Chicken Biryani

I love cooking and eating chicken biryani. It is a painstakingly long process but nothing can beat the flavors of indian spices in chicken biryani.

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients

3 cups basmati rice

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped in to ½ inch pieces

8 cloves

8 whole cardamoms

2, 2 inch long cinnamon sticks

6 large onions, sliced

1 tsp sugar

½ cup oil

6 green chilies slit in half

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 tbsp grated garlic

1tbsp garam masala (or biryani masala)

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp fennel seeds

½ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves

½ cup coriander leaves

1 cup water

For marinade

2 tbsp yogurt

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp grated garlic

Salt

¼ tsp spoon saffron added to 2 tbsp warm milk.

Wash the basmati rice and cook in 6 cups of water. Add salt, 3 cloves, 3 cardamoms, and 1 - 2 inch long cinnamon stick. The rice should be al dente. Cool the rice and refrigerate for 3-4 hrs.

Marinate chicken pieces with yogurt, salt, turmeric, red chili powder and grated ginger and garlic. Keep refrigerated for at least 2 hrs.

In a large pot heat the oil. Add the remaining cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, green chilies, onions and sugar. Heat on medium flame till the onions are dark brown in color. Add the tomatoes, grated ginger and garlic, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and fennel seeds. Cook till the tomatoes are melted. Add the chicken, mint leaves, salt and some water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the chicken cook for 1 hr. Add the coriander leaves.

Grease a baking pan or casserole with butter. Place a layer of rice followed by a layer of chicken. Repeat the layers. The last layer should be rice. Drizzle the warm milk and saffron over the top layer. Cover tightly with a foil. Bake at 300F for 1 hr.

Garnish with boiled eggs and coriander leaves.

Kulfi - Queen of Summer Time Desserts

My very first dessert post! Kulfi, a cool sweet treat for hot Chicago summer. This kulfi tasted almost as good as the kulfi I'd eat in India during summer. You do need a lot of time and patience to make kulfi, but it is well worth it. I set the kulfi in Popsicle molds and so the kulfi even looks like the kulfi I’d eat from the kulfiwala in India.

Kulfi

Ingredients

6 cups whole milk

½ cup condensed milk

1/4 tsp saffron

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp ground cardamom

Heat milk on low to medium heat, stirring frequently, till it reduces to 2 cups (2 – 3 hrs). Add the condensed milk, heavy cream, saffron and ground cardamom. Heat for 15 mins. Cool and pour in to popsicle molds. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours.