Easy Muttton Biryani (Pressure cooker method)

Hi, how about having a plate full of mutton biryani and raita on a rainy Sunday afternoon with kids. Are you ready for that. This can be made within an hour .check it out and it is a no fail recipe. Go on with my instructions and your yummy biryani is ready for your family.

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Onion -2 (medium sized ,slice it lengthwise)
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Tomato -1
Mint leaves - a handful
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sakthi biryani powder - 2 tsp( my hubby likes this masala)
Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups( is use double deer basmati rice)
Water - 1 + 3 cups( 1 cup for mutton to cook)
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - few
Fried cashews - few
Oil - 2 tsp
Ghee- 1 tsp
To temper:
Cardamom -1
Cloves -2
Cinnamon - a small piece

Procedure:
Step 1:
Wash the mutton thoroughly and strain it in a strainer.
Wash the basmati rice once and soak for 10-15 minutes(until it has bulged a little) and strain it in a strainer.
Cut the onions and tomatoes.
Clean and wash the mint leaves.
Step 2:
Heat a pressure cooker add oil and ghee and add items under tempering.
Now add onions and fry until translucent.


Next add your ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell leaves.
Next go on with mint leaves and then tomato.
Fry until tomato turns mushy.


Step 3:
Now time to add turmeric and sakthi Briyani powder and give a toss.
Now add your mutton pieces and little salt(for the mutton ) and toss it for 3-4 minutes in that .


Now add one cup of water and mix.
Close the cooker and give for 4 whistles.
Step 4:
After pressure releases open the cooker and again cook until all the water in it gets evaporated and gets a gravy consistency.
Now add your drained rice and give a toss.


Next add in 2 cups of remaining water and the salt(for the rice)
Check for salt and spicy ness.
Step 5:
Now let it boil for sometime. You will find a stage where the water and the rice are inseparable( c picture)
At this stage reduce the flame to lowest, close the cooker ,put on the weight and cook on slowest flame(dum) for just 8 minutes.
Step6:
Open the cooker only after the pressure releases. Then fluff it with a fork and serve hot along with raita.
Garnish with coriander and fried cashews.

Notes:
Do not open the cooker before pressure releases.
Before adding rice the cooked mutton should be in gravy consistency.
Always fluff it with a fork.

Another method is to pressure cook directly,for that follow until step 4 and close the cooker and give for 2 whistles and switch off the flame and open the cooker after the pressure releases by itself and fluff it with a fork and serve hot.

Cheers,
Jayanthi B

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Bread Upma

This is a very very simple yet tasty dish for all the bread lovers. It can be prepared in less than 10 minutes. Pair it with a juice to have for breakfast or pack it as a quick lunch or enjoy it as an evening snack. As a variation, you can add eggs to this upma. Check notes for details.
Now onto the recipe...

INGREDIENTS:
Bread - 6 slices
Onion - 2
Carrot - 2 (grated)
Green Chilli - 2
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Coriander Leaves - to garnish
METHOD:
1) Chop your bread into small cubes. Chop the onions and grate the carrot. Keep aside.
2) Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard, after it splutters add  urad dal and green chilli. When the urad dal turns light golden colour add the onions and curry leaves.
3) Fry till the onions are transparent and then add the grated carrot. Fry till the carrots are cooked without any raw smell - about 3 minutes ( as the carrots are grated, they will cook fast ). Add salt and mix well.
4) Finally add the Bread pieces and toss well. Keep it in simmer for 2 more minutes, slightly tossing in between so that the bread pieces are coated well. Finally garnish with coriander leaves.
Simple, Delicious Bread upma is ready to eat!!!!

Serve hot and enjoy!!

NOTES:
1) For egg version of this upma, scramble 2 eggs with salt in 1 tsp oil. Follow the same procedure till step 3, then add the scrambled eggs then followed by the bread pieces ( the remaining steps are the same). I normally do egg version when I serve hot and the eggless version if I am packing for lunch.
2) Don't skimp on the oil as it really uplifts the flavour as the bread pieces gets tossed in it.

