Pressure Cooker Biryani

This biryani is for the lazy ones who dread the washing up after the cooking is done! It tastes the same so why not? I am very picky when it comes to biriyani and my taste buds reject most of them. But the one at our favourite restaurant here in Kuwait is the best! It is the Shaab Beach restaurant which is an old restaurant  managed by a Malayali. The staff is a friendly lot and whenever we feel like indulging we only need to pick up the phone and order our favourite; by the time we reach the place, it would be ready.

Now for the biriyani.

Pressure Cooker Biryani

Ingredients

1. Basmati Rice - 3 cups (soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained well)
2. Chicken - 1 Kg
3. Water - 4 1/2  ( for every cup, you need to add 1 and half cup of water)
4. Garam Masala - 3/4 tspn
5. Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
6. Chilly powder - 1 1/2 Tbspn
7. Pepper powder - 1/2 tspn
8. Ginger - a big piece
9. Garlic - a whole ( I use a lot of garlic and this was taught by a maid from TN)
10. Onion - 3-4
11. Tomatoes - 3
12. Cardamom - 4
13. Cloves - 4
14. Cinnamon - a small piece
15. Coriander leaves - a big bunch
16. Mint leaves - a bunch
17. Curd - 3 Tbspn

Method

Wash the chicken and apply 1/2 a tspn each of the powders and 3 tbspn of curd and enough salt. Leave this for at least an hour.

Take a pressure cooker ( at least 3 and half litre) and fry the onions until light light brown. Remove half the onion and brown the rest well. Remove when well browned and add the whole spices to the remaining oil. Return the earlier light browned onion and add ginger and garlic that has been crushed/grounded. Fry until the raw smell leaves. Add tomato that has been pureed in the grinder. You can add the leaves into the grinder after the tomato has been pureed for a quick grinding. This saves the cutting! Fry this mix until oil separates. Add the powders and fry for a few seconds. This is the time to add the chicken and fry for a while making sure that it is not burned.

Now add the drained rice and fry for a while.

Before adding water

Add water and cover the cooker. Place the weight of the cooker once the steam starts coming out. Reduce the flame and wait for 5 minutes. Switch off the fire and wait for 10 minutes and transfer the contents into a flat serving plate. Garnish with browned onions, dry grapes and cashewnuts.  I added a few cut vegetables too!

Enjoy!

Carrot and Beans Stir Fry or Mezhukkuparatty

The typical Kerala meal consists of rice (motta rice and not the Basmati variety), a thoran (vegetable cooked with coconut), Mezhukkuparatty or stir fried vegetable, and a curry. Additionally the meal  may have fish or meat too. Though for most households fish would be a must.  And most households continue to follow this religiously and even my friend here in the Gulf. But as for me, I gave up long back due to lack of time! My meal would be just a curry with either a thoran or a mezhukkuparatty; if lucky it may have fish or chicken else only egg! But to my consolation this friend of mine conceded and told me that she can no longer keep up! :)

My favourite mezhukkuparatty is the one with yam. A flight back from GOC would definitely see a yam hidden somewhere among the various luggage. Hubby hates bringing anything since he says everything is available here in Kuwait.. but when there is yam from your own backyard, how can you ignore it?

Carrot and Beans Stir Fry or Mezhukkuparatyy

Ingredients

1. Beans - 1/4 kg
2. Carrot - 1 medium
3. Onions - 1 medium
4. Green chillies - two nos.
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn

The vegetables ready to be cooked. Love the riot of colors!

The cooked vegetables waiting for the next step.

Ready to be enjoyed!

Method

Slice the beans, carrot, onion and green chilly lengthwise. Add 3 to 4 tablespoon of water, enough salt and turmeric to this. Cook this in slow fire until the vegetables are cooked. Check for water and if needed add more.

Once the vegetables are cooked and the water well evaporated, take it off from the fire. Take a pan and pour 2 tablespoon of oil and add the cooked vegetables. Stir fry it in slow fire for a while and enjoy!

Tips to enhance the taste.
1. Slice a few pieces of coconut and add it to the vegetables pre-cooking.
2. Splutter mustard and fry small onions before adding the cooked vegetables.
3. Add crushed garlic to the hot oil.

The above depends on the time.

Palak Thoran or Stir Fried Palak

During the Eid holidays we visited Wafra which is situated at the border of Kuwait with KSA. If is almost 160 km away from the city and is known for it's vegetable and animal farms. We were lucky to get a farmhouse during the heavy holiday rush and had a great time. The weather was just right and the children had a lot of place and sand to play with. There was also a swimming pool and a very friendly dog. As for vegetables, only palak was ready. On our return we were given a good share of the same. I used it in Sambar and Dal curry and this thoran.

Palak Thoran

Ingredients

1. Palak - a good bunch finely cut
2. Masoor Dal - 2 Tbspn
3. Scrapped Coconut - 1/4 cup
4. Green Chilly - two numbers
5. Garlic - 2 cloves
6. Red chilly - 1
7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
8. Small onion - 3 nos - finely chopped
9. Curry leaves - a handful

Method

Wash the palak and cut it finely. Place enough water to cook the dal and make sure there is no water once it is  cooked. Put the chopped palak and stir it. Lower the flame and close the pan. Give a swirl of the ingredients 3-5 in your food processor and add it to the palak. Add salt. After a while, remove the cover and stir until cooked. Remove from fire. In another pan, add oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Fry red chilly, onions and curry leaves. Add it to the palak and enjoy!