A MINIMALIST CHICKEN BIRYANI
I BELIEVE I MADE THE COOLEST BIRYANI LAST WEEK!
All along I insisted Biryani is royal & there should not have any shortcut to it! But, I deviated from my stand a bit & wished to create an all in one dish that we can cook any day, at any place without searching for the exotic spices that goes into a biryani! Later in the post you would see I have used regular kitchen staples in the making of this homely biryani; yet it yielded a good taste & I am happy; the cook's happiness matters! Okay, my family enjoys Biryani & Fried Rices, in this sense they are clean eaters! I am thinking of trying exactly this recipe of Biryani in my Kolkata home in few days! It's too hot there, I have to stay carefully, eat out less! I am trying to remember if I have sustained a 41-42* heat in Kolkata earlier! That I may have long back! Usually, I used to visit Kolkata with the son during the winters, T would join in every alternate year! After the son has joined the college, I go at a time when there is no rush & the air tickets are reasonable, I refuse to visit the Kolkata Markets before any occasion; Christmas, Eid, Durga Pooja, Bengali New Year! I just cannot roam amidst indisciplined crowd anymore! In fact, earlier too I used to shop for Pooja in the months of July-August to avoid the shopping crowd! People are talking about the heat there in a manner that I am fearing! Then, there is my brother who would pick me up from the airport; wants me to lock myself at home, order food from outside and then after a month he would leave me at the airport! I know it is hot, but I need to get repair works done, meet few people, do considerable amount of shopping! There is no point visiting Kolkata if I cannot go out! Also, those who work they are going out of home, right? Let us use umbrellas & take other precautions!
I AM EXTREMELY BUSY TODAY!
I am to cook a platter to offer our father, today is his 6th death anniversary! I just do not wish to do the mention of this occasion in different forums! I would definitely share there the food I offer him today but at a later date! I am to share an Eid friendly Biryani recipe tonight, the daddy did like biryani but not more than a "mach er jhol"! I am not cooking his favourite fish curry today! As told I am caught up with many things at this time! I am cooking for him & writing this blogpost simultaneously!Once offered, I would share the platter here! The platter today is small & simple! I have to go out in the evening for small buys & a standard walk! T is at home, he does not bother for anything but I have to serve him lunch at a decent time, though it gets delayed every weekend! Again today, I served T his lunch post 3 pm! But my men are too used to it, even the son never created a ruckus if food was served late! My child has to arrange each of his meals, mumma is sad about it!Even our daddy never shouted if the mother was late! He would just keep asking for food every five minutes! It is six years, he left us! I believe he would have lived a few more years had his hard earned money not gone into the drain; I would never ever vote for any political party in India! I cannot ever forget how a chit fund robbed him of his finance & peace! The fault is his, he easily trusted people; I never do, my brother never would!
The flowers here in this island do not please me; also the miser self do not spend enough on buying flowers & garlands of choice! Tomorrow, I would cook meat & fish but I just could not manage an elaborate cooking given my schedule for the day! I just made a small effort to make an offering with our father's favourite snacks! Okay, he loved beaten rice with milk & banana, mango but our home never made a "chirer payesh"! Today, I made a "chirer payesh" for the first time & it is good! I thought only Southern India eats this dessert, now I see even the Bengalis do! The rest are "luchi, aloo-potol er dalna, aam-kola-muri"! I would have them after sometime, T had "Luchi with Aloo-Potol er Dalna"!
WHAT IS THIS "A MINIMALIST CHICKEN BIRYANI"?
It is Hari Raya Pausa celebrations all over the island, actually Eid is to be celebrated all over the world, I enjoy being a part of any celebration that speaks of happiness & peace! I do not advocate celebrations where there is involved torture of man & the animal world! These should stop! I did not fix any specific recipe to share for the muslim world, including my close ones! But I cannot share something that they wouldn't be able to eat! As a food blogger, this share thing holds important! It is only last Saturday, after cooking & having a simple, homely meat-potato-egg biryani did I decide to share the recipe! It is a deviation from my stand that Biryani should be royal whose making should be laborious! But in this fast paced world, when quinoa biryani is doing the rounds, I would not hesitate to get A MINIMALIST CHICKEN BIRYANI; I too have to be a part of the race!
INGREDIENTS :
CHICKEN : 6-8 STANDARD SIZED PIECE
PLAIN YOGURT : 200-250 GM
POTATO : 2-3 MEDIUM SIZED
TOMATO : 1-2 MEDIUM SIZED
GREEN CHILLI : 6-7
FRESH CORIANDER : 2-3 SPRIG
EGG : 3-4
LONG GRAINED BASMATI RICE : 1 COFFEE MUG
ONION : 3-4 MEDIUM SIZED
GINGER PASTE : 1 TBSP
GARLIC PASTE : 2 TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1 TBSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TBSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TBSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1 TSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1 TSP
CLOVES POWDER : 1/4 TSP
BAYLEAF : 6-7
CINNAMON STICK : 7-8 MEDIUM LENGTH
GREEN CARDAMOM : 6-7
CLOVE : 7-8
SALT : AS REQUIRED
ROSE WATER : 1 1/2 TBSP
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
OIL : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP
PROCEDURE :
Chop the tomatoes, slit 3-4 green chillies; wash them! Clean & wash the chicken pieces!
Marinate the chicken pieces with cumin+coriander+red chilli+turmeric powders+beaten yogurt+salt+slitted green chillies+chopped tomatoes! Mix well & keep covered for an hour!
Peel, wash & cut each potato half, marinate with some salt & keep aside for few minutes! Thereafter, add them to the chicken marination & mix well!
We are to cook the rice! Wash the rice well! Put for boil enough water & add to it half of the mentioned bay leaves, green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, cloves, salt!
As the water boils hard, add to it the washed basmati rice & stir! Cook at medium heat until 60% done & pass through a colander! Let all of the water drain!
Peel, slice the onions & wash! Heat half small cup of oil & ghee in a wok, a bit flattened at the bottom! Temper that with the rest of the bay leaves, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks cloves!
Add the sliced onions & fry at low to medium heat until golden brown & crisp! If you fry them at minimal heat, they would become soft instead of been crisp! Take out half of the fried onions!
Add the marinated chicken & potatoes! Fold in well & cook at minimal heat, covered! In between, remove the cover & gently stir! Switch off the gas burner once they are 70% done! Transfer them to a bowl along with the curry!
Boil, peel, wash the eggs! Marinate with little of salt! Discard the roots; chop the fresh coriander & wash!
Grease the same but washed & dried wok with some ghee! Add half of the cooked rice & spread evenly! Add the chicken, potato pieces, boiled eggs & half of the curry!
Add half of the rest of the ghee & few green chillies[if you wish]!
Cover with the rest of rice & spread evenly! Sprinkle the rest of the ghee, the rose water, the fried onions, chopped fresh coriander! Cover it with a heavy lid!
Place a roti pan atop your gas stove & switch on! After about 5-6 minutes, place the covered wok full of rice & chicken in layers, cook in dum at minimal to low heat for 45-50 minute! Switch off the gas burner! We should be done!
Keep covered for 10 minutes before serving & having! I was running out of enough yogurt for a raita! I prepared a salad with raw mango-peanuts-cucumber-olive oil! Though I am against aerated drinks, a Sprite bottle stays in the refrigerator regular, may be for other purposes!
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