Irachi Chor

Ingredients :

1. Beef  - 1/2 kg with bones cut into medium sized cubes
2. Jeera rice / kaima rice - 3 cups
3. water - 6 cups (you might not need all of it depending on the beef gravy)
4. onion - 4 sliced
5. green chilly - 3 slit
6. ginger - 1 inch piece chopped
7. garlic - 6 cloves 
8. ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
9. curry leaves - 1 spring 
10. coconut oil - 3 tbsp
11. curry leaves - 1 spring
12. corriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
13. mint leaves - 1/4 cup
14. vinegar - 1 tbsp
15. yogurt - 1/2 cup
16. chilly powder -1 tsp
17. corriander powder - 1 tsp
18. turmeric powder - 1 tsp
19. fresh ground meat masala - 1 tbsp (2 cardamom, 2 cloves,5 peppercorn,1/2 tsp fennel seeds,1 cinnamon stick,1 bay leaf  

Method :
add the beef , 2 chopped onions ,chopped ginger , garlic cloves ,green chillues ,1/2 tsp turmeric powder , vinegar , curry leaves ,salt and 1/2 tbsp meat masala into a small pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles .Allow the steam to release by itself and then open the cooker .(cooking time will vary on the cut of beef you use - increase or decrease as needed)
wash and soak the rice in water and set aside .
In a pan add the coconut oil and sliced onions and saute until it starts changing color .
add in the ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell is gone .
add in the chilly, corriander,turmeric powder and remaining meat masala and saute for a minute .
add in curd and stirfry until the oil starts separating .
add in the corriander and mint leaves and mix well.
Add the cooked beef pieces into this masala and mix well, let it cook on low flame for 5 minutes .
measure the beef gravy and keep aside.
meanwhile drain the rice from soaking water and add to the meat that is cooking .
pour in the measured gravy(leftover from cooking the beef in the pressure cooker )
measure and add remaining water (gravy + water should come up to 6 cups )
add salt to taste and mix well.
bring to a boil and then reduce the flame to low , cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.about 15 minutes .
serve with raita ,pickle , pappad and chutney

Soy chunk Biriyani

Ingredients :

1. Basmati rice / Kaima rice - 1 cup (soak in water for half and hour)
2. Soy chunks - 3/4 cup dry
3. tomato - 2 medium chopped
4. Onion - 1 chopped
5. ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
6. green chilly - 2 slit
7. Potato - 1 large peeled and cubed
8. curd - 1/2 cup
9. whole spices - 2 cardamom,1 piece cinnamon,3 cloves,5 pepper corns,1 bay leaf
10. corriander leaves - 2 tbsp
11. mint leaves - 1 tbsp
12. Oil - 2 tbsp
13. Ghee - 1 tsp
14. salt - to taste
15. chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
16. corriander powder - 1 tsp
17. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Soak the soy chunks in hot water for 30 minutes.
Wash well in several changes of cold water and squeeze the water out.
add this to a blender jar and pulse for 30 seconds.
You should have a very coarse mixture with some pieces whole . 
Boil 2 cups of water and add the drained rice and salt to taste .
Cook until the water is absorbed and rice is 90% cooked.
cover and keep aside .
while the rice is cooking heat a nonstick pan and add oil
add in whole spices and saute
add in chopped onion and saute until light brown.
add in ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute
add in the spice powders - chilly,corriander and turmeric.
add the tomatoes , slit chillies and saute until the tomato is cooked.
add salt to taste and the ground soy chunks and diced potatoes.
sprinkle 1/4 cup of water and cover and cook until the potato is cooked .
remove the lid and add in the curd and mix well.
adjust seasonings and boil until the mix is a thick gravy .
turn the flame off and add chopped corriander and mint leaves and mix.
in a nonstick pan add 1/2 of the cooked rice as a layer .
spread the soy masala on the rice  .
Add remaining rice on top.
dot with ghee ,cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
Serve hot with raita .

