Mushroom Pulao

 

Belated Eid wishes to all. I was hoping to post this on the Eid day, but things did not work the way it was supposed to be. The guests who were expected to come on the Eid day came yesterday only. So we celebrated Eid with a simple "Nawabi Biriyani" accompanied with "Pineapple Payasam". Yesterday was the real feast. I served a five-course meal for them. There was mushroom pulao,  bhatura, naan, chicken mughalai, mutton roganjosh etc.,. etc.,. for the main course. I am posting mushroom pulao recipe this time, other recipes will be published soon.
Off to the recipe...

Ingredients

Mushroom : 15 (1 packet)
Basmati Rice : 2 cups
Cardamom : 3
Onion : 2 sliced
Mint Leaves : 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves : 1/4 cup
Green Chilly : 2
Sugar : a pinch
Butter : 4 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Lemon juice : 1 tsp

Method

• In a pressure cooker heat 2 tbsp of butter, then add cardamom. Add cleaned basmati rice into this, saute for few minutes till all the moisture in the rice leaves out. Add water.
• Add salt and few drops of lemon juice. Cook the rice till one whistle. Wait till all the steam goes out.
• Thinly slice the mushrooms and onions after washing it nicely.
• In a pan, add 1 tbsp of butter and add the onions. Add little salt and saute them till they turn pink. Add the thinly sliced mushrooms. Mushrooms tend to cook and oozes out water too.
• When done add this to the rice.
• Make a fine paste of coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chillies.
• In another pan, add little butter and add this paste and add a pinch of sugar. Sugar is added to retain the color. Saute for a while and add this to the rice.
• Mix this gently and evenly.
• Mushroom pulao is ready to serve.

Sweet Corn Pulao Recipe

Ingredients

Basmati Rice : 2 cups
Sweet Corn : 1 cup
Pure Ghee or Butter : 3 tbsp
Bay Leaves : 2
Cardamom : 3
Green Chilly : 2
Garlic paste : 1 tsp
Ginger Paste : 1 tsp
Whole Pepper : 1 tsp
Cloves : 2
Cinnamon : 1 stick
Cashew Nuts : 50 gms
Milk : 1/2 cup
Water : 2 to 2 1/2 cups (Adjust according to your rice type)
Mint & Coriander leaves chopped : 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat a pressure cooker and add butter (Ghee) into it.
• Add bay leaves and Cardamom seeds followed by green chilies.
• Add ginger and garlic paste and saute for a while
• At the same time, grind cashew nuts with pepper, cloves and cinnamon into a fine paste.
• When the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes, add cashew paste and saute again for sometime.
• Add corn and little salt and fry for sometime.
• Now add milk and enough water, bring to boil.
• Add basmati rice, mint and coriander leaves.
• Check for salt and add salt enough for rice.
• When it starts boiling, close the lid and cook up to one whistle.
• Off the flame and wait till all the steam goes its own.
• Open the lid and serve hot!

Recipe adapted from here

Erachi Choru / Meat Rice

Erachi choru is a popular authentic rice recipe of malabar, especially very common between malabar Muslims. I saw some recipes of erachi choru while googling, just like biriyani recipe. Same process, first make meat masala then ghee rice and mix both of them. Actually in malabar we serve biriyani, with rice and masala in separate dish. But erachi choru is a mix of meat and rice, so it has a different appearance from biriyani. Its taste also stands away from biriyani. Its also easy to make. I made this in traditional way. You can use mutton or beef for this recipe. I used beef here.

