Ingredients 2.

5 cups of basmati rice or kaima rice (approx 1/2 kg) 3/4 kg onion sliced finely 2 large tomatoes,chopped 1 tbsp ginger,crushed 1.5 tbsp garlic,crushed 3-4 green chillies,sliced or crushed 2 tsp garam masala powder 2 tbsp lime juice handful or coriander leaves,chopped handful of mint leaves,chopped 1/2 tsp cardamom powder or 2 cardamoms,crushed ghee/oil as required 5 cups of boiling water salt,as required handful of roasted cashews and raisins to garnish (optional) To marinate 3/4 kg seer or pomfret fish cut round-wise 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1.5 tbsp chilly powder (kashmiri powder you can use even 2 tbsp) salt as required

Method Wash rice in normal water thoroughly and keep in a colander to get rid of water.Marinate the fish with spice powders and salt.Fry it lightly in oil.This step is to prevent the fish from breaking while making biryani.After frying,roast 3/4 of the sliced onion in the same oil till soft.Add ginger,garlic and green chilly and fry till the raw smell disappears.Throw tomato to this and roast till the water evaporates.Reduce the heat.Take one of the fried fish pieces to debone and crush.Add this to the prepared masala and mix well.Add half of the garam masala powder,lime juice and coriander leaves. Remember all should be half.Add salt and thus prepare fish masala.Now slowly place the fried fish over the masala and close with a lid.Keep it in low flame for at least five minutes. Second part is rice.Either you can prepare it the way I have mentioned here or you may follow the elaborated version.For this heat ghee/oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and roast the remaining 1/4 portion of sliced onion till brown and keep.Now roast the washed rice in this till soft.This may take two minutes.To this add five cups of boiling water.Add salt,mint leaves and cardamom powder to this.Cook in medium heat till the water evaporates and 3/4 is done.Bring the rice to the centre and keep like a heap there.Close with lid and switch off the stove.Let it be there for a while.This will help the rice to have nice flavor. The last part is layering.In another heavy bottomed vessel,first prepare a layer of fish masala.Keep the fish intact outside.It's always advisable to serve the fish pieces separate when you serve the Biriyani.Otherwise chances are there to break.Over the fish masala,make the second layer with rice.Sprinkle lime juice,garam masala powder,fried onion and coriander leaves over this and repeat layering with fish masala and rice once again.You may add food color as well.Addition of fried cashew nuts and raisins are usually done too.Close with the lid and cook in low heat for five more minutes.Switch off and keep it for a while.Serve with fish in each serving along with pickle and curd.

Mutton Biriyani (Kannur style)

Biriyani is an integral part of Indian cuisine and is savored in almost all parts of India . According to Wikipedia, there are about 49 varieties of biriyanis seen in India, of which those made from fish,quail,hare & deer are also included apart from the common mutton & chicken varieties. The method of preparation & tastes of these are different depending upon the region and they (most of them) are named based on their regions too. Of them Hyderabadi Biriyani, Lucknowi Biriyani, Sindhi Biriyani and Kozhikode Biriyani are a few famous ones.

Talassery/Kannur biriyani has also found a prominent place among these. What differentiate a Talassery biriyani from others is that this is made using a small variety of rice named Kayama rice/Jeerakasala rice instead of Basmati rice. Before it was not available in the other parts of Kerala than Kannur. I still remember we used to take a whole big sack of this rice while visiting our friends in Tvm. We used to pack this to this part of the world (UAE) too. But nowadays this rice is easily available in supermarkets & thus made our part easier. Need not ve to get it all the way from India now.

Fresh corianders are the one essential thing tha we can't avoid here. Years ago when huge amounts were not available at hand, they used to plant coriander seeds all over on wedding occasions and all.. Now, the recipe.. this is the basic one which is followed in our place in Kannur (Taliparamba). My mom makes it this way & so do I.

Ingredients: (for the masala)

Ghee 1 Tbsp Oil 2 Tbsp Onion 3 cups

Ginger Garlic paste 3 Tbsp Tomatoes 1 and1/2 large Green Chillies 10 Mutton 300-400gms Salt Pepper 1 tsp Garama Masala 1 tsp Curd 3 Tbsp

Preparation:
1.Marinate mutton in curd, ginger-garlic paste and salt for atleast an hour . Keep this marination in freezer for better & quicker results. 2.Heat oil & Ghee in a pan. Add onions and saute for a while till the onions turn translucent. Add crushed green chillies to it. You can add chillies according to your spice level. I used bird chilli here and was enough spicy for me. 3.Now add the marinated mutton pieces into it along with the marinated gravy. Add tomatoes at this stage and some garam masala to it. Cook till it is done. Add 1 tsp of pepper to this.You can pressure cook the masala too. 4.Take care that not too much gravy is t left behind. If masala is too watery reduce it in low flame & if mutton is already cooked well, you can remove the mutton & then reduce the gravy. Check the picture how the masala looks just after opening the pressure cooker and then reduced to a thick gravy.

5.. You can add 1 tsp of Garam Masala, 1 Tbsp each coriander & mint leaves. The masala is done now.

Ingredients : (for the rice)

Ghee 1 1/2 Tbsp Oil 3-5 Tbsp Onion 1 Cashew a few (about 10 or more) Raisings a few Cardamom 3 Cloves 3

Cinnamon stick 1" Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Rice 3 cups (preferably Jeearakasala/Kayama rice); u can use Basmati rice too Lemon juice 3 Tbsp Salt Boiling water 4 1/2 cups

B.)Preparation:
1.Heat oil & ghee in a deep bottomed non-stick pan & fry onions in it. These are the onions we use for garnishing at the end. So it should be dark browned just as in the picture. Always while deep frying

onions, we should take them off from the oil a little earlier as about 30% of frying is done after we took them off. This is applicable in case of snacks and definitely the onions. 2.Once onion is fried, take them into a tissue paper. Now fry the cashews & then the raisins in the same oil. Remove them also once they are done. 3.Now add the whole spices (cloves,cardamom & cumin). Let them fry till you get a nice aroma from it (just for a few seconds) 4.The next step is to add rice into it & fry/roast them until they are slightly browned; about 5-6 minutes in medium-low flame. You have to saute in between, but take care that the rice is not further broken into pieces. This is usually done so that the rice remains separated even after cooking. I think this is done only when using Jeerakasala/Kayama rice. Now add required amount of boiling water to it. During the whole process, take care the oil is not left unattended in between frying onions or cashews or spices . Keep all these things ready by the side & do it all one by one. 5.Add lemon juice & salt to it. 6.When the water & rice reaches the same level, close the lid and allow the rice to cook. Just turn the rice over once in between and then simmer in low heat till it is done.

For Dum (Layering):

Coriander leaves 1/4 cup Mint Leaves 2 Tbsp Garam Masala

Method:
Take a non-stick or deep bottomed pan for Dum process. This process is usually layering the rice & masala alternatively so that the flavor of masala is infused n the rice.The aroma is locked inside. You can line the pan if it is not non-stick with Ghee. Now put some rice on the bottom and then the masala, a little garam masala and half of both the coriander & mint leaves metioned. Now again layer the rice and the remaining masala,garam masala and the leaves. Top with half of the fried onions,nuts and raisins.

Now prepare a dough with atta and lock the mouth of the pan with this dough and lid. Now this is the authentic technique used. Otherwise you can just keep a weight or a big vessel filled with water over the lid. This is then kept on dum on very low flame. I used to keep a lid between the flame and the vessel so that the bottom of the rice is not burnt. Some use oven for the dum process. You have to keep it on dum for 15-20 mts . You can use rose water or saffron if you like the flavor while layering. Saffron is to be soaked in warm milk atleast 1/2 an hour before. Garnish with fried onions ,nuts & raisins & serve hot with kachumber,raitas, achars,,,,,,.... *** Some like more masala & some others prefer less. While attempting for the first time, reserve some masala by the side and then put the remaining on Dum. You can later on mix with the rice or serve separately on the table if you feel that the masala is not enough. ***Remove cardamom,cloves and cinnamon from the rice while layering in Dum. Otherwise many won't like to bite them while having their rice.

Egg Biriyani

Ingredients: For Rice: 2 1/2 cup basmati rice 4 1/2 cup water 1 onion, thinly sliced 2 cardamoms 2 cloves 2 cinnamon sticks ghee salt

For Omelette: 2 eggs 1 onion, chopped 1-2 green chillies, chopped salt For Egg Masala: 4 hard boiled eggs 3 onions, thinly sliced 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 5 garlic cloves 1 inch piece ginger 4 green chillies 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped 2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped 2 tbsp yoghurt 2 tsp pepper powder 1/2 cup grated coconut 1 tsp garam masala/ biriyani masala salt oil Preparation: For Preparing Rice: 1. Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes. Heat ghee in a pan, add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and sliced onion and saute till transparent. 2. Add drained rice and saute for 2-3 minutes in a low flame. To this add water and salt and cook till rice is done. Keep it aside. For Omelette and Egg Masala: 1. Beat 2 eggs adding 1 chopped onion, chopped green chillies and salt. Make an omelette using these mixture. Cut it into small pieces and keep it aside. 2. Remove the outer shells of boiled eggs , cut it into halves or make slits.Keep it aside. 3. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies together to a paste. Blend grated coconut with yoghurt to a smooth paste adding little water. 4. Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onions and saute till transparent. 5. Add ground paste and salt, stir well for 1- 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and saute till soft. 6. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves and pepper powder ,mix well. 7. Then add blended coconut-yoghurt mixture and garam masala and mix well. Check salt. 8. Now add boiled eggs and omelette pieces, mix well to coat well with the masala.

For Layering: 1. Take a cooking pan, apply little ghee at the bottom. Spread little cooked rice at the bottom layer, then add half of the egg masala. 2. Now add another layer of rice over masala, followed by the egg masala. 3. Spread rest of the rice as top layer. Sprinkle garam masala ,2 tbsp ghee and few drops of saffron milk (mix a pinch of saffron in 2 tsp warm milk -optional) over the rice. 4. Close with tight lid and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. 5. Garnish with fried onions, cashews, raisins and coriander leaves...Mix and Serve hot...

Mutton Biriyani (Kannur style)

Biriyani is an integral part of Indian cuisine and is savored in almost all parts of India . According to Wikipedia, there are about 49 varieties of biriyanis seen in India, of which those made from fish,quail,hare & deer are also included apart from the common mutton & chicken varieties. The method of preparation & tastes of these are different depending upon the region and they (most of them) are named based on their regions too. Of them Hyderabadi Biriyani, Lucknowi Biriyani, Sindhi Biriyani and Kozhikode Biriyani are a few famous ones.

Talassery/Kannur biriyani has also found a prominent place among these. What differentiate a Talassery biriyani from others is that this is made using a small variety of rice named Kayama rice/Jeerakasala rice instead of Basmati rice. Before it was not available in the other parts of Kerala than Kannur. I still remember we used to take a whole big sack of this rice while visiting our friends in Tvm. We used to pack this to this part of the world (UAE) too. But nowadays this rice is easily available in supermarkets & thus made our part easier. Need not ve to get it all the way from India now. Fresh corianders are the one essential thing tha we can't avoid here. Years ago when huge amounts were not available at hand, they used to plant coriander seeds all over on wedding occasions and all.. Now, the recipe.. this is the basic one which is followed in our place in Kannur (Taliparamba). My mom makes it this way & so do I.