Crumbled Beef with Rice & Salsa

Ingredients :

for beef

1. Ground beef - 250 gms
2. onion - 2 tbsp chopped
3. garlic - 2 cloves chopped
4. chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
5. whole spices - 1/2 tsp corriander seeds, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds,1/4 tsp black peppercorns,cumin seeds - a pinch.
6. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
7. corn flour - 1 tsp mixed in 1/2 cup water 
8. oil - 1 tbsp

for salsa 

1. ripe tomatoes - 2 chopped into small pieces
2. onion - 1chopped fine
3. cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped
4. lime juice - 1/2 tsp
5. salt - to taste 
6. gereen chilly - 1/2 tsp chopped fine

for rice 

1. sona masuri/shortgrain white rice - 1 cup
2. water - 2 cups
3. lime juice - 1 tsp
4. cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped
5. salt - to taste.

Iceberg lettuce - 1/2 of a head

method
Place all the  whole spices on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1 minute . you can dry roast on a pan aslo.
Crush it to a coarse powder and keep aside.
heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and saute the chopped onion and garlic in the beef section.
After a minute add the ground beef and break into small pieces stirring constantly until the beef starts to brown and releases some of its fat.
cook the beef for 5 minutes.
add the dry roasted powders and season to taste with salt and vinegar.
Now add the cornflour water to the pan and sirfry until it has thickened and coated the beef.
turn off the flame and keep aside.

To prepare salsa - mix all ingredients in salsa section and season to taste.

for the rice - cook 1 cup of washed and drained rice in 2 cups of water until the water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
once it cools down slightly , add the lime juice,salt and cilantro and fluff with a fork until mnixed well.

To serve - add a layer of rice
top with a layer of crumbled beef,
sprinkle salsa on top and serve with lettuce .

Paella with Shrimp and Chorizo

Ingredients:

1. Medium Shrimp - 20 (about 1 lb)
2. Chorizo sausage - 1 link sliced thick
3. Red,Green and yellow bell pepper - 1/4 cup chopped
4. Onion - 1 small chopped
5. Garlic - 3 cloves chopped fine
6. Tomatoes - 2 medium sized chopped
7. Spring onion - 2 stalks chopped
8. Saffron strands - 1/2 tsp soaked in 1/4 cup hot milk
9. Short grain Spanish rice - 2 cups
10. Water - 3 cups (dissolve the soup cubes in the water or use Chicken stock instead)
11. Chicken Bullion cube - 4 cubes (you can substitute with chicken stock)
12. Lime/Lemon - 1 cut into wedges and save few wedges for garnish.
13. Parsley - 2 tbsp chopped
14. Olive Oil - 4 tbsp
15. Paprika - 1/2 tsp
16. Salt - to taste

Method:
Clean , de-vein, wash and pat the shrimp dry.
Sprinkle the shrimp with paprika, chopped garlic,salt and a tbsp of Lemon juice and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp Olive oil in a wide pan and add in the chorizo slices and fry for 2 minutes - remove from pan and keep aside.
The pan will have the oil flavored with chorizo in it - Add in the shrimp and saute of high heat for 2 minutes, remove from pan and keep aside.
Add remaining oil and the chopped onions, spring onion ,bell pepper and tomatoes and half of the parsley and stir fry until it starts to soften and brown slightly.
Add in the washed and drained rice and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock or the Water and bullion cubes and cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and add in the saffron mixture and stir the rice well.
Add in the chorizo and Shrimp and tuck them into the rice.
Cover and cook again for an additional 15 minutes on medium flame  without stirring until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed.
When the rice is cooked , turn the flame on high for about 30 seconds so that it forms a nice crust at the bottom of the pan.
A traditional Paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.
Garnish with chopped parsley  and lime wedges.

Pressure cooker Beef Biriyani

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice - 2 cups
2. Beef - 2 lb cut into large pieces
3. Curd - 3/4 cup
4. Water - 2 cups
5. Whole spices - 4 cardamom,2 cloves,1 bay leaf,1/2 inch cinnamon stick ,5 whole peppercorns
6. Onion - 2 medium large sliced thin
7. Tomato - 1 large sliced thin
8. Ginger - 1 inch piece crushed to coarse paste
9. Garlic - 1 pod crushed to coarse paste
10. Green chillies - 7
11. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12. coriander leaves - 1 cup chopped
13. Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
14. salt to taste
15. Ghee - 3 tbsp
16. Biryani masala - 1 tbsp (crush together cloves,cinnamon,cardamon,Fennel)

