Biriyani masala

Ingredients:

Cinnamon - 3,1"sticks
Cardamom - 5-6
Cloves -5-6
Caraway seeds/sa jeerakam - 1⁄4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1⁄4teaspoon
Fennel seeds  -  spoon 1⁄4
Star anise - 2-3nos
Mace -1-2nos
Nutmeg -  1⁄2 piece 
Bay leaves - 2 nos

Method:

             To prepare  home made biriyani masala  roast all the ingredients separately and make fine powder by grinding in a mixer all together. keep it in an air tight container.

Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:

For Chicken masala:
Chicken - 1kg
Basmati rice/ Kaima rice - 3 cups ( 750 gms)
Ginger, Garlic, Green chilly paste - 3 tbsp
Big Onions - 7 big
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1⁄2 tsp
Tomato - 3
Poppy seeds -1⁄2 tsp
Fennel seeds (Perum jeerakam)- 2 tbsp
Garam Masala Powder / Biriyani masala Powder- 3 tbsp
oil- as required
Ghee - 2 tsps
Cardamom - 1⁄2 tsp
Cloves-1⁄4 tsp
Cinnamon sticks- 3
Cashew nuts- 1 tbsp
Raisins- 1 tbsp
Boiled water - 6 cups
Mint leaves chopped -  1 tbsp
Coriander leaves chopped - 1 tbsp
Fresh lime juice - 1 tbsp
Boiled eggs - As needed
Salt as required

Home made biriyani masala ingredients:-
Cinnamon - 3, 1"sticks
Cardamom - 5-6
Cloves -5-6
Caraway seeds/sa jeerakam - 1⁄4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1⁄4teaspoon
Fennel seeds  -  spoon 1⁄4
Star anise - 2-3nos
Mace -1-2nos
Nutmeg -  1⁄2 piece

Bay leaves - 2 nos
             To prepare  home made biriyani masala  roast all the ingredients separately and make fine powder by grinding in a mixer all together. keep it in an air tight container.

Method:
Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in cold water for 25 – 30 minutes.  Drain and keep aside. 

Add 2 tbsp of ghee and 2 tbsp of oil to a large vessel. Fry cashew nuts and Raisins.remove from oil and keep aside.


Slice big Onions very thin and fry in the same oil till golden brown. Remove from oil and keep aside.

To the same vessal add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and cardamom and fry for a minute. Add the drained rice and fry for 5 - 10 minutes. Meanwhile, keep the water on another stove and let it boil. Add the boiling water and salt to the fried rice.

Cook the rice with the vessel closed with a tight lid. Also gently stir in between to make sure that the rice does not stick on the bottom of the vessel. Once the rice is done keep it aside.

Wash and clean the chicken pieces and marinate with 1 tsp Chilly Powder, 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp Ginger-garlic Paste, 1/2 tsp Pepper powder and Salt. Keep it aside for half an hour. 

Deep fry or shallow fry the chicken pieces.Take a pan and pour oil. Heat the oil and fry the marinated chicken pieces until golden brown. Keep this aside.If you dont want to fry chicken Add the marinated chicken to the masala and cook until done.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Saute the sliced onions in oil until they become translucent. Grind green chillies, garlic and ginger to a fine paste. Add the ginger, garlic and green chilly paste. Saute them well. Add 1 tsp coriander Powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp Red chilly Powder and 1 tsp garam masala and fry for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let it cook until mashed. 

Grind Snauf and poppy seeds to fine paste and add to the masala and cook well. Add  curd and give a boil. 

Add the fried Chicken once the gravy starts boiling. Let it boil for few minutes. Gravy should be thick and not watery. Add chopped corriander and mint leaves. And remove from fire. 

 Now we need to start layering for that, divide the cooked rice into three Portions. Chop coriander leaves and mint leaves. keep lime juice and garam masala ready. 

In a big wide open vessel start layering by spreading the first layer with rice. Sprinkle one pinch of garam masala, Roasted onions, cashew nuts, raisins, few tsp of chopped coriander and mint leaves on each layer of rice. Sprinkle 1 tsp of lemon juice also . On top of this spread chicken masala. cover this layer with cooked rice. 

 Again repeat the same layers. finally end with a rice layer. 

After layering we can either bake this in a preheated oven for 180 degree Celsius for 15- 20 minutes or keep in dum on a stove top method by heating a thava/dosa kallu, when it is really hot, place the biriyani vessel on top of that. Reduce the heat to the lowest flame & cook for 10 - 15 mins. Keep the heat at the lowest flame throughout, otherwise it might get burnt. Also place a pan of boiling water on top of the biriyani vessel at the same time.