Ingredients: (for the masala)

Ghee 1 Tbsp Oil 2 Tbsp Onion 3 cups Ginger Garlic paste 3 Tbsp Tomatoes 1 and1/2 large Green Chillies 10 Mutton 300-400gms Salt Pepper 1 tsp Garama Masala 1 tsp Curd 3 Tbsp

Preparation:
1.Marinate mutton in curd, ginger-garlic paste and salt for atleast an hour . Keep this marination in freezer for better & quicker results. 2.Heat oil & Ghee in a pan. Add onions and saute for a while till the onions turn translucent. Add crushed green chillies to it. You can add chillies according to your spice level. I used bird chilli here and was enough spicy for me. 3.Now add the marinated mutton pieces into it along with the marinated gravy. Add tomatoes at this stage and some garam masala to it. Cook till it is done. Add 1 tsp of pepper to this.You can pressure cook the masala too. 4.Take care that not too much gravy is t left behind. If masala is too watery reduce it in low flame & if mutton is already cooked well, you can remove the mutton & then reduce the gravy. Check the picture how the masala looks just after opening the pressure cooker and then reduced to a thick gravy.

5.. You can add 1 tsp of Garam Masala, 1 Tbsp each coriander & mint leaves. The masala is done now.

Ingredients : (for the rice)

Ghee 1 1/2 Tbsp Oil 3-5 Tbsp Onion 1 Cashew a few (about 10 or more) Raisings a few Cardamom 3 Cloves 3

Cinnamon stick 1" Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Rice 3 cups (preferably Jeearakasala/Kayama rice); u can use Basmati rice too Lemon juice 3 Tbsp Salt Boiling water 4 1/2 cups

B.)Preparation:
1.Heat oil & ghee in a deep bottomed non-stick pan & fry onions in it. These are the onions we use for garnishing at the end. So it should be dark browned just as in the picture. Always while deep frying

onions, we should take them off from the oil a little earlier as about 30% of frying is done after we took them off. This is applicable in case of snacks and definitely the onions. 2.Once onion is fried, take them into a tissue paper. Now fry the cashews & then the raisins in the same oil. Remove them also once they are done. 3.Now add the whole spices (cloves,cardamom & cumin). Let them fry till you get a nice aroma from it (just for a few seconds) 4.The next step is to add rice into it & fry/roast them until they are slightly browned; about 5-6 minutes in medium-low flame. You have to saute in between, but take care that the rice is not further broken into pieces. This is usually done so that the rice remains separated even after cooking. I think this is done only when using Jeerakasala/Kayama rice. Now add required amount of boiling water to it. During the whole process, take care the oil is not left unattended in between frying onions or cashews or spices . Keep all these things ready by the side & do it all one by one. 5.Add lemon juice & salt to it. 6.When the water & rice reaches the same level, close the lid and allow the rice to cook. Just turn the rice over once in between and then simmer in low heat till it is done.

For Dum (Layering):

Coriander leaves 1/4 cup Mint Leaves 2 Tbsp Garam Masala

Method:
Take a non-stick or deep bottomed pan for Dum process. This process is usually layering the rice & masala alternatively so that the flavor of masala is infused n the rice.The aroma is locked inside. You can line the pan if it is not non-stick with Ghee. Now put some rice on the bottom and then the masala, a little garam masala and half of both the coriander & mint leaves metioned. Now again layer the rice and the remaining masala,garam masala and the leaves. Top with half of the fried onions,nuts and raisins.

Now prepare a dough with atta and lock the mouth of the pan with this dough and lid. Now this is the authentic technique used. Otherwise you can just keep a weight or a big vessel filled with water over the lid. This is then kept on dum on very low flame. I used to keep a lid between the flame and the vessel so that the bottom of the rice is not burnt. Some use oven for the dum process. You have to keep it on dum for 15-20 mts . You can use rose water or saffron if you like the flavor while layering. Saffron is to be soaked in warm milk atleast 1/2 an hour before. Garnish with fried onions ,nuts & raisins & serve hot with kachumber,raitas, achars,,,,,,.... *** Some like more masala & some others prefer less. While attempting for the first time, reserve some masala by the side and then put the remaining on Dum. You can later on mix with the rice or serve separately on the table if you feel that the masala is not enough. ***Remove cardamom,cloves and cinnamon from the rice while layering in Dum. Otherwise many won't like to bite them while having their rice.

Fish Biriyani

I haven't posted any biriyanis in ma blog yet. Was not sure whether to post it or not...there are so many delicious biriyani recipes in different blogs that I thought to keep mine away from those. But now, as some of ma friends requested to post it; here it goes: This is ma mom's spl recipe. She makes the masala black in color, which is really yummy. & we kannurians never uses any color for our biriyanis....we luv the natural color of it.

Ingredients:
Marinade:
Fish 5-7 pieces Red chilli powder Salt Pepper

Other ingredients: Ghee 1 tbsp Oil 1 tbsp Onion 150-200 gms (depends on how u wud luv ur masala to be..) Ginger-garlic paste 2 tbsp Green Chillies 5 or more Tomato 1 big Red Chilli powder 1/4 tsp Coriander powder 1/4 tsp Garam Masala * 1 tbsp Coriander leaves 3 tbsp Mint leaves 2 tbsp For rice: Jeerakasala /Basmati rice 1 1/2 cup Water 2 1/2 cups Lime Juice 3 tbsp Ghee 1 tbsp Oil 3-4 tbsp

Method:
1. Marinate fish in marinade ingredients & keep refrigerated for about 1/2 an hr. Then shallow fry it. Keep 2 pieces without marinating...lik belly pieces or something. Add this to the masala without frying...so that it'll give a nice flavor to the masala. 2.Wash rice atleast 3 times & drain. Make sure that no water is left behind. 3.Cut onions in chunks & pulse them in a food-processor or blender. Don't make paste of it. Just crush them. You can slice them too; but crushing makes it easier to cook. 4.Heat ghee & oil in a pan. Add crushed onions & saute for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute again for a minute more.

5.Now add tomatoes , red chilli powder & coriander powder. Add the fish pieces which we kept aside. Cook till masala is done. You can saute in between. Don't take care of the fish.. let it break down into pieces. 6.By the time, heat ghee & oil in another pan to cook rice. Put rice in it & roast it for 5-6 min in low flame; till it changes its color. 7.Now add boiling water,salt & lime juice. Lime juice is used here to get the rice separated.(not stick to each other). When the water & rice reach the same level, close the lid & allow it to simmer till the rice is cooked. Saute in between. 8. Now time for Dum. For fish biriyani, my Mom always put masala at the bottom to turn it to dark color as u can see in the pic. It always tastes good so. So the masala should not be that dry; otherwise it will get burnt. 9.the dum procedure goes like this. first masala at the bottom, then rice, garam masala powder, coriander & mint leaves. If you are making in huge quantity, then you can preserve some masala to layer it in the middle also & then, repeat the procedure. 10. Garam masala smells & tastes good if u make it at home freshly. I used to make it fresh ;a small qty; whenever ther's some guests arrived. It really smells awesome.. Garam Masala (yields 2 tbsp) Saunf 1 tsp Cardamom 2 Clove 2 Cinnamon 1" stick Black Cardamom 1(only the inner thing) Nutmeg 1/2 Star anise 1/2 Mace 1 Heat this for min or 2 ..till a nice aroma gets out of it. then powder it using a garlic crusher.(spice crusher).

MUTTON DUM BIRIYANI....step by step

Ingredients: For biriyani masala Mutton : 500g Onion chopped : 6 medium Tomato chopped : 4 medium Green chillies : 3 (as spicy needed) Garlic pods: 7 Ginger : 2 small round pieces Coriander leaves : 6 Mint/ Pudina leaves : 2 Coriander powder : 2-3 tbsp Garam masala powder : 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp Salt as required Oil : as required Cloves,cardamom :3 each Cinnamon : 3 small piece Pepper powder : if required Curd :2 tbsp For Rice : Ghee rice : 3 cups ( jeerakashala) Water :1/2of vessel used Cardamom and Cloves :4 each Cinnamon : 2 small sticks ghee rice leaves : 1 (optional) salt as per taste lemon : a small piece For Garnishing: Ghee : 1/2 cup +3 tbsp to fry Onion : 1 medium Cashewnuts:1/2 cup Raisins: 10 -15 Curry leaves & Coriander leaves Method to prepare Biriyani Masala (step by step): 1. Wash mutton well in water by adding a pinch of salt and 1/2 a lemon juice ( to avoid the smell ) and drain.

2.Slice and chop the onions.

3.Add ginger,garlic,green chillies,coriander leaves and mint leaves in a processor and crush well.

4. Chop the tomatoes.

5.In a vessel, add oil & on the stove

6.Add chopped onion and saute in medium flame until brown and translucent.

7.Add cloves,cardamom and cinnamon stick .Saute in with green chilly,ginger ,garlic,coriander and mint leaves paste along with salt.

8.Add turmeric powder and the tomatoes and saute.

9.When the tomatoes start to soften ,add mutton and cook until done .

10.When the mutton is almost done, add the coriander powder,garam masala powder and pepper powder(if required).

11.When the meat is cooked completely ,switch off and add curd and close the lid.Biriyani masala is ready. sorry! no pics. ( actually i forgot to take the last pic) Method to prepare rice: 1.Take a vessel and add half way water & let it boil

2.Wash the rice.

3.When water starts boiling ,add the masala and salt as needed & lemon

4.Allow water to boil completely and tip in the rice slowly and cook till almost done (while biting ,it should not feel grainy or over cooked)

5.Place the rice in colander and stain off the excess water.

Layering the Biriyani: 1.Divide rice in three parts and masala two. In the same vessel (used for making rice)layer the bottom with half rice.

2.Add half the biriyani masala.

3.Tip in the next part of rice

4.Add the biriyani masala

5.Again tip in the last part of rice .

6.Now add the ghee all over and 3-4 tbsp rose water with saffron or can use a pinch yellow food colour

7.Make holes with spatula in sides and middle so that flavour infuse.Add 2-3 coriander and mint leaves(just for flavour, can b removed later)

8.Cover with aluminium foil and close the lid and cook on very low heat upto 15 to 20 mins.

For garnishing: 1.In 3 tbsp ghee,add onions & curry leaves and fry till brown

2.Remove the onions to a plate and add cashew nuts and raisins and fry till raisins puff.

3.While serving garnish with fried onions,cashewnuts,raisins and chopped coriander leaves.

Mutton dum Biriyani is ready to b served with salad or raita. Notes; Can pressure cook mutton if in hurry. All r just my calculations,u can add or subtract or substitute according to taste. Posted 2nd April 2012 by Asmath Nawaz Labels: malabar recipes kerala recipes biriyani rice eid

CHICKEN DUM BIRIYANI

Ingredients: For biriyani masala... Chicken - 1 cut into large pieces Onion - 4 to 5 medium sliced thinely Garlic pods - 5 big Ginger - 2 inch thick Green chilly - 5 or accordingly Mint leaves - 3 cut the stem Coriander leaves - 6 Tomato - 1 big or 2 medium Cardamom,cloves and cinnamon stick - 3 each Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Corriander powder - 2 tsp

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp to sprinkle Curd - 2 tbsp Salt - as needed Oil - 2 tbsp For rice ; Basmati rice or kaima rice - 3 cups Water - half way utensil used Carrot - 1 chopped (optional) Lemon -1 piece Cardamom,cloves,cinnamon - 4 each Salt- as needed For garnishing ; Ghee - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp to pour over rice Onion - 1 sliced thinely Cashew nuts - 10 -15 Raisins - 2 tbsp Curry leaves - a few Corriander leaves - a few Preparation: 1.Cut the chicken into large pieces,clean and wash well.keep aside to drain. 2.Cut and slice the onion finely.Heat oil in medium flame and add onion to it and saute till translucent.Add cinnamon stick,cardamom and cloves to it.

3.In a grinder, grind garlic,ginger,green chillies,corriander leaves and mint leaves altogether to a fine paste adding little water.

4.Chop the tomatoes and keep ready.When the onion starts turning lightly brown,add the ginger garlic - green chilly paste and saute 1 minute to avoid the raw smell. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it goes mushy.

5.Add the cleaned and drained chicken pieces to it,add turmeric powder ,corriander powder and garam masala powder altogether,adjust salt and cook on medium flame till chicken gets cooked.

6.After 20 minutes switch off and add 2 tbsp curd , mix well .

7.In a bowl,add 3 cups of basmati rice ,wash well and add the water using for cooking and soak it for 15 to 30 minutes.(soak only if basmati rice,not for jeerakashala rice or kaima rice)

8.In a big non stick vessel,add half way water,add cardamom,cinnamon,cloves and a piece of lemon ,add salt and adjust taste.

9.When the water starts to boil,add the soaked rice with water slowly to it .Chop carrot and add to it.Let it cook until done.(b careful not to over cook)

10.When its just cooked ...place in colander and strain the excess water.

For the layering: 1.In the same vessel (used for making rice)layer the bottom with some rice.

2.Add half biriyani masala.

3.Now add another half of rice over masala.

4.Add rest of the biriyani masala over it .

5.Again tip in the last part of rice and spread all over,sprinkle garam masala and add 2 tbsp ghee.Make holes with a kife or spatula in sides and middle so that flavors infuse.

6.Cover with aluminium foil and close the lid tightly and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

For garnishing: 1.In a small pan, add ghee ,and add chopped onion and curry leaves,saute till brown and remove to a plate.

2.Add the cashews and raisin and saute till raisins puff.

3.Garnish with fried onions,cashew,raisin and chopped corriander leaves.Mix the biriyani all over and serve... Posted 2nd July 2012 by Asmath Nawaz

August 15, 2006

Calicut Mutton Biryani

Happy Independence Day. Though a bit late, I wanted to celebrate the special day with biryani as any occasion is celebrated back home. A festivity is not festive without a biryani and Malabar the region is synonymous with Biryani. Has anyone visited that area without at least once venturing out to eat biryani? Biryani is essentially a blend of rice and meat or fish with the rice cooked in the meat's juices to infuse the flavors in every bite.

The traditional method of making the biryani is in a "chembu", a copper cooking vessel, specially shaped to have a wider bottom for the meat to cook well and a narrow top for the rice. The steam emanating from the gravy cooks the rice above, the lid sealed with dough to prevent the steam escaping. It is called the dum biryani elsewhere especially in Hyderabad. Its a healthy and a very delicious way of making biryani. The aroma when the dough is broken and the seal lifted is the ultimate. Sunday at my grandmother's house was always biryani, and we used to wait impatiently for it, breaking and eating the dough crusts as it baked into a pretzel consistency. She would start the cooking at morning, getting everything ready...cut, hand ground, chopped until there was a colorful array of ingredients laid out and the lingering fragrance of fresh herbs. Over time, as convenience became our mantra, the meat and the rice started getting cooked separately, layered in baking pan and then baked together to get the flavors blended. I still make the biryani the separate way, but once in a while, the craving for the traditional takes over. On my last visit to Kerala, I gave up some clothes to make space in my suitcase for a small "biryani chembu". Even the time taken for the biryani seems less than the usual way. Don't worry if you don't have the chembu.. before that came , I was cooking it the steam (dum) way in any heavy bottom vessel such as the crock pot, or a hard anodized aluminum large sauce pan. So here is the recipe for the regular biryani.For those who want to try the dum version, the ingredients are the same and I shall soon post the detailed dum method.

You will need: Mutton - 1kg or 2.5 lbs Onion 500 gm or 4 medium ones Tomato - 200 gm or 2 medium sized ones Green chilies 100 gm or about 15 in number (Use 20-25 for 2 kg mutton..depending on the hotness of the chili.) Ginger - 50 gm or a 4 piece Garlic pods 50 gm or 8 cloves (big) Pepper powder 1 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1 tsp Plain Yogurt- 3/4 cup (thick) Fennel(Perinjeerakam/Saunf) - 1 tsp Poppy seeds (Khus khus) - 1 tsp Mint leaves (Pudhina) - 1/2 bunch Coriander leaves (Malli ela/Dhania) - 1/2 bunch

Curry leaves- a handful Lemon juice- 1 1/2 tsp or juice of 1 lemon. Clarified butter (Ghee) - 1/2cup or 1/4 cup mixed with cup oil Cashew nuts 20 gm or a handful Raisins- 20 gm or a handful For the rice: Basmati rice - 1 kg/ 4 cups Cinnamon (Karuvapatta) - 4 sticks Cloves (Carambu) - 4 Cardamom (Elakkai) - 4 One bay leaf, salt. Lemon juice- 1 1/2 tsp or juice of 1 lemon Salt to taste Biryani Masala: Cinnamon 2 inch piece Cardamom 8 Cloves 8-10 Nutmeg 1 bay leaves- 1 Mace 5-6 Caraway seeds 1 tbsp Star Anise-1 Dry roast all together and grind to a fine powder. Preparation: 1. Clean the mutton and cut into medium sized pieces. Wash and drain. 2. Soak the fennel seeds and poppy seeds in a bowl with water for an hour at least and grind with very little water to a very fine paste. If it still feels grainy, add a tablespoon of grated coconut to grind it well. Keep aside. 3. Grind together the ginger, garlic and green chilies into a coarse paste. Chop the tomatoes into cubes and slice the onions. One onion should be sliced extra fine. This one is for the fried onion garnish. 4. Marinate the mutton with the ginger garlic chili, and all the other spices and ingredients except the onions, biryani masala and herb leaves. Add salt too and keep covered for an hour at least. Clean and soak rice for 10 minutes. Keep aside. 5. Heat three fourth of the ghee/oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the garnish portion of the sliced onions and fry, till golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle some sugar over the onions to speed up the crisping. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove the onions and fry the cashew nuts on medium heat till it turns brown on all sides. Drain and remove. Add the raisins now and stir till they plump up. Remove onto paper towels. This ghee/oil is used for flavoring the rice so save it. 6. Heat up the remaining oil and add the rest of the sliced onions and saut it till it becomes translucent. Add the marinated mutton, the poppy seed mixture, the biryani masala and the coriander, mint and curry leaves and mix thoroughly. Keep it covered and cook on medium heat for an hour, checking frequently till the oil starts to separate and the meat gets almost cooked but still has a bite left. If the mutton normally requires a long cooking time, you can pressure cook it for just one whistle and then simmer on slow heat to concentrate the gravy. Do not add water at all. Check taste and add more salt or yogurt, pepper etc if needed. 7. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. 8. Heat 3 tbsp of the remaining onion ghee/oil and add the whole spices- cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Saut for a second and add the drained rice. Stir the rice till it turns opaque and add 6 cups water (three fourth of the quantity required for ghee rice). Cover and cook on slow heat the rice along with all spices and salt, till all the water is absorbed. This would take about 5-8 minutes.

9. In an oven proof dish, spread half of the mutton masala and place half of rice over it. Sprinkle some lemon juice to prevent the rice from sticking. Spread the remaining masala and top it with rice followed by lemon juice. Pour 2 tbsp of ghee/oil on top of it and sprinkle some roasted onion, nuts and raisins. Close it with a layer of aluminum foil and then lid and put it in the oven for 25 - 35 minutes. Remove and let rest for another 5-10 minutes before opening. 10. Serve with coconut chutney (biryani chammandi), Pickled onions (Ulli surka), Yogurt and Papadam. P.S. The biryani masala freezes extremely well, so if you have extra masala, separate it after cooking and freeze it immediately. Defrost and make ghee rice to go with it and you have instant biryani. Some more biryani recipes: Mutton biryani, RP ishtyle Revathi's instant biryani which is a must try when you want biryani,but have no time. Shynee's Chicken biryani