Method:
Marinate the Beef with 1/2 cup curd , and 1/2 of the crushed Ginger and garlic plus 2 slit Green chillies and turmeric powder.Add salt to taste and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Soak the Basmati rice for 20 minutes while the meat is marinating - drain and keep aside.
Heat Ghee in a pressure cooker and add the whole spices and  saute for a few secs.
Add sliced onions and saute until they start turning color about 8 minutes.
Add the remaining ginger and garlic and saute until raw smell is gone.
Add in the marinated meat and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes are cooked.Add in the biriyani masala and remaining curd and the mint and coriander leaves and stir well.
Add in 2 cups of water and salt to taste and bring to a boil.
Add the drained Basmati rice and cover the cooker.
Once the steam starts forming put the weight on and keep on flame for 4 minutes (2 -3 whistles).
Turn the flame off and leave the cooker undisturbed for 25 minutes.By then the pressure would have released .Open the cooker and serve the biriyani hot with Salad, pickle and chutney

NOTE : The Beef we get in US takes very little time to cook.Adjust cooking times according to the type of meat you use.If you are using Goat meat you will have to precook the meat for 30 minutes (until it is 3/4'th done) before adding rice and pressure cooking.

Easy Fish Biriyani

Ingredients:

1. King fish/Seer fish/Nenmeen/Aikoora  steaks - 2 lb (You can use any meaty fish instead)
2. Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. salt - to taste
5. pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
6. vinegar/lime juice - 1 tbsp(to taste)
7. ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
8. Basmati rice - 2 cups(I use coffee mugs to measure)
9. Boiling water - 4 cups
10. Cardamom - 3
11. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
12. Whole black pepper - 1/2 tsp
13. cloves - 3
14. bay leaf - 2
15. Ghee - 3 tbsp
16. Ginger - 1 inch piece
17. Garlic - 1 pod
18. Green chillies - 8
19. Onion - 4 thinly sliced
20. Tomato - 3 medium thinly sliced
21. Yogurt - 1/2 cup
22. Mint leaves - 5 stems
23. Cilantro/corriander leaves - 1 bunch
24. Oil - 1/2 cup (to fry the fish)
25. Rasins and cashews - to garnish

Method:
Make a coarse paste of ginger,garlic and green chillies and keep aside.
Marinate the fish steaks with a mixture of chilly powder, turmeric powder,pepper powder, gingergarlic paste,vinegar and salt .Let it marinate for up to 3 hours.
Wash and drain the basmati rice and add it to the boiling water along with the whole spices(cardamom,cloves,cinnamon,pepper&bay leaves) and Ghee.Add salt to taste.Cook the rice by absorption method and keep aside.
Heat oil in a non stick pan and shallow fry the fish steaks slightly - Do not fry until it is browned ,just a good sear is enough (about 7 minutes total).Keep the fish pieces aside.
In the same oil saute the ginger/garlic chilly paste until raw smell is gone.
Add in the sliced onions and saute until it is soft and wilted.
Add in the tomatoes and fry until it is cooked.Add in chopped mint and corriander leaves and stir fry for a minute.Add in the curd and mix well.
Slide the fried fish pieces into this pan and mix gently so that the fish pieces are coated with the gravy.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Heat the Oven to 350 degreed F.
In an oven safe dish add a layer of rice followed by a layer of fish masala followed by a layer or rice and so on until the whole mixture is used up.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes.Garnish with fried cashews and rasins.
Serve with boiled egg, Raita and pickle.

Seasoned Rice with Italian herbs and Pepper

Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice - 3 cups
2. Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp (I used a mixture of dried Oregano, parsley and Thyme)
3. Garlic - 4 cloves chopped fine
4. Onion - 1/2 chopped
5. Assorted peppers - 1 cup chopped
6. Cherry tomatoes - 6 chopped
7. salt - to taste
8. Paprika powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Chicken bullion cube - 2 crumbled
11. Spring onion - 1 stalk
12. Butter - 2 tbsp
13. crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Heat a pan and add the butter .
Add in the garlic and saute until raw smell is gone.
Add in the chopped onion, peppers,tomatoes, spring onions,paprika,turmeric, crushed pepper , soup cubes, italian seasonings and salt to taste and saute until the peppers are slightly soft.
Add in cooked rice and stir well.
Serve as a side with grilled fish or meat .