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

Sending this to
Come, join us for Breakfast

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Paruppu kulambu/moong dal curry

Hi everyone,this dal curry is my hubby's favourite recipe. He takes this dal with rice and chappathi. This was the first curry which I learnt from my MIL. This was the first curry which i gave to my kids when they were six months old. Have it with spoonful of ghee ,it tastes heavenly!!!!!!!!!Now on to the recipe with just simple ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds -1/4 tsp
Pepper corns - 3 to 4
Hing - a pinch
Water - 1 3/4 cup

Shallots-10 to 15(or 1 medium sized onion)
Tomato -1
Green chilli - 4 or 5
Garlic - 5
Drumstick -1
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - to garnish
Water - 2 1/2 cup

To grind:
Coconut -1/2 cup
Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp

To temper:

Oil -1 1/2tsp
Mustard -1/4 tsp
Dry red chilli-1
Shallots -1-2( chopped)
Curry leaves -10

PROCEDURE:
Step 1
Dry roast the moong dal until nice aroma comes without changing the color (may be 3-4 minutes).
Pressure cook roasted moong dal along with turmeric,cumin seeds, hing, pepper corns and 1 3/4 cup of water for 2 whistles.


Step 2
Grind coconut along with cumin seeds into a nice paste. Keep aside
Step 3
Cut the vegetables.
When the pressure releases add shallots, tomato, garlic, drumstick and green chilli.
Now add your grinded coconut paste and add 2 1/2 cups of water and salt.


Check for salt and spice.



Let it boil for around 10 -15 minutes and then keep in simmer for two minutes until raw smell leaves and the drumstick gets cooked.

Step 4
Now temper with the items under the title to temper.
Garnish with some coriander leaves.

Your dal curry is ready to serve
Enjoy.

Notes:
Use fresh drumstick, else the gravy will turn bitter.
You can make it plain without any drumstick also.
I have added big onions as I had no shallots in hand.

Cheers
Jayanthi

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Easy Vegetable Biryani ( No Tomato )

Hi everyone, this is my first biryani post, a delicious vegetable biryani. My whole family and friends are a great fan of this biryani.

Whenever we go as a family outing I prepare this and it vanishes in no time,especially those fried breads and cashews. Even now I fried some cashews and reserved some for the toppings ,but when I made everything ready for the photo and checked for cashews there was only an empty plate, as usual my hubby ate all. Now on to the recipe, don't get scared on seeing the long list, it is damn easy to prepare and tastes heavenly. It goes well with raita and pappads.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Oil - 3 tsp
Carrot - 1
Beans - 10
Cabbage - small piece
Peas - 1/4 cup ( more or less)
Onion - 2 (small ,sliced lengthwise)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves - 10 to 15
Salt to taste
To Temper:
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - a small piece
Elachi - 1
Saunf - 1 tsp (coarsely powdered)
For Garnishing:
Cashews - 10 to 12
Bread- 2(fried)
Coriander leaves - few

Procedure:
Step 1: Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15-20 minutes. Then drain it in a strainer. Keep aside. Chop all the veggies.


Step 2:  Heat a pressure cooker ,add oil and fry the cashews and set aside. Now in the same oil add the items under tempering.
Now add onions and fry until slight brown colour. next add in your ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves.


Add your pudina(mint leaves) and fry for half a minute. Now add in your turmeric,chilli,coriander powder and give a nice toss.
Step 3: Then go on with adding your veggies and give a stir and then drained basmati rice and give a nice toss in that masala.


Now add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water to it. Add salt. Check for salt and spiciness. You can do either direct method or dum method now.

Direct method:
Close the cooker and give for 2 whistles and switch it off. Let it rest for 45 minutes and then open up the cooker and fluff it with a fork and serve.
Dum method:
After checking salt cook in flame without lid until the rice is half cooked or merges mostly with the water in it(see picture). Now close the lid with gasket and put on whistle and reduce the flame to utmost low. Cook for 8 minutes and switch it off. Let it rest for 45 minutes and then open up the cooker and fluff it with a fork.

Garnish with cashews and coriander leaves.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

Notes:
Don't open the cooker immediately. Let the pressure release by itself and then wait for 45 minutes.
Adding veggies is your choice. But I prefer this combo of veggies. Peas gives an extra ordinary flavour. Powder saunf in mixie coarsely and store in a box.
While tempering you can add a spoon of butter also. Don't get scared of giving two whistles. It will be so perfect, I have done so many times but do keep in mind of opening of cooker little later.
Dum method gives a unique flavour when compared to direct method. Both are good , I have tried both of these versions.

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