Ingredients:

2 pounds of (bony) chicken
1 cup yogurt (dahi)
1″ piece of ginger
8 cloves garlic
2 tbs lime juice
4″ stick of cinnamon
8 cloves
8 cardamoms
10 black peppercorns
1 tbs oil
2.25 pounds tomatoes
1 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
1 tbs. white pepper powder (essential)
1 ounce cream (optional but recommended for a touch of class)
1 !!pound!! butter. You can get away with 0.6 lb if 1 lb is too much.
salt to taste: if you use yellow butter, then scale down the salt accordingly. If you use white butter, then you will need more salt.
coriander (cilantro): optional topping.

Directions:

- clean chicken and remove the skin
- make a smooth paste of yogurt, garlic, ginger, lime juice, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, peppercorns and the oil Marinate the chicken in this for 6 hours.
- Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 250 F (130 C). Put it aside. It kindof makes sense to finish steps 1-3 before starting step 4.
- We need to get a tomato sauce. Cut tomatoes, put ‘em in a pan (no water) and boil. When the quantity has dropped by half, strain through a fine sieve. What comes out of the sieve is the tomato sauce. (This is hard work with a clumsy sieve).
- Take a pan, start heating the sauce, add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the white pepper powder, salt, fenugreek leaves and cream.
- Mix the chicken pieces into this sauce. You may like chopped coriander (cilantro) as topping. Serve hot. This works best with good rice (i.e. basmati).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup yogurt
1 lightly beaten egg
5 tbsp melted ghee (or clarified butter)
2 tbsp poppy or sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Put yeast, sugar and 5 tbsp water in small bowl. Stir. Let stand about 5 minutes until foamy.

2. Sift flour and salt into large bowl. Make a well in center.

3. Add egg and yogurt to yeast mixture. Add 5 tbsp warm water. Stir and pour into the well in the flour. Stir from center until mixed to a smooth batter.

4. Stir in ghee.

5. Knead on board 15-20 minutes or about 2 minutes in food processor. Dough should be elastic but not sticky.

6. Put in covered bowl and allow to rise until double (about one hour).

7. Divide ball into eight pieces. Knead each lightly, flatten ball, pull into an oval forming a sort of pear shape.

8. Put on baking sheet(s), cover with damp cloth, allow to rise about 15 minutes.

9. Brush with ghee and sprinkle with seeds. (Optional)

10. Bake in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup red lentils
1/2 green capsicum, diced
1 cup hot chicken stock
1/2 small onion, diced
1/4 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sultanas
1 grated carrot
1 1/4 cups tomato puree
1 tspn curry powder

Directions:

Microwave lentils and stock in covered bowl for 5 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes (or cook classically). Add the vegetables and sultanas. Stir throught he tomato puree and curry powder. Cook on 100% power for 8 minutes, or on stove top for 30 minutes. Allow to stand for 3 minutes before serving with herbed rice.

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. powdered milk
1-1/2 cup warm water
1 cup shortening–enough to fill 1 inch deep in frying pan

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix flour with baking powder, salt, and powdered milk. Pour in warm water and mix to form dough. Knead dough by hand until it is soft but not sticky. Cover with a cloth and allow to stand for about 15 minutes. Shape into balls about 2 inches across, then flatten by patting and stretching the dough with hands and fingers until the dough is flat and round. If preferred, a rolling pin may be used instead.

Melt shortening in a heavy frying pan, and heat for frying. Add dough, fry one side, then turn. Fry bread until it is golden brown on both sides.

Use a pressure cooker. It will cut down on your time substantially.

1. Fry 1/4 cup of moog daal (dry-fry) til they are light brown.

2. Add four cups of water and boil the daal (turn off the gas just before the first whistle).

3. Put in 1/4 cup of moshoor daal (washed) and 1/2 cup of rice in the same container. Steam it until you get one whistle (again).

4. Fry big pieces of potato and cauliflower and small pieces of onion on a pan. Save them. Then, on the same pan, throw in one teaspoon of grated ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1/2 tomato (cut pieces), 1-2 green chilli, salt and sugar.

5. Fry these ingredients on a low heat and let the flavor of the spices rise. Don’t overcook them. Turn off the gas.

6. Open the lid of the pressure cooker and put in all the vegetables and spices. Stir it well.

7. Put the lid back on and cook for another whistle. Your kichhuRi is ready.

8. Eat. Could make use of papaR bhaja, achaar, or other goodies (Ilish maachh bhaja?).

Use an electric rice cooker.

1. Take 1 cup of “moong” daal and 4 cups of “pulao” rice in a rice cooker. Wash the mixture and drain out excess water.

2. Add 2 cups of fresh or previously-frozen mixed vegetable pieces (broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peas, long beans, carrot, corn etc.).

3. Add small-cut pieces of one medium onion and four standard jalapeno peppers.

4. Add 3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin (jeera), 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander (dhonia), 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric (holud), 1/2 teaspoon of ground garlic (roshun).