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

1. Cooked Basmati rice - 4 cups
2. Limes - 2
3. Green chillies - 4
4. Urud dal - 1 tbsp
5. Cashews - handfull
6. Peanuts - handfull
7. Oil - 2 tbsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Curry leaves - 2 springs
11. Salt - to taste
12. Dry red chillies - 2 broken
13. Onion - 4 tbsp chopped

Method:

Add oil in a frying pan (large enough to hold all the ingredients) and heat it.
Add in the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the peanuts, cashews, dry red chillies, urud dal and stirfry until gloden brown.
Add in the curry leaves,green chillies, turmeric powder and chopped onion and saute for 2 minutes.Turn the flame off.
Add the cooked rice into the pan and Stir in salt to taste and sprinkle the limejuice.
Add a bit more lime juice than you think you need because the rice will absorb it and the tanginess will be reduced.

Chicken Fried Rice

Fried Rice is a great way to use up leftover bits of vegetables, meat and eggs in the refrigerator.You can use whatever veggies and meats you have on hand.
Some tips on making the perfect fried rice.
#1 - Always Use rice that has been cooked and refrigerated .Freshly cooked rice is moist , soft and sticky which is a big no for fried rice.
If you want to make fried rice and don’t happen to have day-old rice on hand, you can cook and cool the rice and only the proceed to make fried rice.
#2 - Instead of salt use Soy sauce to season the rice and vegetables.
#3 - Cook on high heat

Ingredients:

1. Cooked Basmati/Biriyani/Jasmine Rice - 3 cups
2. Bell pepper - 1/2 of a medium cut into small pieces(I used red)
3. Spring Onion - 1 bunch chopped
4. Onion - 1/2 chopped
5. Ginger - 1/2 tsp grated or crushed fine
6. Garlic - 4 cloves grated or crushed fine
7. Cabbage - 1/4 cup chopped
8. Carrots - 1/4 cup chopped
9. Beans - 1/4 cup chopped
10. celery - 1 stalk chopped fine (optional)
11. Eggs - 3
12. salt - to taste
13. Pepper - to taste
14. Soy sauce - to taste
15. Chicken breast - 1 whole
16. Sambal olek - 2 tbsp (optional)
17. Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
18. Oil - 3 tbsp

Method:
Add the whole boned-skinned chicken breast and the 2 tbsp of sambal olek/chilly sauce to a pan and add 2 tbsp of water and cover and cook until chicken is cooked (About 10 minutes).
Shred this chicken with 2 forks or cut into small cubes and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide nonstick pan/wok and add in the ginger and garlic and stir fry until fragrant.
Add in the chopped onion and stir fry for a minute.
Add in the rest of the chopped vegetables and enough Soy sauce to taste and stir fry on high flame for a minute.
Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and add in the 1 tbsp oil to the pan.
Break in the eggs and sprinkle salt and pepper and scramble in the center of the pan until the eggs are cooked.
Stir in the veggies and add the cooked rice to the mixture and stir well.
Add more soy sauce to taste (until the salt is balanced) , add in the vinegar and few pinches of crushed pepper.
Add in the cubed/shredded chicken and mix well.Stir fry on a high flame stirring constantly until the rice is warmed through and turns toasty.
Serve hot.

Thairu Sadam / Curd Rice

This is one dish that is close to my heart for the reason that it transports me back to my childhood days.I have vivid memories of traveling during vacation time when we would carry packed lunch with us ,so that we can have it on the way. The vacation spots were almost always remote villages where there was nothing but wild animals and forests all around - like Marayur , Mattupetty , Bison valley etc.We would stop someplace where there was a waterfall or a small stream and wash up and then have lunch. It was with immense pleasure that we kids would open the pothichoru wrapped up in an old newspaper sheet that enclosed the plantain leaf that would be stuffed with either curd rice or plain rice with omlette , fried fish and some kind of chammanthi.The side dishes would be wrapped in smaller plantain leaves.I still love food wrapped in Banana leaves for the taste and the memories it brings back.





















Ingredients:

1. Cooked Basmati rice - 2 cups (rice cooked until soft is best for this preparation)
2. Curd/plain yogurt - 1 cup (medium sour - not too sour if the curd is too sour you can mix it with some milk)
3. Dry red chilly - 1
4. Green chillies - 2 cut into rings
5. Ginger - 1/2 tsp chopped
6. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 2 springs
8. Hing/Asafotida/Kayam - 1/4 tsp
9. urud dal - 1/2 tsp
10. Oil - 1 tsp
11. salt - to taste

Method:
Heat oil and add in the mustard seeds, when it splutters add the dry red chilly and urud dal and fry until the dal is golden brown.
Add in the ginger, green chillies ,curry leaves and hing and saute for 2 minutes.
Turn the flame off and add the cooked rice and salt to taste and mix well.
Add in the yogurt and combine.
Serve with lime or Mango pickle , Mulaku kondattam or any mezhukkupuratti.
You should be able to taste the ginger , curry leaves and the hing.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice(day old rice is better or cooked and cooled down) - 4 cups
2. vegetables diced -2 cups (carrots,beans,bell pepper,spring onions,baby corn,cabbage etc.)
3. ginger/garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
4. onions - 1/2 chopped fine
5. pepper powder - 1 tsp
6. soy sauce - 4 tsp
7. eggs - 2 scrambled with salt(optional)

Method:
You need a flat large pan so that you can spread the rice well and get it fried.
Add oil to the pan and then the chopped onion and saute,add the ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell is gone.
Add in the chopped veggies - add the ones that require more time to cook first in that order(my personal preference is not to over cook the veggies for texture and colour)
Add in the soy sauce it should be salty enough.
Add in the rice and mix well.
Stir fry it on a low flame for some time and sprinkle soy sauce and pepper powder to taste.
Garnish with fresh spring onions.

Calicut Mutton Biriyani / Malabar Mutton Biriyani

The term Biriyani is derived from the Persian word 'Birian'.In Farsi Birin means 'Fried before cooking'.The rice is fried in Ghee which gives it a nutty flavour.It is then boiled in water with spices until it is half cooked.The rice and meat are then layered and baked or cooked over coals .

An age old test for a good biriyani is that if you drop a hand full of Biriyani on a hard floor , no two grains of rice should be stuck to each other.

Calicut is very famous for its Biriyani and no celebration in the Malabar region is complete without this delicacy.

Ingredients:

1. Biriyani rice/Basmati rice - 5 cups
2. Goat meat with bones - 5 lbs (approx 2.5 kg)
3. Garlic - 2 pods (plus 1 pod for mutton marination)
4. Ginger - 3 inch piece (plus 1 inch for mutton marination)
5. Green chillies - 8 (plus 6 for mutton marination- depends on how spicy the chillies are)
6. Sour yogurt/curd - 1.5 cups
7. Onion - 4 (plus one to fry as garnish)
8. Tomatoes - 2
9. Lime - 1
10. Coriander leaves - 2 big bunches
11. Mint leaves - 1/2 of a small bunch
12. whole Masala - 5 cardamoms, 1 star anise, 1 big cinnamon piece, 6 cloves,2 bay leaves,1 tsp pepper
13. Powdered masala - crush together 1/2 tsp fennel,5 cardamoms,3 cloves,1/2 inch piece cinnamon,1/2 tsp pepper
14. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
15. Salt - to taste.
16. Ghee - 6 tbsp
17. Oil - 4 tsp
18. Cashews - hand full
19. Raisins - hand full

Step 1:

Marinating the meat - crush together 1 pod of garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger and 6 or 7 green chillies into a very coarse mix .Add in the sour curd ,turmeric powder and salt to this mixture.

Add the washed drained meat to the curd mixture and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for few hours.

Step 2:

Cooking the marinated meat for 1 whistle in the pressure cooker.

Pressure cook the marinated meat with the juices for just 1 whistle (do not over cook ,since goat takes a long time to cook we are doing this pressure cooking process just to reduce the time).

Open the cooker and if there is too much juice boil on high flame for few minutes to reduce the gravy.There should still be 2 cups of gravy in the meat.