Ingredients

• Beef : 1/2 kg
• Tomato : 1 big
• Onion : 2 big
• Green Chilly : 5 crushed
• Ginger : 1 inch piece crushed
• Garlic : 6 cloves crushed
• Chilly Powder : 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder : 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala powder : 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds : 1/4 tsp
• Fenu Greek seeds : 1/4 tsp
• Coconut oil : 3 tbsp
• Salt : to taste
• Basmati Rice : 1/2 kg
• Boiled Water : 2 and 1/2 cups approximately
• Coriander leaves chopped : 1/4 cup

Method

Put the cleaned beef, finely sliced onion, chopped tomato, crushed green chillies, crushed ginger and garlic, all the masala powders, fenu Greek seeds, fennel seeds, coconut oil and salt (enough to meat and rice) in a pressure cooker. Mix well and keep for some time. No need of adding water, meat cooks in its own water.

 Keep the cooker in medium fire up to 4 whistles.
Clean basmati rice and soak for 10 minutes. Drain.
Open cooker lid after steam escapes its own. Add rice into it, mix well. Then add boiled water up to 1 inch top of rice. Check for salt this time and add enough. Close the lid and cook up to 1 whistle. Off the flame and allow to escape steam its own.
Open the lid and add coriander leaves .Mix well and serve it hot with raitha or pappad.

I'm taking part in the cooking with seeds (CWS)-event, hosted by The Big Sweet Tooth

This recipe is linked to: Cooking with Seeds Rice Event and Cws Event Announcement

Eid delicacy ; Kabsa

      This Eid we celebrated with the arabian delicacies Kabsa and Fattoush accompanied by a Cream of mushroom soup. I will post the recipe for fattoush and cream of mushroom soup as soon as possible.

    Kabsa 

Kabsa or kabseh is one of the traditional dishes served in the Arabian gulf area. It is a Unique mixture of rice, meat, spices and vegetables topped with almonds and raisins. The secret of kabsa's taste is the blend of spices used in it.

Ingredients

• Butter ( oil ) : 1/4 cup
• Onion : 1 finely chopped
• Garlic ; 6 cloves minced
• 1 whole chicken cut into 4 pieces
• tomato puree : 1/4 cup
• Tomatoes : 3 chopped
• Carrots : 3 peeled and grated
• Cloves : 4
• Whole black pepper : 1 tsp
•  Dried lemon : 2
• Bay leaves : 2
• Cinnamon stick : 2 
• Cardamom : 4
• Orange zest : 1 tsp
• Coriander : 1 tsp
• Basmati rice : 2 1/2 cups washed and soaked for 45 minutes
• Hot water : 4 1/2 cups
• Raisins : 1/4 cup
• Almonds : 1/4 cup

Directions

• Melt the butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat, stir in the garlic and onion ; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned transculent, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and brown them over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. mix in the tomato puree.
• Add chopped tomatoes, grated carrots, whole cloves, black pepper, dried lemon, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, coriander, orange zest, cardamom and salt. Cook  for about 3 minutes ; pour in the water. 
• Bring the sauce to boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken pieces from the stock and place it in a oven for 10 minutes.
• Add soaked rice into the stock, cover the pot and simmer until rice is tender and almost dry, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer the rice to a large serving platter and arrange the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle the toasted almonds and raisins over the dish.

Today's menu... BHINDI DHAHI, CHEERA THORAN AND SALAD WITH MAYONNAISE

    Trying to decide what to eat can be the most difficult decision of the day! Here is a menu for today's lunch. Easy to make vegetarian side dishes. Goes well with rice. If you are a non vegetarian you can add a fish fry also.

Bhindi Dahi

Ingredients

• Ladies finger(okra or bhindi) : 250 gms
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal: 1/2 tsp
• Red chilies: 2 whole
• Curry leaves: 6
• Onion chopped: 1 small
• Tomato chopped: 1 
• Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
• Yogurt: 2 tbsp
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

To be ground into a paste

• Coconut scrapped : 4 or 5 tbsp
• Cashew nuts : 1 tbsp

Method

• Cut the bhindi (okra) into 1 1/2 pieces.
• Deep fry in oil until crisp.
• Remove from oil, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and urad dal and fry. After a while add the red chilies and curry leaves and cook again until the seeds begin to crackle.
• Add the onions and saute until brown.
• Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Add the coconut paste and fry until oil separates.
• Add 1 cup of water into the yogurt and churn. Add to the mixture then add okra and cook for a few minutes. Serve hot.

