Chicken Biryani

Ingredients for Chicken Biryani:
1 chicken cut into big pieces
2 cups basmati rice
2 tsp shahjeera
2 Bay leaves
3-4 small onions, sliced
½ cup cashew nuts
1 large onion, grated
¼ tsp saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
juice of 1 lemon
8 tbsp oil
For garam masala: 3 cardamoms
1½” cinnamon stick broken in ½“ pieces
2 cloves
8-10 peppercorns
Chicken marinade: 1 big onion
1 pod garlic
2” ginger peeled and crushed
3 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

Method for Chicken Biryani:
Mix all the marinade ingredients in the blender and grind to a paste
using as little water as possible. Apply the marinade to the chicken
pieces and marinate for minimum of 3 hours to overnight.
Fry the grated onion in 2 tbsp of oil in a heavy bottom pot. Add the
marinated chicken along with the marinade. Cook on medium heat for
40-45 minutes till chicken is cooked through, adding as little water as
needed to prevent chicken from sticking to the pot. (Alternately pressure
cook the chicken for quick cooking)
Wash the rice in several changes of water. Boil 4 scant cups of
water with some salt and shahjeera.
In another pot, heat 1 tbsp oil, add bay leaves and then the rice
and fry for a couple of minutes. Now add the boiling water, cover and
cook till rice is tender but not fully cooked.
Mix saffron milk and mix well.
Fry the sliced onions in the remaining oil till golden brown and
crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
Fry the cashew nuts in the same oil till golden brown and keep
aside. Also keep aside the onion-flavored oil.
Put all the ingredients of garam masala in a spice grinder and grind
to a fine powder.
To assemble the biryani, in a large casserole, add the onion
flavored oil on the bottom. Put half the rice, then half the fried onions and
half the garam masala. Next add all of the chicken pieces with as much
gravy as desired. Sprinkle the remaining garam masala, more fried
onions and lemon juice on the chicken. Top with remaining rice. Garnish the
rice with cashew nuts and fried onions.
Cover and bake in oven at 450 deg F for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.

Ginger Chicken

Ingredients:
Half kg chicken,
half teaspoon salt,
2 teaspoons chili powder,
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste – add
all these and half boil them (until water gets evaporated – U could avoid this in case the chicken is tender which is usually if you buy at a regular grocery than a halal meat).
First masala:
50 gms ginger,
25 gms garlic,
2 green chilies – make a paste of these.
Second masala:
2 tomatoes,
one and half tablespoon kaju powder,
150 gms onions (fried in oil),
2 table spoons dry coconut powder ,
half teaspoon garam masala,
1 teaspoon coriander powder – make paste of all these.
Method:
Put 3 table spoons oil in a kadai and add first masala and fry for 2 minutes and then add second masala and fry for 2 minutes then add half boiled chicken pieces, red tomato color and fry for 5 minutes and then add 1 teaspoon Soya sauce, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 table spoon tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon pepper powder, 2 bunches of coriander leaves and fry on low flame.

Sundal with baby Lettuce

Ingredients:
1 cup chickpeas brown soaked overnight
4-5 green chillies sliced fine
1/2 cup fresh coconut scraped
1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 stalk curry leaves
1 tsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
2 tsp. lemon juice
2-3 pinches asafoetida
salt to taste
1 tbsp. oil

Method:
Pressure cook peas till tender.
Drain and keep aside.
Heat oil, add seeds allow to splutter.
Add chillies, curry leaves and stir.
Add peas, coconut and other ingredients, except coriander.
Stir cook till the water is evaporated.
Serve hot or cold with lettuce

Quick Sambhar

Sambhar

Ingredients:
2 Cup Toor Daal
3 Red chilles
3 Green Chilles
1 Medium Size onion (cut it into cubes)
1 Big Tomato (Cut it into cubes)
1 tsp Sambhar powder
Few Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil
2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric pwd
1/4 tsp. Tamarind paste
2 tsp. Vgetables (Drumstick,Bottle Gourd,Green Pepper,Eggplant,Okra)
Washed and diced
1 Garlic Clove

Method:
In pressure cooker cook Toor daal and turmeric with extra water and keep them aside.
In another pot heat some oil and splutter mustard, then red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves,turmeric,smashed garlic,onions and keep frying for a few minutes.
Now add the tomato,vegetables,sambhar pwd and salt to it. After they are cooked add tamarind paste and toor daal and let it cook for few more minutes.
Add few strings of Coriander leaves and serve it with rice or idli or dosa….anything you like

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:
Rice 2 cups
Limes 2-3
Ginger 1 small piece
Bengal gram 1 tsp
Black gram 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Coriander leaves
Oil for seasoning
Green/Red chillies 2 -3
Groundnuts (1/2 Cup)

Method:
Cook the rice.
Season mustard seeds, black gram, Bengal gram and curry leaves in oil. Add this to the rice.
Add finely minced green chillies, ginger and salt.
Add lime juice and Mix the rice.Sprinkle with coriander leaves (Optional)and serve.