Step 3:

Grind together 2 pods of garlic , 3 inches of ginger and 7 to 8 green chillies to a coarse paste.
Slice the Onions finely.Slice the tomatoes finely.Wash and chop the cilantro/coriander leaves and mint leaves.

Heat the oil and half of the ghee in a large frying pan and add the ginger,garlic,green chilly paste and saute until raw smell is gone.

Add 4 sliced onions and stir fry until it is wilted.

Add in the sliced tomatoes and cook for few minutes.

Add 1/2 of the chopped coriander and mint leaves and mix well.

Add in the juice of 1/2 a lime and crushed masala.

Add in the half cooked mutton with the juices into this pan and cover and cook until mutton is cooked.This might take 35 minutes or so.

Towards the end if there is too much gravy , keep on high flame to reduce the gravy.

Add in the rest of the coriander and mint leaves.

Keep this gravy aside.

Step 4:

Soak the rice in water for 10 minutes and wash and drain.

Keep 10 cups of water in a large pan to boil( rice : water ration = 1:2)

Heat the rest of the ghee in a large frying pan and add in the whole spices.

Saute for a minute and add the drained rice and stir fry for few minutes until the rice is toasty (7 minutes).

When the rice is toasted add it into the boiling water , add salt to taste and cover and cook until the water is absorbed and rice is almost cooked.

Step 5:

In a big ovenproof dish add a layer of the goat masala followed by a layer of rice .

Alternate the goat masala and rice until it is used up .

Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and keep aside.

Fry 1 sliced onion until golden brown and drain on paper towel

Hard boil eggs and keep aside.

Garnish the baked biriyani with the fried cashews,raisins and friend onion.

Serve with boiled egg, salad, chutney ,pickle and pappad.

Malabar Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 1 whole
2. Basmati Rice – 4 cups
3. Sour curd/yogurt – 1 cup
4. Green chillies – 10
5. Garlic – 2 whole pods
6. Ginger – 3 1 inch pieces
7. Cashews – a hand full
8. Raisins – ¼’th cup
9. Corriander leaves/cilantro – 1 big bunch
10. Mint leaves – 2 stalks
11. Onion – 5 sliced very thin
12. Tomato – 2 sliced thin
13. Ghee – 5 tbsp
14. Whole spices a few each – cardamom, cloves,cinnamon, whole pepper,star anise.

Marinating and cooking the chicken (can be done a day in advance)

Crush few cloves of garlic , 1 inch piece of ginger and 5 or 6 green chillies .Mix this with the yogurt and add salt to taste .

Marinate the chicken in this overnight or for few hours.

Cook the marinated chicken without adding any excess water .If there is too much gravy keep it on a high flame and let the gravy reduce( the chicken should not be overcooked).

If you think that there is too much gravy and the chicken might get over cooked – you can collect some of the chicken gravy and use it instead of water to cook the rice in .Just reduce the amount of water accordingly.

Making the gravy:

Make a coarse paste with the remaining green chillies,garlic and ginger .Heat 3 tbsp of Ghee in a nonstick pan and add the ginger, garlic and green chilly paste and sauté until the raw smell goes.

Add in the sliced onions and fry until it is slightly brown.

Add in tomato pieces and sauté until oil separates.

Add the cooked chicken with gravy and bring to a simmer .Cover and cook for few minutes. Add in ¾’th of the chopped coriander and mint leaves into the cooked chicken and mix well.

Keep this chicken aside.

Preparing the Rice:

Wash and drain the rice.

Measure 2 cups of water for each cup of rice and keep the water to boil.

Heat the remaining Ghee in a nonstick pan and add in the whole spices and sauté for a minute.Add in the drained rice and fry until the rice is nutty – it should not change colour.

By the time the rice is fried the water would be boiling.

Add the fried rice and spices into the boiling water , add salt to taste and cover and cook until the rice is cooked.

Setting the Biriyani:

In a container that is oven proof (If you do not intend to use an over you can use any heavy bottomed pan) add a layer of cooked rice .Add a layer of chicken with gravy on top of the rice sprinkle some coriander mint leaves .Layer the dish alternating rice and chicken until it is all used up . Bake (350 degrees)or cook on low flame for 20 minutes.