Cheera (spinach) thoran

Ingredients

• Cheera (Spinach) leaves: 3 cups
• Coconut (scrapped): 3 tbsp
• Green chilies: 2 nos
• Shallots: 2 nos
• Garlic cloves: 2
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Coconut oil: 2 tbsp

Method

• Clean the leaves well and chop it finely
• Grind together coconut, green chilies and shallots into a coarse form. Do not add water while grinding.
• Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and add chopped garlic. When garlic turns brown add chopped spinach and saute for few minutes.
• Add coconut mixture and saute for 2 minutes. Do not cover the pan.
• Healthy and nutritious cheera thoran is now ready to serve. Make sure you don't overcook it.

Salad with mayonnaise

Ingredients

• Cucumber: 2 small
• Apple: 1 
• Tomato: 1
• Capsicum: 1 small
• Black olives: 7 or 8
• Parsley leaves: 2 tbsp (optional)

For the dressing

• Mayonnaise: 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp
• Chaat masala: 1 tsp
• Pepper powder: 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Chop all the ingredients finely except olives
• Add whole olives into it
• Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients( for the dressing )
• Combine all with a spatula
• Garnish with apple and olive

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Chicken Biriyani In A Hurry

 

      If you are in a hurry, you may not have too much time to spend in kitchen. Then also you can make this biriyani. No need of soaking or frying rice.

      Ingredients:
     
      For Rice:

• Basmati rice: 4 cups
• Ghee: 2 tbsp
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon: 3 sticks
• Bay leaves: 2
• Cloves: 3
• Cardamom: 4 crushed
• Onion: 1
• Water: 6 cups
• Salt: To taste

      For Chicken Masala:

• Chicken medium size pieces: 1 kg
• Ghee: 2 tbsp
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Onion: 3 big
• Ginger&Garlic Paste: 2 tbsp
• Green chilly: 10 
• Tomatoes: 2 big
• Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp
• Mint leaves: 2 tbsp
• Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
• Garam masala: 1 tsp
• Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
• Yogurt: 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice: 1

      For Layering (Dum):

• Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp
• Mint leaves: 2 tbsp
• Garam masala: 1 tsp
• Onion: 1
• Cashew nuts: 10 slitted
• Kismis: 1 tbsp
• Pure ghee: 2 tbsp

     Preparation Method:

     Cooking Rice: Heat ghee+oil in a pressure cooker. At the same time you can slice the onion. When ghee become hot, first add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and cardamom following by sliced onion. Saute for one minute then add water and salt. When water is being boiled you can wash the rice. After adding the rice close the lid and cook up to one whistle. Off the flame. Open the lid only after all the steam escapes.

     Cooking Chicken masala: In a biriyani pot heat oil+ghee, meanwhile make one onion (for layering) thin slices and add to the pot. After a few seconds, add cashew nuts followed by kismis. After onion become golden color remove  and drain in a paper towel. Keep it aside for layering.

     In the same pot we can make the chicken masala, add 3 onion (chopped) in to the same ghee and saute for few minutes. You can add salt in this stage for saute the onion quickly. Add ginger garlic paste followed by chilly paste. When the raw smell leaves, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and pepper powder. Saute again, chop the tomatoes and add in to it. Then add chopped coriander and mint leaves followed by yogurt and lemon juice. Then add chicken pieces and cook for 8 minutes.

      Layering: Place one layer of rice above the chicken masala, then sprinkle pure ghee, garam masala, chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves and fried onion cashew kismis mixture on the top. Make two or three layers like this. Close with tight fitting lid and keep in low flame for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with Raitha or Salad.

      Note: You can use a hot cast iron skillet instead of the lid.

                 If you like to serve masala and rice separate you can place an aluminium foil between the rice and                  masala.