Kothamalli/Cilantro Rice

Mixed variety rice has always been one of my favorites..I used to exchange my lunch sometimes with one of my buddies in college and her mom makes the best variety rice I've ever tasted! Today my trial was with cilantro as I got a bunch of it from Devon Street over the weekend.

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice
3 cups Water
2 medium Onions
2 Cinnamon sticks
4 Cloves
2 Star Anise
2 Bay leaves
1/2 Tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 Tbsps Ghee
2 Tbsp Oil

To Grind:
2 cups Cilantro, packed
4 Cashews
8 Green Chillies
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 cup Coconut, shredded

Method:

1. Soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes. 
2. Grind everything from the "To Grind" list into a fine paste without adding much water. You may add a few drops if needed. 
3. Heat oil with ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cinnamon, cloves, anise, bay leaves and saute for a min.
4. Add onions and saute until slightly golden. Add turmeric powder, corriander powder, the ground paste, salt and lemon juice and saute for 3-4 mins. 
5. Add 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil.  Now add the soaked rice and cover and pressure cook for a whistle in medium flame.  
6. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook for about 8-10 minutes and switch off.  Once the pressure goes off, remove the lid and mix gently without breaking the rice. 

Serve with raitha..

Mutton Biriyani

When I hear the word “Mutton biriyani” I only dream about this biriyani that I once had at my schoolmate’s house on Ramzan. Recently, one of our friends made this amazing biriyani which tasted a lot similar and I fell in love with it. I tried to recreate his  recipe and here is my best try.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

Mint Leaves, finely chopped - 1/2 bunch

Cilantro, finely chopped - 1/2 bunch

Ginger garlic paste - 2 Tbsp

Lemon juice - 2tsp

Yoghurt - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 4 tsp

Curry Powder - 4 tsp

Garam masala - 2 tsp

Biriyani Masala - 4 tsp

Biriyani paste - 3 tsp, optional

Mutton - 3lbs

For Biriyani:

Onions, thinly sliced - 2 large

Tomatoes - 1

Basmati rice - 3 cups

Spices - Cloves-3, cinnamon-2, anise-2, cardamom-2

Fried onions - 1/4 cup, optional

Method:

1. Marinate the mutton overnight with all the ingredients from above overnight.
2. Cook rice in the rice cooker with 1 1/2 cups of water per cup of rice, oil and all the spices and cool it in a large mixing bowl or tray.
3. In a large saucepan, add onions and fry until browned. Add tomatoes and the marinated mutton and cook for 45 minute or so until the mutton cooks and becomes a thick gravy.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. In an oven safe tray, layer rice with the gravy one on top of the other and cover with aluminuim foil and bake it for 30 minutes.
6. In you have fried onions, mix it with the biriyani towards the end and serve hot.

Enjoy with raitha and boiled eggs :)  

Fish Biriyani

I've never made fish Biriyani before and this is my first attempt. I found this much easier than other biriyanis since fish cooks really fast and takes little time. Here's how I made it.

 

Ingredients:

Fish Marinade:

Tilapia – 3 lbs

Yogurt –1/2 cup

Fish Biriyani Masala – 4 Tbsp

Chilli powder – 3 tsp

Lemon Juice – 2tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Curry powder – 3 tsp

Coriander Powder – 3 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Ginger garlic Paste – 1 Tbsp

For Biriyani:

Mint Leaves – ½ bunch

Cilantro, chopped - handful

Basmati Rice – 3 cups

Water – 4 ½ cups

Cloves - 4

Cinnamon – 4

Cardamon – 2

Star Anise – 2

Bay Leaves – 2

Onions – 2 large

Tomatoes – 1

Ginger garlic Paste – 1 Tbsp

 

Method:

1. Marinate fish with all the ingredients from the marinade above for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cook rice in the rice cooker with little oil, salt and half of all the spices above: 2 cloves, 2 cinnamons, 1 cardamom, 1 Anise, 1 Bayleaf
3. In a large skillet, add oil and once it heats up, add all the remaining spices.
4. Add the onions and fry until brown, add 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste and sauté until the smell goes.
5. Add tomatoes, mint leaves, cilantro and the marinated fish mixture and add heat it medium flame until the gravy thickens up and the fish is all cooked.
6. Adjust salt and other spices to taste.
7. Once rice is cooked, spread it in a large vessel and let it cool.
8. Remove fish curry from flame and mix with rice without breaking the fish.

Serve with raitha.