45

Show Me The Curry

30

Vah Re Vah

Cooking with Thas

• Chicken Ney Orotti or Fried Chicken Rice Roti (Gluten Free) 22 January, 2012, 2:32 pm
  Why does frying make everything so delicious??? I had already posted the recipe for making Orotti or rice roti, one of the famous rotis in Malabar cuisine. This is very popular in my family as well. Orotti along with chicken/mutton or fish curry tastes extremely delicious. There is another variation of orortti which is called Ney orotti or Fried orotti in which the orotti is fried rather than just cooking it. While making fried orotti, the rice dough is seasoned with some spices which makes it flavorful and delicious. Ney orotti is yet another famous dish in my dad’s family. I still remember the first time I had this at my aunt’s house when I was a kid, I loved it so much that I was seen eating quite a lot which surprised my mom. The other day while making fried orotti, I made a twist by adding chicken while making the rice dough. Rolled the dough into small patties and fried it. I have no words to express how delicious these fried chicken orotti tasted. I have to tell you that frying makes these crispy and flavorful. However, if you are too concerned about frying you could even cook it just like regular rotis. I have to tell you that it wouldn’t be that tasty as fried ones though. Fried Chicken Orotti or Rice Roti Makes: 16 no’s Ingredients For cooking chicken Chicken breast, boneless, cubed- 1 Chilly powder- 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp Fennel powder- 1 tsp Coriander powder- 1 tsp Garam masala- 1/2 tsp Salt- to taste For making chicken masala Oil- 2 tsp Onion, chopped small- 1, large Ginger-Garlic paste- 1 tsp Curry leaves (optional)- 1 sprig For making rice dough Rice flour-  2 1/2 cups Water- 2 cups Cumin seeds- 1 tsp Coconut, grated- 1 cup Garam masala- 1/2 tsp Cooked chicken masala- 1 1/2 cups Salt- little Oil- enough for frying Preparation: Marinate the chicken with the above mentioned ingredients ‘for cooking chicken’, keep aside for 15 minutes. Cook the chicken covered in a saucepan till the chicken has cooked well. Using a fork, gently shred the chicken and keep aside. Place a wok over medium heat, add oil. Add chopped onion to it, add little salt and saute for a few minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves, saute. Cook till the onion has turned translucent. Add the shredded cooked chicken and combine well. Cook for a few minutes, remove from the stove. For making rice dough: In a large saucepan, heat the water. Add coconut, cumin seeds, garam masala, 1 1/2 cups of the prepared cooked chicken and little salt to the water, let it come to a boil. Lower the heat and slowly add the rice flour and combine it using the back of a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the rice dough on a large baking sheet or platter. Let it cool down a bit. Knead the dough when it is still warm until it has well incorporated. The dough should be soft and not too sticky, it it’s too sticky add some more rice flour. Make medium balls out of the rice dough. Grease the hands with little oil and flatten each balls between the palm of your hands into patties, it should’t be too thick. If you have a tortilla maker or poori maker, you could fatten the dough in that. Heat a frying pan and add enough oil for frying. Fry the patties in oil till both sides have turned golden brown in color. Transfer to a paper towel. Serve warm by itself or along with chicken curry. Not Fried Chicken Orortti: If you don’t want to fry it, you could cook the patties on a pan just like you make orottis or chapatis. Place a cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet over medium heat, let it turn hot, grease the pan with little oil. Place the patties on the pan and cook over low heat till both sides turns golden brown in color. Make sure that the inside has cooked well, don’t cook at high heat. Tips: For making vegetarian version: Season the water for making the dough with grated coconut, cumin seeds, garam masala, fennel powder, coriander powder, small onions and salt. Add the rice flour, knead it, make into patties and fry it.
