so quiet, and I love it!  It's been a month since I came here, and I've been fortunate enough to meet some very nice people.

I must mention Revathi and her small, but beautiful family. They were nice enough to let me stay with them for a week, while I was waiting for my new apartment to be ready. And they, along with a few others, have soon become the family I have here, so far away from home.

And the best part about meeting so many new people, is that one of them turns out to be as crazy about cooking as me - Meet Kalyan a.k.a. Kalyan. He is an amazing cook and a super fun person to hang out with. And it is to him that I owe this brilliant Dum biriyani recipe. I am now his apprentice and he's going to teach me how to make all these exotic Indian recipes. And I will, of course, share them with you.

So what was originally an invitation to watch this masterpiece being made turned into a hands-on workshop when Kala slit his hand with an over-sharp knife. Thanks to that accident, I got to actually make this myself, under the careful supervision of the master, of course. Kalyan says this particular recipe has been coined from 5 different recipes, taking the best of each and turning it into one big pot of awesomeness! He has even won awards for this Biriyani, and I can personally vouch for it. It was nothing short of amazing!

Oh and thanks Revathi and Varma, for letting us use your Kitchen. No one bests you at making guests feel at home. We went through your entire pantry and played real life 'Kitchen'.  And Varma, I promise that when we make a video log of this recipe, you can host the show ;)


Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biriyani
Serves 7-8
 
You will be needing
For the Marinade
- 1kg Chicken
- 2 handfuls of crispy fried onions
- 2tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1-2tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4tsp turmeric powder
- 6 green chillies, chopped finely
- A handful of mint leaves
- A handful of green coriander, chopped
- 1tsp garam masala
- 3-4 tsp thick fresh curd/yoghurt.
- Juice of a whole large lime (2 Indian lemons)
- 1/2tsp Black Jeera (Kaala Jeera)

For the Rice
- 4 cups Basmati rice
- 1 large stick of cinnamon
- 4-6 cloves
- 3-4 green cardamom pods
- 1/2tsp Black Jeera (Kaala Jeera)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2tsp ghee
- Salt to taste

For the final assembling
- 2-3 pinches of orange-red food colour, dissolved in milk. (I asked Kala if there would be a better flavour if substituted with Saffron, but he strictly says No. The saffron imparts its signature flavour and ruins this dish.)
- A handful of chopped coriander
- 2-3 handfuls of fried onions.
- Juice of a lime

Method

Step 1: Prepping the chicken and the rice

- First, add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients for the marinate. Set aside for an hour.

- Soak the Basmati rice in water for an hour.

Puliyodharai - Tamarind rice - Puliyogare

Puliyodharai - Tamarind rice - Puliyogare

Part of the reason I made this recipe from scratch was because I needed an excuse to use that spice/coffee grinder.  So here you go, a simple and super quick recipe for a very tasty dish.

Puliyodharai serves 4

For the rice:
- 2 cup raw rice
- 4 cups water
For the dry mix:
- 2 1/2 tbsp  Whole coriander seeds (dhaniya)
- 1 tbsp Channa dal
- 1/2 tbsp Urad dal
- 1/2 tsp methi seeds
- 1/2 tsp whole Cumin
- 1 1/2 tbsp white sesame seeds
-  2 sprigs of Curry leaves (roughly 15 leaves)
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper corns
- 4-5 Dry red chillis (mine was a spicier chilly, so it blew my top. Use your usual chilli according to judgement)
For the tadka:

Snack Gourd Pachadi - Snack Gourd in yogurt sauce - Pudalangai thayir pachadi - Snakegourd Perugu Pachadi - Simple and healthy side dish recipe - Simple Raita Recipe

I love to try different kind of pachadi / raita esp with vegetables. It is a good side dish for one pot meals. I am  a big fan of snack gourd  from my childhood. When I was searching my fridge for a vegetable  used for raita I saw snack gourd and remembered the pachadi I had in one of the marriages. So I have decided to try it out. It came out nice. 

Ingredients:

Snack gourd / pudalangai - 1 cup (diced into 1/2 inch cubes)
Curd - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 1-2 (adjust to your spice level and break into pieces)
Oil  - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Roasted Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida - pinch
Garlic - 1-2 (optional)
Urad dhal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 10
Mint / Coriander leaves - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method:

Healthy Veg Biryani .. almost zero oil, almost…

Ingredients:

 Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Mixed Vegetables : Carrot, Green Peas, Beans, cauliflower, brocolli ( chopped finely)
2-3 Onions – Thinly sliced vertically
2 Large tomatoes, pureed 
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves – 1/2 cup

Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder – 2 tsp
1 tsp black peppercorns ( sabut gol kali mirch)
Milk – 3 tbsps
Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp ( Elaichi )
Clove – Cinnamon powder – 1/2 tsp ( laung- dalchini powder)
2 tbsp Kasuri Methi

Salt to taste
1 Tbsp oil 
1 Cup low fat yoghurt 

Method:
Mix 1 tsp garam masala , Turmeric powder, 1 tsp salt, cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, tomato purée  and ginger garlic paste with yoghurt . Add all the chopped vegetables and mix well. Vegetables should be well coated. Keep aside for 1-2 hours.