When its time to serve remove the lid and  mix the rice well with the masala.To serve, on the plate keep the chicken pieces and cover with the rice. Garnish with fried cashew nuts, raisins and onion. Also place a boiled egg on top.

Chicken biriyani Ready...:) Enjoy with salad, Pickle,  Pappad, Dates Chutney and pudina Coconut Chutney. 

Recipe Courtesy : Mrs. Prassana Sugathan.

Puli Sadam

I Personally feel ....Puli sadam is easier to make compared to puliodarai. Pulisadam is made by the people of Tamil nadu and Puliodarai by Andra People. The preparations are less in Pulisadam and so is very easy to make.... tasty too.....

 Ingredients :

Cooked Rice - 4 cups , we can use ponni rice, Basmathi or Raw rice.
Gingelly Oil (Nallena) - 4 tbsp
Channa Dal / kadala paruppu- 3 tbsp
Urad dal / uzhunnum paruppu - 2 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies - 4 nos
Fenugreek (Venthyam, uluva)  Powder- 1 tsp
Jeera Powder - 1tspPeanuts - 1/2 glass
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Full dry red chilly - 3 nos
Garlic Pods - 4 nos
Powdered jaggery - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder- 1 tsp
Hing (Perungayam) - 1 tsp
Tamarind pulp - 1 glass ( Taken from 2 lemon size balls , soaked and strained from 1 glass water )
Salt - to taste

Method:
Cook rice in such a way that the grains are separate. For Ponni rice use can use 2 - 3 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.  Leave it to cool.

Heat gingelly oil in a kadai  and splutter mustard seeds,  Dry red chilly, crushed Garlic pods, and curry leaves. Once done also roast channa dal, urad dal, peanuts in the same kadai, until slightly browned. 

Add the tamarind extract and allow it to boil. While boiling add turmeric powder, salt , red chilly powder, jaggery, asofoetida Powder, powdered Jeera and Fenugreek. Check and add salt , if needed.  Boil the tamarind till it thickens (saucy consistency). Remove from flame. This tamarind paste or pulikachal can be stored in a bottle and refrigerated for a week. Mix it with rice when needed. Do not reduce oil if you are planning to store.

Take the cooked rice  and mix well with this tamarind paste without mushing up the rice. Add salt if required.

Serve with Coconut chutney and any papad / Vada.  It tastes great after 2-3 hours of preparation......


Recipie Coutesy: Ramathai

Uzhunnu Vada / Ulundu vadai / Medhu vadai

Vada , vada ....vadaiiiiii.........

Ingredients:
Urud dal/ Uzhunnu/ ullundu - 1 cup
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chilies - 2 to 3 nos
Big Onion - 1
Carrot - 1
Black pepper corns - 8 to 10 nos (Optional)
Curry leaves - few
Rice flour - 2 tbsp 
Salt - to taste
Oil -to deep fry
Water - As needed

 Method :
Soak urad dal for  at least 2 hours. Use whole urad dal without skin (muzhu ulundu)for better result.

Grind urad dal with only little water till fluffy. Add urad dal little by little (no water) while the grinder is running. Just pour very little water now and then sprinkle water to avoid jamming of the grinder. Stand near till you finish grinding for sprinkling water now and then and wipe the urad dal that sticks to the wall of the grinder container. Once done transfer to a vessel.

Now chop onion, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves .Add all these to the ground urad dal along with salt, grated carrot, and rice flour. Adding rice flour makes the vada crispier. you can also make the urad dal batter thick by adding this in case if it becomes watery. Mix well. We can also make Plain vadas with just adding, peppercorns, jeera and salt to the urad dal dough.

Heat enough oil in kadai (be generous or else vadas may stick to the bottom and get burnt). Keep a bowl of water near the batter. Now wet your right hand well and make a small ball, taking a small portion of batter. Use your thumb to make hole in the middle. Drop it in oil by just inverting the vada over the oil and slightly shake ur fingers

Fry in medium flame by fliping till both the sides turn crisp and golden brown.

If you find that method difficult then try this method :  Keep a plastic paper / banana leaf ready or you can use your on ur left palm also. Wet your palm with cold water and take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a ball and keep on the plastic sheet. 

Slightly flatten it and make a hole in the center using your finger.Tranfer the vada on to your right hand and remove the plastic sheet. Flip vada in your hand into hot oil (over medium flame). cook until it turns golden brown.

Serve hot with sambhar/coconut chutney............vada po..cheeee....:)

Recipie Courtesy : Latha