Egg Biryani

"Biryani" - is a rice based dish made with spices, rice (preferably basmati) and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) which means "fried" or "roasted".

Many different varieties of Indian Spice go into the making of a Biryani. The curry and the cooked rice are brought together and layered one after the other resulting in a dish with exotic flavours and aroma of the spices and the meat or vegetables. The dish may be served with Salads, Dahi(Yogurt), Raita(yogurt based sauce or dip, sometimes combined with raw vegetables or fruits) or a boiled egg. In India, the Hyderabadi and Lucknowi Biryani are ranked top in the list of biryani's.

My Egg Biryani is easy to make, hassle free, quick and tastes good :D

Ingredients :

2 tbsp of Cooking Oil

1 tbsp of Ghee(Melted Butter)

1 large Onion sliced

1 medium sized chopped Tomato (or you can add 2 tbsp of tomato puree)

1 cup Rice (preferably Basmati Rice)

3 Eggs
2 boiled and sliced Eggs
salt to taste

Whole Garam Masala Items -

1 Bay Leaf (Tej Patta)

1 inch piece of Cinnamon(Dalchini)

4 Cloves (Lavang)

1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

3-4 Peppercorns (Kalimirch)

1 Cardamom Pod (Elaichi)

For the Green Gravy -

1 bunch of Coriander Leaves

3 Green Chillies

5 to 6 Garlic pods

1 inch piece of Ginger

2 medium sized Onions cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp of grated Coconut (optional)

Procedure :

* Pressure cook 1 cup of rice. ( Ratio to cook rice in a cooker is 1 cup Rice : 2 cups of Water. Pressure cook on medium high heat. After the 1st whistle, turn the heat to low and let it cook for 10 mins)

* Prepare the green gravy by grinding all the gravy items with little water. The consistency of the gravy should be thick.

* Take a non stick vessel. Add oil and ghee. When the oil gets heated, add all the whole garam masala items one by one. (mentioned in the list above). Fry them for a minute and add sliced onions. Saute till they turn light in colour. Then add the chopped tomatoes.

* After the tomatoes are cooked, add the green gravy and keep frying on low heat until all the water content in the gravy is evaporated. Add salt to taste. ( Approx 1 and a half tsp)

* Now break 3 eggs into the gravy. Saute till the eggs get scrambled and mix well with the green gravy.

* To this add the cooked rice and mix it all together gently so that the gravy and the eggs coat the rice completely.

* Garnish the rice with finely chopped coriander leaves and sliced eggs.

And so your Egg Biryani is "Ready to Serve" !!

Note : Make sure you have the cucumber salad ready to go with the Biryani :)

Luv,

 

 

Five Ingredient Fix - Cucumber Salad

"Cucumber" is known as a mild and refreshing vegetable with a light melon taste. Its very popular in India as a crunchy snack during summer time. They  peel and cut thin slices of the cucumber or cut them vertically. Rub the sides of the slices with salt and sprinkle some chilli powder(paprika powder)and your snack is ready !! :D During summer you would find many street hawkers selling them as it acts as a thirst quencher.

We ladies are obviously aware of what effect cucumber has on our eyes and skin!!! ;) Had a tiring day, worked long or even to get the spa experience @ home you can cut 2 thin slices of cucumber and place them on your eyes for 15 mins. You can also peel and puree the remaining. This can be applied on your face and removed after 15 mins.

Now coming to my simple and easy cucumber salad. :D This recipe would make a nice accompaniment to any meal, preferrably with Biryanis' and other rice items. (watch out on rice recipes on my upcoming blog posts.)

I had this salad at my darling friend Smit's house. Her mom had made this for us. I truly enjoyed the salad a lot. The ingredient that gave most of the taste to it was the chopped Coriander(Cilantro) Leaves.  Believe me... that gave all the required flavour to the cucumber and made it a hit :)

So the Five Ingredient Fix for Cucumber Salad is :

1 Cucumber - Peeled, washed and thinly sliced.

Salt to taste

Pepper powder as per your spicy taste buds :)

4 to 5 twigs of coriander leaves finely chopped.
1 tsp of Lemon Jucie

Procedure :

* Take a serving bowl or plate and neatly arrange the cucumber slices.

* Sprinkle salt and pepper powder over it as per taste.
* Squeeze a little lemon juice over the slices per taste.
* Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
* Keep the salad aside for half an hour until the cucumber absorbs the flavour from the garnishing.

So now as the salad is ready..... wait for my next blog on Egg Biryani :)))

Luv,

Tiramisu : Heaven in your Mouth

Being a Tiramisu fan, I thought what would be best to start a cooking blog with :))) For most who aren't aware of "The Tiramisu", here's a sweet intro : Its a most popular Italian Cake, made of lady fingers(an Italian Biscuit) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone cheese, and flavored with liquor and cocoa.

Well the 1st Tiramisu that I ever tasted was at my colleague cum friend Lilla's house @Hungary. Must mention that she's a die hard fan of Italian cuisine and Tiramisu is one of her favourites. She had the perfect Italian recipe of this dessert and I am really glad she shared it with me :)

Thanks a ton Lilla!!! Ur Tiramisu Rocks!! During my stay in Hungary and Italy, I had tasted it in all the cake shops possible. Must say I was really getting addicted to it :D Trust me you would never find the real taste anywhere except Italy and Lilla's home :) Hence it was high time I learn to make it!

Attempted my very 1st Tiramisu for my hubby's B'day ;) All set with Lilla's Recipe and ingredients from Mozzaro's Italian Market. Followed the recipe step by step and I could see the Tiramisu taking its shape :) Very happy to see it happen, but at the same time a lil apprehensive about how it would turn out. The tiramisu went inside the fridge to set and I had my fingers crossed :(

When the clock struck 12 on 23rd June 2010, it was time for my hubby to cut my very 1st tiramisu!!! Me full nervous..... the cake was cut .... hubby took a piece and started eating.... and in minutes I see his plate is empty !!!! Which means it was yummmmyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! Glad at my hubby's response.....I took my 1st peice (and he his second)...... put it inside my mouth........ and there i go........... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! Was so shocked that my tiramisu had turned out so welllll!!!! Yippppppieeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

And today I made my second one which was a hit tooo!!! Hip Hip Hurray!!! :D

So friends here's the Real Italian Tiramisu Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

500 gram mascarpone cheese

5 eggs
5 table spoon sugar

350 gram biscuit - lady finger

200 gram strong black coffee(Make sure you use an instant coffee powder with added sugar as per taste)

cacao powder

Procedure:

 * Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is a very light yellow.

* Separately, beat the egg whites until they are fluffy and firm.

* Mix the egg yolk and sugar with the mascarpone cheese. 

* Carefully fold the egg whites into the mixture. This should lead to a nice and creamy mixture.

* Dip the ladyfingers cookies one by one (very quickly) in the coffee and lay them in a rectangular or square baking dish. Add a layer of the creamy mixture and sprinkle the cocoa powder. To obtain a nice coat of cocoa powder on top, use a mesh strainer and stir the powder lightly with a spoon.

* Make a second layer exactly the same as the first one. Continue until you have 4 layers, making sure that the top most layer is of the cheese mixture!
* Keep it inside the fridge to set for minimum of  4 hrs. I would also suggest you refridgerate it overnight for a better texture.

Note: For some added flavour, you can use some Amaretto Liquor to the black coffee mix and some grated Lemon or orange skin to the cheese mixture!!!

Happy Tiramisu Making!!!! :))))

Luv,