5. Add 1/2 cup of your favorite cooking oil, and stir well for a very good dry mixture.

6. Now, add 9 (nine) cups of warm water, put the lid on the cooker and turn it on.

That’s it………….. Your Khichuri will be done and will keep warm for you, whenever you want to eat……… You don’t have to stand alert while cooking.

Hope everyone enjoys their Khichuri………

Ingredients:

MoogdAl 1 cup
PolAu Rice 2 cups
Finely diced ginger 2 tsp
Salt 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Sticks 2/3
Bayleaf 2 [small ones]
Ghee 1/2 cup
Cloves 4/5

Directions:

1. Wash the rice
2. Fry the dAl separtely for a while.
3. Lightly fry in ghee the ginger and bay leaves.
4. Then add the rice, dAl, and salt, fry for about 10 minutes. Medium to medium high heat
5. Add five cups of boiling water and the salt.
6. As soon as the water comes up to boil, put a lid on it.
7. Simmer in low heat for 20/25 minutes
8. You could add beresta to it or you could make it spicier by adding turmeric and chilli powder. I use 1/2 tsp of the former and 1 tsp of the latter. [I like it hot]

Lamb And Rice Casserole (Mughlai Lamb Biryani)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice
3 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons warm milk
3 medium onions (peeled)
4 cloves garlic (peeled)
3/4 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons blanched, slivered almonds
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons water
13 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons golden raisins
1 1/2 pound boned lamb meat (from the shoulder) cut into 1 inch cubes
**NOTE** you can substitute beef or chicken easily.
1 cup plain yoghurt
5-6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 inch stick of cinnamon
1/6 of a nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and at room temperature

Cooking Instructions:

Wash the rice in several changes of water. Drain it and put it in a large bowl. Add 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt. Mix and soak for 3 hours. Put the saffron threads in a small, heavy frying pan set over a medium flame. Toss the threads about until they turn a few shades darker. Put the warm milk in a small cup. Crumble the saffron into the warm milk and let it soak for 3 hours. Cut two of the onions in half lengthwise, and then cut the halves into fine half-rings. Set these aside. Chop the remaining onion very coarsely. Put this chopped onion, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of the almonds, and 3 tablespoons water into the container of an electric blender. Blend until you have a paste.

Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a 10 inch non stick frying pan over a medium high flame. When hot, put in the onion half rings. Stir and fry them until they are brown and crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out on a plate lined with paper towels.

Put the raisins into the same oil. Remove them as soon as they turn plump – which happens immediately. Put the raisins in another plate lined with paper towels. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons almonds into the oil. Stir and fry them until they are golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out beside the raisins. Set aside for use as the garnish.

Now put the meat cubes, a few at a time, into the same hot oil and brown them on all sides. As each batch gets done, put it in a bowl.

Add another 7 tablespoons oil to the frying pan and turn the heat to medium. When hot, put in the onion-garlic-ginger-almond paste from the blender. Fry, stirring all the time, until the paste turns a medium brown color. If it sticks slightly to the bottom of the pan, sprinkle in a little water and keep stirring. Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pan. Add the yoghurt, a tablespoon at a time, stirring well between each addition. Now put in 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 2/3 cup water. Mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, put the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg into the container of a spice grinder or a clean coffee grinder. Grind finely.

When the meat has cooked for 30 minutes, add all the spices from the spice grinder as well as the cayenne and mix well. Cover again and continue to cook on low heat for another 30 minutes. Remove cover, raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring all the time, until you have about 3/4 cup of thick sauce left at the bottom of the pan (DON’T EAT THIS NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT SMELLS!!! YOU NEED ALL OF IT!).
Turn off the heat and spoon off as much grease as possible. The meat should be pretty well cooked by now.
Spread out the meat and sauce in the bottom of a heavy casserole. Cover and keep warm.
Preheat oven to low-moderate, 300 degrees.

Bring 3 1/2 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt to it. Drain the rice and rinse it off under running water. Slowly, scatter the rice into the boiling water. Bring to a boil again and boil rapidly for exactly 6 minutes. Then drain the rice.
Work fast now. Put the rice on top of the meat, piling it up in the shape of a hill. Take a chopstick or the handle of a long spoon and make a 1 inch wide hole going down like a well from the peak of the rice hill to its bottom. Drizzle the saffron milk in streaks along the sides of the hill. Lay the pieces of butter on the sides of the hill and scatter 2 tablespoons of the browned onions over it as well. Cover first with aluminum foil, sealing the edges well, and then with a lid. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven. If left in a warm place, this rice will stay hot for 30 minutes.

Just before you get ready to serve, quarter the eggs lengthwise. Mix the contents of the rice pot gently. Serve the rice on a warmed platter, garnished with the eggs, remaining browned onions, raisins and almonds.

This has got to be my absolute favorite food to eat, although it takes about 3 hours to make. I don’t care too much for almonds, so I omit them, and add 1 can of chick-peas (1/2 in the paste, and the other 1/2 fried like the raisins, onions, etc). Make sure you rinse the chick-peas well before using.