• Vegetarian Sushi Rolls 19 January, 2012, 9:33 pm
  Homemade sushi rolls couldn’t get any better… I still remember how I used to frown at sushi, however it didn’t take too long for me to turn into a sushi addict. Now, I often get the sushi craving and I am so glad that there is a really good sushi restaurant near to my house. I had been under the impression that making homemade sushi is something beyond my expertise, so I didn’t even think of making it in my kitchen. Well, I was more concerned about the handling and the storage of the raw fish. Yes, it’s very very important that the fish you use for making sushi is fresh or it’s frozen really well so that it’s safe to consume. Honestly, I am still don’t know how to handle the raw fish for making sushi. That’s the sole reason why I made the vegetarian sushi roll. Sushi making is such a breeze, you don’t have to deal with sautéing, grinding or any of those major cooking techniques. You just need cooked sushi rice, seaweed or nori, sushi mat or bamboo mat and the fillings. In just a matter of minutes you will get to enjoy homemade sushi that tastes just like restaurant style. When it comes to filling there are no rules, you could get creative and place anything you like in the sushi. While making vegetarian sushi rolls, some of the common veggies used are avocado, carrot and cucumber. You should be very careful while choosing the fish, for more information about what all kinds of fish can be used and about handling them read this. Sushi rice or sticky rice, roasted seaweed sheets or nori, sushi mat or bamboo mat are available in almost all Asian stores and in some of the North American stores. Vegetarian Sushi Rolls Makes: 14 Ingredients For cooking rice Sushi rice or sticky rice- 1 cup (add more for making more sushi) Water- 1 cup Vinegar- 1 1/2 tbsp Salt- little For filling Avocado, cut into thin stripes- 1 Cucumber, cut thin long stripes- 1/2 cucumber Carrot, cut thin long stripes- 1/2 carrot Other ingredients Sushi mat or Bamboo mat or rolling mat Roasted seaweed or Nori- 2 sheets or more Sesame seeds, black or white to sprinkle over rice- 2 to 3 tbsp Soy Sauce- for dipping sushi Preparation Cook the rice along with the water in a rice cooker. After the rice has cooked, add salt and vinegar to the rice and combine well, let cool down for sometime. Place the sushi mat or bamboo mat on a clean cutting board or on counter top. Layer it with a clean plastic cover or wrap. Place the seaweed on the plastic wrap. Evenly spread half of the rice over the seaweed. Wet your hands with water to prevent rice form sticking to your hands. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice. Gently turn the seaweed with the rice upside down so that the rice layer will become the bottom layer. On the middle of the seaweed, line the avocados and top it with carrots and cucumber. Gently, fold both ends of the seaweed over the filling. Starting from one end roll the sushi mat along with the plastic wrap tightly. When the sushi is completely rolled, tighten the sushi mat. Gently, unroll the mat and peel off the plastic wrap. You’ll have a nice tight long sushi roll. Using a sharp knife cut the sushi into 6 or 7 pieces depending upon how thick you want. Wet the knife before cutting the sushi so that the rice and filling won’t stick to the knife. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger. Dip the sushi in soy sauce and gracefully put it in your mouth and enjoy the delicacy. You could use any kinds of fillings you want mayonnaise, cream cheese, cooked shrimp, crab etc.
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes – Weight Loss Recipe 18 January, 2012, 4:24 pm
  Sweet potatoes aid weight loss… Sweet potatoes as the name suggests are sweeter than regular potatoes. Ironically, sweet potatoes don’t increase our blood sugar compared to regular potatoes which is low in fiber and increases our blood sugar. They have high content of antioxidants and fiber. If you are someone wanting to loose weight include sweet potatoes into your diet, carotenoids present in it helps to stabilize blood sugar level and to lower insulin resistance. Sweet potatoes come in different colors: white skin, purple skin, orange skin etc. Sweet potatoes when cooked will become more sweet and will make a delicious dessert. Or include as a side dish with your meal, because of its high fiber it will fill your stomach fast, hence you can cut down on your food intake. I often bake sweet potatoes, when baked it gets caramelized and tastes phenomenal. The other day, I made mashed sweet potatoes. Instead of making mashed regular potatoes, make mashed sweet potatoes. It’s healthy and tastes yummy. Mashed Sweet Potatoes Serves: 4 people Ingredients Sweet potatoes, large- 3 Ground cinnamon- 1/4 tsp Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp Skim milk- 1/3 cup Preparation Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water till it has cooked well. Let cool down and remove the skin. You could even peel off the skin before cooking it. Mash the sweet potatoes taken in a large pan using a potato masher or wooden spoon without any lumps. Place the pan over medium heat, add ground cinnamon, ground pepper and milk to it, combine well. Heat for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat. Serve as a side dish. Tips: If you prefer you could add cream instead of milk. Also, you could add any of your favorite seasoning.
• Cucumber Pulissery or Cucumber in Coconut and Yogurt 17 January, 2012, 8:49 pm
  Sadya without pulissery, are you kidding me??? Pulissery is such a versatile dish as this can be made with a lot of different veggies. You could make it either with cucumber, pineapple, mango, pumpkin, plantain or sometimes it’s made just with yogurt without the addition of veggies. My favorite is mango pulissery, the sweetness from the mango, the sourness of the yogurt and the aroma from the seasoning makes it such a delightful vegetarian dish. Pulissery is always served in Kerala Sadya and is one of the South Indian vegetarian delicacies. Not just with sadya, it is often served for lunch as a side dish along with rice. I love the combination of red rice, pulissery and pickle… Cucumber Pulissery Ingredients To cook cucumber Cucumber, cubed- 1 Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp Chilly powder- 1/4 tsp Curry leaves- 1 sprig Water- 1/2 cup Salt- to taste To Grind: Coconut, grated- 1/2 cup Green chillies- 2 Cumin seeds- 1 tsp Curry leaves- 1 sprig Water-1/4 cup Other ingredients: Yogurt-  1/2 cup For seasoning Coconut oil or vegetable oil- 1 tbsp Mustard seeds- 1 tsp Whole dry red chilly- 2 Curry leaves- 4-5 leaves Preparation In a saucepan, combine cucumber with the ingredients mentioned above “to cook cucumber’ and cook covered till cucumber has turned tender. Don’t over cook or mash the cucumber. In a blender, grind the above mentioned ingredients “to grind”. Add the ground coconut mixture to the cooked cucumber, combine well and cook for a few minutes till the raw taste of coconut goes away. Remove the cucumber mixture from the heat and immediately add yogurt to it, combine well. Taste and add more salt if needed. Don’t heat it after adding yogurt. For making seasoning Heat a small pan, add oil, let it turn hot. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add dry red chillies and curry leaves, saute for 2 to 3 seconds. Pour this seasoning over the cucumber pulissery and cover the pan with its lid to lock the aroma of the seasoning. Serve as a side dish along with rice or for Sadya. Tips: You could replace cucumber with pineapple, mango, plantain, pumpkin etc.
• Avocado Pudding 16 January, 2012, 8:34 pm
    Rich and creamy puddings… I wasn’t into avocado until I tried Avocado milkshake, one of the best milkshakes I’ve ever tasted. Guacamole was the first avocado based dish that I had  tried a few years ago at a Mexican restaurant and after that I’ve had salmon and avocado sushi. Last weekend, I had bought a few avocados with the intention of making milkshakes and ended up making pudding. Avocados are excellent for making puddings, they imparted a rich and creamy taste to the puddings. Avocado Pudding Ingredients Avocado, ripe- 2 Milk, skim milk- 2 cups + 1/4 cup for pureeing the avocados Condensed milk, non-fat- 3/4 th of 300 ml can or according to your sweet level Agar-agar strands, cut into 1 inch- 1/2 cup Water, for melting agar-agar- 1/3 cup Strawberries, halved- for garnishing Preparation Use ripe avocados for making this pudding, cut them and scoop out the flesh. In a blender, puree the avocados with 1/4 cup milk In a saucepan, combine 2 cups milk and condensed milk, heat it. Let the mixture come to a slight boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the pureed avocado and combine well, avocado puree wouldn’t mix thoroughly with the milk. Transfer the avocado mixture along with the milk into a blender and blend it to a smooth constituency. Return the blended avocado mixture into the saucepan and place it over low heat. In a pan, combine agar-agar strands and water, place it over medium heat and let the agar-agar dissolve in the water. Pour the melted agar-agar into the avocado mixture and combine well. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Pour the mixture into small bowls and let cool down a bit. Keep the bowls in the refrigerator for a few hours to set. Garnish with halved strawberries or any fruits of your choice, serve chilled. Tips: You could increase the amount of condensed milk according to your needs. You could use gelatin instead of agar-agar.
• How to make Idli and Idli Stir Fry or Idli Masala 15 January, 2012, 3:53 pm
  When Idli got a makeover… Just like pancakes, idlis are served often for breakfast in most South Indian houses. Idlis are steamed fermented rice cake and is served with sambar or chutneys. It’s so soft and fluffy that even kids can digest it easily. Having idlis with sambar along with a hot cup of filter coffee is pure bliss. Those who have had this combination would agree with me. I had bought an Idli maker when I visited Kerala last year. Here, if I want to have idlis I’ve to make it at home as it’s not served in any of the Indian restaurant. However in North America, some major cities have South Indian Uduppi restaurants only there you can see idlis being served. While in Chicago, if I get the craving for idli I used to go to the Uduppi restaurant at Devon street. How I miss that restaurant now:( Though I’ve the idli maker, I haven’t made idli in that all these days, have made idiyappam a couple of times. Hence, this weekend I decided to make idli. For making idli, you need to soak the rice and urad dal overnight and grind it to a smooth batter the next day. Again, the batter has to be kept for 8 hours for fermentation to happen. Pour the thick batter into the plates and steam cook it, idli will be ready in minutes. The best part is that the idli batter can be stored in the refrigerator for a week long. After I’ve made idlis, I was way too lazy to make sambar. Hence, I decided to give idlis a makeover. I stir fried the idlis with onion-tomato mixture and seasoned with some spices. It tasted so good that even my hubby who’s not that keen about idli had this dish with so much enthusiasm. Making Idli Ingredients White rice, sona masori or ponni- 2 cups Urad dal- 1 cup Fenugreek seeds- 1 tbsp Salt- to taste (add to the batter just before you make idlis) Preparation: Soak white rice, urad dal and fenugreek in water overnight. Drain the water and grind them after adding some water to make a thick batter. Don’t add too much water while grinding, the batter should be very thick. Pour the batter into a large bowl as the batter will rise and let it ferment for about 8-10 hours. The batter should be kept in a warm place only then fermentation will take place. In summer, the batter can be placed on the counter top to ferment. While in winter, keep the batter inside the oven. You could even preheat the oven to the lowest temperature, switch off the oven and then keep the batter inside the oven so that it will be warm and the fermentation will be faster. Make sure the bowl is very large as the batter will rise. After the batter has fermented, take the batter that you need in a different bowl and add salt, combine well. Leftover batter can be stored in the refrigerator. Grease the idli plates with little oil or non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter on to each moulds. Stack the plates. Add some water to the idli cooker, place the stacked up plates into the cooker and close it. Cook it over medium heat till you get the whistle or for about 5-7 minutes. Let the pressure subside and open the cooker. Remove the plates carefully and let cool down a bit. (My idli batter didn’t ferment well that’s why it doen’t have much porous texture) Run a knife along the sides of the idli and slide the idlis on a plate. If you don’t grease the plates, idlis will be stuck to the plates. I made it in an idli cooker, if you don’t have an idli maker you could place the plates in a pressure cooker and cook without placing the whistle on the cooker. You could serve the idli with sambar or chutney, else give it a makeover. Idli stir fry Ingredients: Oil- 2 tbsp Mustard seeds- 1 tsp Urad dal- 1 tbsp Red dry chilly- 2 Cumin seeds- 1 tsp Curry leaves- 1 sprig Onion, chopped small- 1, large Green pepper, chopped small- 1, medium Tomatoes, chopped- 2 Chilly powder- 1 tsp Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful Idlis- 12, cut each idlis into 4 pieces Salt- to taste Preparation: After you have made idlis, let the idlis cool down for 15 minutes. Cut each idlis into four slices, keep aside. Place a wok over medium heat, add oil. Let the oil turn hot. Add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add urad dal, and saute till it starts to turn golden in color. Add cumin seeds and dry red chillies, saute for a second. Add curry leaves and onions to the oil. Add salt, saute till onions turn translucent. Add green pepper, cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, cover the pan and cook till it has mashed up. Open the pan, combine the mixture well. Add chilly powder and coriander powder, combine well. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add the cut idlis to the mixture, gently combine everything well. Cook for a couple of minutes. Garnish with cilantro, combine well. Remove from the heat and serve warm. Tips: You could even add 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup to the onion-tomato mixture. Idli maker is available at some Indian stores.  
• Chick Peas in Roasted Coconut Gravy or Kadala Curry – Kerala Style 14 January, 2012, 4:36 pm
  Puttu+Kadala Curry= Irresistible! There are some foods in Kerala that has unbeatable taste. For instance: fish curries, spicy mutton chops, kadala curry or Chick Peas curry, Kappa…well, I do have a long list. For Keralites, puttu (steamed rice balls) tastes best when it’s served along with kadala curry and this has been one of the famous breakfast dishes. I’v never been a fan of puttu, but when it’s served with kadala curry I can hardly resist it. In my attempt to cook variety food and to try different cuisines, I don’t often make the same kinds of Kerala food over and over. However, after a few days or weeks of trying different cuisines my tastebuds will get mad and I will be hit by the intense craving for those food that I had while growing up. Without a doubt, Kerala food is my comfort food and when I cook my mom’s or grandmom’s speciality dishes I feel an eternal joy. Lately, I had been getting constant cravings for having Puttu and Kadala curry. When I get the craving I have only one choice, succumb to it! Last night, I made kadala curry or chick peas curry in a different way. Usually, I just cook the chick peas and onions combined with all the spice powders in a pressure cooker and would finish it off with coconut milk. But this time, I added roasted coconut paste to the chick peas and cooked it. The addition of roasted coconut paste made this chick peas curry very flavorful and aromatic. I highly prefer curries made with roasted coconut, especially fish curries. I also made puttu using red rice flour which I had bought from the Indian store. The taste of this curry will linger on your tastebuds for very long, that I can guarantee… Chick Peas Curry or Kadala Curry Ingredients For roasting coconut Oil- 2 tbsp Mustard seeds- 1 tsp Dry red chilly, whole- 3 no’s Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp Coconut, grated- 1 1/2 cups Curry leaves- 1 sprig (optional) Water- to add while grinding For making curry Coconut oil- 1 tbsp Onion, chopped- 2 Potatoes, diced- 3 medium Chick peas or Kadala, white or brown, cooked canned- 2 cups or 540 ml Chilly powder- 1 tsp, (I used Kashmiri red chilly powder) Salt- to taste Water- to thin down the gravy Cilantro, chopped- 2 handfuls Preparation Roasting coconut: Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, add oil, let the oil turn hot. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add red dry chilly and coriander seeds, saute for 2 seconds. Add coconut, curry leaves if using and roast till the coconut turns golden brown in color. Make sure you don’t burn the coconut, keep sautéing the coconut. After the coconut has roasted, transfer it to a blender along with some water and grind it to a smooth constituency, keep aside. Making the curry I used cooked canned chick peas (rinse the chick peas before cooking), even though it’s cooked I cooked it for some time along with the coconut gravy. If you are using uncooked chick peas, soak it in water overnight and cook it the next day till it has almost cooked. Don’t over cook it. I used pressure cooker to cook the curry. If you don’t have one, use a large non-stick pan. Place the pressure cooker over medium heat, add coconut oil. Add chopped onions to it and salt, saute for a few minutes. Add potatoes, chick peas and the ground coconut paste. Add chilly powder and combine well. Kashmiri red chilly powder gives vibrant red color to the curry and is not very spicy. Add enough water to thin down the gravy. Add salt and close the pressure cooker. Cook it for 10 to 15 minutes, remove the cooker from the stove just before it makes the first whistle. After the pressure has subsided, open the cooker and add cilantro to it. Taste and add more salt or chilly powder if needed. Serve hot with puttu, chapati, appam etc Here is the recipe for making puttu, you could use red rice flour or white rice flour. Tips: You could skip the potatoes. Since I used cooked chick peas, I didn’t cook it in the cooker for too long, I just wanted the potatoes to turn tender. While cooking in a pan, after combining all the ingredients cover the pan with its lid and cook for some time. While roasting coconut, don’t just walk away as the coconut will brown very fast.
• Chicken in Green Pepper Sauce 13 January, 2012, 1:13 pm
  Loved the combination of chicken and green pepper… One veggie that’s always found in my refrigerator is green pepper, my refrigerator looks complete with this particular veggie. As I love to add green pepper to many of the dishes like stir fries, Indo Chinese dishes or while roasting veggies. The other day, I combined the cooked chicken with green pepper sauce, it tasted really different and had an intense flavor of green pepper. If you are someone who loves green pepper you are going to embrace this dish. Chicken in Green Pepper Sauce Ingredients For cooking chicken Chicken, boneless cubed- 1 lb Fennel powder- 2 tsp Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp Salt- to taste Curry leaves- 1 sprig (optional) For cooking green pepper: Oil- 2 tbsp Cardamom, whole- 2 Cloves, whole- 2 Onion, chopped- 1 Green chilly- 1 Green pepper, chopped – 1, large Tomato, chopped- 2, small Preparation In a large pan cook the chicken covered along with the above mentioned ingredients ‘for cooking chicken’ till chicken has cooked well, keep aside. Place a wok or non-stick pan over medium heat, add oil, add cardamom and cloves to it, saute for 2 seconds. Add onion, green chilly to it, saute for a few minutes. Add green pepper, cook till it turns tender. Add tomatoes and cook till it has mashed up. Remove from the heat and puree the veggies in a blender along with some water to a smooth paste. Return the green pepper sauce to the pan, add cooked chicken to it, combine well and cook for a few minutes. If the sauce is too thick add more water to thin it down. You could even add coconut milk instead of water. Have a taste, add more ground pepper and salt according to your taste. Serve with rice or roti.
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Almonds 12 January, 2012, 1:05 pm
  Finally, I started loving brussel sprouts… I can now confidentially say that I love all kinds of veggies. Until last week I had an exception, Brussel sprouts. Though I admired the cute miniature cabbage look of them, I just couldn’t handle the bitterness of it. Once I had bought a bag of brussel sprouts and cooked it, it turned out to be so bitter that I had to literally thrash them. After that I just ignored them. Last week, while hanging out at the produce aisle I glanced at brussel sprouts and I had the sudden urge to try that one more time. With a little hesitation I put that it in my cart and headed home to try my luck with it. I did a little research before even thinking of cooking with it. Most of the people had the opinion that cooking it too long would bring out its bitterness and it was better to roast it. i So, I decided to roast it in the oven, well I love to roast veggies till it turns light caramelized. Towards the end of the baking, I sprinkled parmesan cheese and almonds on the brussel sprouts. The cheese gave a nice aroma and flavor to it, while the almonds imparted the crunchiness. My hubby and I ate the entire roasted brussel sprouts with so much greed. Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Almonds Ingredients To marinate brussel sprouts: Brussel sprouts- 1 bag, about 20 no’s Red wine vinegar- 1 1/2 tbsp ( you could use soy sauce instead) Garlic minced- 3 cloves Thyme- 2 sprig Salt- 1/2 tsp Olive oil- 3 tbsp Other ingredients: Almonds, blanched and halved- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated- 1/3 cup Preparation Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine brussel sprouts with the above mentioned ingredients to marinate. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Grease with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the brussel sprouts evenly over the aluminum foil. Bake for first 20 minutes, after 10 minutes toss the brussel sprouts and bake again. After 20 minutes of baking, sprinkle parmesan cheese and almonds over it and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm as a side dish. Tips: You could bake Asparagus in the same way.
• Biryani in a Hurry – Easy yet Tasty 8 January, 2012, 2:05 pm
  Biryani has never failed to bring out the joy and festive mood in me… Are you overwhelmed by the long preparation time that most of the Biryani recipes call for? If so give this recipe a try. As the name suggests it’s made in a hurry, which means it calls for less preparation time yet tastes flavorful and delicious. It’s been a long time since I made biryani. Every time I get into the kitchen with the mind of making biryani, I somehow got deviated and ended up making something simple. In India, Biryani is one such food served during celebrations and during most happy occasions. Whenever I make biryani at home, I unknowingly fall into the celebration mood and I will be seen happy on that day. Usually, I follow the long preparation steps while making biryani. However, yesterday I made it in the easiest way possible. I was really impressed by the outcome, it tasted flavorful and was aromatic. For more biryani recipes, click here One tip that I would like to share with you all: Be sure to add chopped mint leaves while layering the chicken and rice, mint leaves enhances the taste and the aroma of the biryani greatly. Biryani in a hurry Recipe Ingredients For marinating chicken: Chicken legs or Bone-in chicken pieces- I used 5 chicken legs, you could add more pieces Ginger-Garlic paste- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 tsp or more if you want it spicy (or use regular chilly powder) Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp Cumin powder- 3/4 tsp Ground Fennel- 2 tsp Coriander powder- 2 tsp Garam Masala- 1 tsp Salt- to taste Other ingredients: Cooked Basmati Rice-  1 1/2 cups, season the water with 1 tsp Garam masala and salt Oil- 1 tbsp Whole cardamom- 3 no’s Whole cloves- 3 no’s Whole cinnamon- 3 inch slice Bay leaves- 2 no’s Onions, chopped- 4, large Tomatoes, chopped- 3, large Cilantro, chopped- 2 handful Mint leaves, chopped- 1 handful Ghee- 1 tbsp Saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp water or milk- 2 pinches Fried onions (optional) Roasted Cashew nuts (optional) Salt- to taste Preparation Marinate the chicken with the above mentioned ingredients to marinate the chicken, keep aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Place a large non-stick cooking pan, add oil, add whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves to it, saute for a few seconds. Add the marinated chicken to it and cook covered till the chicken is half done. If the chicken gets dry, add some water to it and cook. While the chicken is cooking, cook the basmati rice in water seasoned with garam masala and salt. When the chicken is half done, add the onions and tomatoes, cook covered till the tomatoes have mashed up and onions have cooked well. The chicken masala shouldn’t be too dry, there should be little moisture in it. Taste and add more salt if needed, if you want it to be spicy add more chilly powder or ground pepper. Garnish the top of the cooked chicken with chopped cilantro and mint. Evenly spread cooked rice over it. Drizzle the melted ghee over the rice. Soak 2 pinches of saffron in 1 tbsp water or milk for 5 minutes, drizzle saffron water over the rice. If you want you could top the rice with fried onions, roasted cashew nuts, raisins etc. Since, I was in a hurry I didn’t add these. Cover the pan with its lid and place it over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover and using a spatula gently combine the rice and the chicken. Serve warm with raita, pickle, salad etc. Tips: Be sure to add mint leaves and basmati rice should be seasoned with garam masala.