Boil 3 cups of water with milk, cardamom powder, clove-cinnamon powder,  peppercorns. Add Basmati rice and cook till water evaporates and the rice is almost cooked. NOTE  that the rice must not be completely cooked and mushy. It should be separated well. 

Drain the rice in a colander and keep aside. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree, meanwhile we fry the vegetables

Now, heat the oil in a pan and add the marinated vegetables into it. Fry them uncovered on a medium-low flame for around 10 min till they are tender but still crisp. Vegetables should not be mushy. Turn the gas off and keep the vegetables covered for another 5 min. 

Now take an Oven safe dish and layer the rice and vegetables one by one. Make sure the top layer is rice. 

Cover it with Aluminium foil and cook in oven for around 20 minutes. Sprinkle the garam masala over the biryani and Kasuri methi and cover again. Bake for further 20 minutes

Heat a pan and roast thinly sliced onions on a medium flame. If it sticks, sprinkle some water on it till it turns brown and crispy. 

Just before serving, sprinkle chopped cilantro and roasted onion on top

Lemon Rice, Curd Rice and Tamarind Rice with Curry Leaves Chutney - Andhra Special

Lemon Rice, Curd Rice and Tamarind Rice with Curry Leaves Chutney - Andhra Special

BM # 39

Day : 1

State: Andhra Pradesh

Indian cuisine is as diverse as its culture, regions, languages, and its climate. It's history can be traced back thousands of years. Every region of India brings its own unique dishes and subtle variations to popular dishes. I have always been fascinated by this diversity and to think a dish can be called by a different name with bare minimum variation in ingredients. It truly is amazing.

For the month of April, we a group of bloggers are running a marathon, where we shall be cooking from Indian states in alphabetical order. This month long marathon has been organised by Srivalli of Spice your Life. Valli, as we all fondly call her is a lovely lady with multiple talents and with lot of patience.She conceived the idea of marathons and some of us are totally hooked on to them.For those of you who would like to know more about these marathons , please check here.

I have tried my best to give you some authentic recipes from Indian states .While searching recipes from a particular state, I realized that each state has at least two to three different cuisines , which makes it all the more difficult to choose.

Today being Day 1 , we begin with Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh is acknowledged for being the largest producer of rice in India. Moreover, rice is also the staple food grain that is consumed in large quantities in the state. Most of the traditional food and dishes in Andhra Pradesh are rice-based.

Rice goes with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals also. Coconut, spices and fresh herbs are often added to flavor the basic dishes like rice, sambhar, other lentils and steamed vegetables. Rice is boiled and eaten with curries, or made into a batter to be used in dosas, idlis.

Andhra food is one of the most spicy cuisines and pickles and chutneys are made with almost every vegetable, including tomatoes. I remember one of our relatives used to send a particular Andhra mango pickle, which was a super hit.

Hyderabadi cuisine is another branch of Andhra cuisine which was influenced by the Muslims, who arrived in Telangana in the 14 th century.Much of the cuisine revolves around meat and Hyderabad offers the royal recipes of the 'Nawabs'. The Hyderabadi Biryani , Mirch ka Salan are popular dishes from this part of the state. Chilli powder, oil and tamarind are liberally used in it, making the food really spicy and tangy.

For today I have cooked three popular varieties of rice from this state.These are simple rice , but since these are not on our regular menu, they were a treat for the family. I served them with Curry leaves chutney.

Andhra Pradesh -- Madatha Kaaja/ Thapeshwaram Khaja (Traditional dessert recipe)

Andhra Pradesh -- Madatha Kaaja/ Thapeshwaram Khaja (Traditional dessert recipe)

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 1
State: Andhra Pradesh
Dish: Madatha Kaaja/ Thapeshwaram Khaja

Our Blogging marathon group loves challenges and this time we have decided to do a month long mega marathon exploring the dishes from 30 Indian States & Union Territories. Which means starting today, all of us are going to post authentic dishes from each of the 30 Indian states in alphabetical order.
This would have been an impossible challenge some 5~6 years back, but with so many food bloggers from various parts of the country sharing their recipes online, finding authentic recipes was not too difficult except for the North eastern states. More about that when I do those states in a few days.
Preparations for the Mega marathon started almost 5~6 months ago, but I started working on them 2 months back. In the past couple of months, I have tried ingredients and ingredient combinations that I've never tried before. I can't say I learnt a lot about all the food cultures from the different states, but I sure know at least a few dishes names from each state now.
The most interesting take away for me after cooking from the 30 states is that 'there are so many similarities in the dishes that are made in different states, but at the same time there are as many differences in them too'. Take for example, rice is used in some form or the other in ALL the states, but the dishes that are made are very different from each other. Also the type of spices used and when they are added to a dish makes a big difference in the final taste of the dish.
Acknowledgements: First of my husband who was a very kind guinea pig. He ate everything, without a word, that was served even though some of the dishes tasted quite different with unusual ingredient combinations (from what we are used to). Thanks to the BM group for the inspiration (and nonstop chatter), without which I wouldn't have been able to complete the project on time. Thanks to the internet: Google & Wikipedia in particular for providing all the information on just about everything. Thanks for the hundreds of bloggers from across India for sharing their traditional dishes.
A for Andhra Pradesh: First day, we are exploring the cuisine of Andhra Pradesh. It is my home state and selecting a dish from it was quite challenging.
Andhra Pradesh is situated on the Southeastern coast of India. Ironically the state has been bifurcated into 2 separate states in the interim, but we decided to stick to Andhra Pradesh for marathon purposes.
Cuisine: Andhra Pradesh is the leading producer of rice, red chilies and millets in India. These influence the liberal use of spices making Andhra food one of the richest and spiciest in the country. Lentils, vegetables, tamarind are largely used in making the dishes. Various hot and spicy varieties of pickles form an important part of Andhra cuisine.
Regions: There are many regional variations in the cuisine based on the topographic location and the cuisine can be classified by region into Andhra, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Kosta (coastal) Andhra & Hyderabadi.
Staple Food: Rice, Lentils, Millet etc.,
Specialties: Pulihora (tamarind rice), Pesarattu-Upma, Gongura Pachadi, Gutti Vankaya Kura, Bagara Baingan, Avakaaya, Boorelu, Bobbatlu and many more.

In the previous month long marathon, I did a A-Z of Andhra dishes and so it was a little difficult for me to find a dish that was traditionally made in AP. After discussing with my mom, who was here in the states at the time, I decided on this traditional sweet that is made in Thapeshwaram and it is called Thapeshwaram Kaaja. So starting the marathon on a very sweet note with this yummy dessert.

My aunt makes these really really well and my mom got the recipe from her. This was the first time for even my mom to make them and we were both very surprised on how well the kaajas turned out, They were flaky and very juicy even after a week of making them -- thanks to my pedamma for this traditional recipe.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2cups+2~3tbsp
Vegetable Shortening - ¼cup
Yogurt - ½cup
Salt - a pinch
Sugar - 1½cups
Ground Cardamom - ½tsp
Ghee - 2tbsp, melted

A Week of Rasams – Recipes for Garlic Rasam and Lemon Rasam

A Week of Rasams – Recipes for Garlic Rasam and Lemon Rasam

After a bustling festive season it’s “Rasam Week” at our home. As I’ve mentioned here in my very first post, Rasam is one of our ultimate comfort foods. It’s the dish we turn to when we crave a home cooked meal, the dish we make when we want to “detox” and the one we cook as an accompaniment for a traditional South Indian occasion. Rasam is quite the ubiquitous and well loved South Indian dish. Typically a clear broth spiced with different flavors, rasam is another word for juice or shall we say the essence of all South Indian food:)
It was Girish’s turn to plan the weekly menu since he is home for a full week after ages. And here’s what his menu looked like.
South Indian style oatmeal for breakfast and Rasam for dinner. Every. Single. Day. :)
Yes I am married to someone who can eat the same thing for days – thank heavens. As long as it’s one of his favorite dishes.
Makes it easy for planning and cooking so let’s be immensely grateful for that shall we?:) Here’s to someone who is fuss free when it comes to meal planning. I repeat, as long as it’s one of his choice dishes. He is still quite the food critic so let me just say it’s safest to stick with the requested menu:)
So I thought I would chronicle the types of rasams while I was at it. The garlic rasam is a house favorite and is exactly the way my mother in law (the queen of rasams in the family) makes it. Also one of Nikhil’s favorite dishes and a common request from him when he craves Indian comfort food.
The lemon rasam recipe is adapted from Chandra Padmanabhan’s cookbook “Dakshin“. I have tried making lemon rasam many times before but I found this method to be the best. I suppose the garnish of crushed black pepper and cumin topped with lemon is what adds to this rasam’s burst of flavor. Whatever the type of rasam, it’s best enjoyed with some hot (white or brown) rice, a dollop of fresh ghee and some cooked dry vegetable as a side. We love urulai roast (roasted potato), the way Amma makes it though you could try this one (Chettinad urulai roast) and the cauliflower fry as a yum side too.
Recipe for Garlic Rasam: