About Biriyani

It is all about 'Biriyani' a favorite dish to Indians especially South Indians, cooked with rice and meat put together. The ingredients used in preparing Biriyani are Rice, meat, Vegetables and Spices like cardamon, bay leaves, ginger garlic paste, cinnamon etc.




HISTORY
The word Biryani is derived from the Persian word 'Birian'. In Farsi, Birian means 'Fried before Cooking'.Traditionally Rice and the leg piece of goat used to make Biryani. Now people are making Biriyani with beef, chicken, fish & prawns.
Biryani was originated in Persia and it might have taken different routes to arrive in India. Based on the name, and cooking style (Dum), it is also called as Dum Biriyani. It is believed that, it could have come from Persia via Afghanistan to North India. It could have also been brought by the Arab traders via Arabian Sea to Calicut, Kerala.
There are many types of Biriyani in India.




1. AWADHI BIRIYANI
During Mogul empire established in India, Lucknow City (the current city name) was known as Awadh. The Biriyani cooked from Awadh gave rise to the Awadhi Biryani




2. CALCUTTA BIRIYANI
In 1856, British deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in Calcutta. During that time the Nawab and people introduced Biriyani into Calcutta and it gave rise to "Calcutta Biryani". The special and unique receipe of Calcutta Biriyani is cooked with uncut full boiled potatoes with meat.




3. HYDERABADI BIRIYANI and 4. ARCOT BIRIYANI
Among all the types of Indian Biriyani, Hyderabadi Biriyani is famous among the people of south India. King Aurangzeb, appointed the 'Nawab of Arcot' to oversee "Aaru Kaadu" region (meaning: Six Forests)of south of Hyderabad. During this period the name raised to Hyderabadi Biriyani and Arcot Biryani.




5. THAHIRI BIRIYANI
The Biryani spread to Mysore (Indian City) by The King Tipu Sultan of Carnatic. It was the royal dish for Nawabs and Nizams. They hired vegetarian Hindus as bookkeepers leading to the development of Tahiri Biryani.




Vegetables Used with Biriyani
Potato is the major vegetable that used for it. Cauliflower, carrots, peas, sweet bell peppers and green beans are traditional.
My tongue is watering now. Like to a taste delicious Dum Biriyani. :)

SOME BASIC INDIAN RECEIPES 4 U........

COCONUT BURFI


INGREDIENTS:
700 gms Sugar
2 Coconuts
35 gms Cashew nuts
7-8 Cardamom
70 gms Ghee
Method
Shred the coconut. Break the cashew nuts into small pieces and fry them in ghee. Powder the cardamom. Heat water in a vessel containing 1/4 ltr. of water and add the sugar to it. After the sugary liquid is no longer thin, add the coconut shreds and heat it until it turns thick. After sufficient stirring, add the fried cashew nut pieces and ghee and stir the mixture well. Add the powdered cardamom and mix it thoroughly and stop heating. Pour the mixture onto a plate which could accommodate sufficient thickness. Cut into rectangular pieces while hot.
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Chana Masala

INGREDIENTS:
2 T vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 T curry
1 T tomato paste (I used ketchup, how embarrassing:)
15 oz can of chick peas drained, reserving 3 T liquid
1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
Fresh black pepper
Crushed red pepper, optional to taste
1 T butter
Method
Heat oil on medium high heat. Fry onions until slightly browned. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, curry, and paste. Stir and simmer about 2 minutes. Add chick peas, liquid, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Simmer 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add red pepper to taste. Add butter, stirring through to melt it. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes more or until peas are softened and dish is hot. Serve over rice.
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CHUTNEY


INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups coconut (shredded)
1.0 channa dhal (roast until golden brown)
2-3 green chillies
1 inch ginger
2-3 tsps jeera
0.5 tsp tamarind concentrate (or lemon juice)
salt to taste
PROCEDURE
Grind above in a blender. season with hing, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Chutney variant #1.. grind 2 bunches coriander leaves for lip-smacking 'coriander chutney'
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SAMBAR




A liquid substance traditionally eaten with dosai, idli, vadai and rice, among other things.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large Onion, chopped into big pieces
Vegetables, like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin,
Some curry leaves (if available)
Coriander leaves chopped 1T (cilantro)
Juice of tamarind size of perhaps
1/2-3/4 cup Thur dal (cooked)
Salt to taste
3/4 tsp Turmeric powder
3/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds (optional)
1 tsp Oil
2 tsp Coriander seeds
1/8 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
2 tsp Chana dal
10-15 whole red chili's, to taste
3-6 tsp Coconut (shredded)
PROCEDURE
Fry coriander seeds, asafoetida, chana and chili's and grind with coconut, use shredded dried if too lazy to deal with fresh. The quantity of coconut varies according to taste. Fry the onion for about 5 minutes in a little oil with the turmeric powder. Add the vegetables and some water and cook. I would add hard to cook veggies like carrot and chatyote first and cook for a while before adding sweet potatoes and pumpkin.(Can make this also with a single vegetable, no need to use all of them.) Don't overcook veggies, but when just cooked, add the tamarind juice, curry leaves and salt to taste, Soon after adding the tamarind juice, take a separate frying pan and heat up the 1T oil. When hot enough so that the mustard seeds will crackle when thrown in, put the mustard seeds in, once the crackling has stopped add the fenugreek seeds and stir until they turn a dark brown color (don't burn). Then add this the boiling mixture. Boil all together for another 5 minutes until the raw tamarind smell has left the solution. Now add the paste of masala and coconut and add the dal. Bring to a boil and switch off. Add chopped coriander leaves.
Takes 2-3 hours for the flavor to settle down, but can be eaten right away also.
NOTES: Vegetables that must NOT be used are those that belong to the cabbage and cauliflower families. While frying ingredients for the paste, throw in the coriander seeds first and fry awhile before putting in the others, otherwise the coriander seeds won't fry properly and will taste pretty awful.
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TANDOORI CHICKEN




Ingredients:
6 pieces Thawed chicken, skinned
2 tsp Ground Coriander
2 tsp Masala (Tandoori paste is available)
Red pepper powder
Dash Garlic powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Ground jeera
Soy sauce (or yogurt needed only if tandoori masala is used)
Method
If you are using the ready made tandoori paste then life is a lot easier. Replace all occurrences of masala and soy sauce (or yogurt) with the tandoori paste. Take the chicken and make deep cuts in it (so that the Masalas seeps in quickly). If you are using soy sauce as the base, put some on the chicken pieces and let it seep in the cuts. Rub in the Masalas as a mixture or one at a time. The idea is to let the Masalas seep in the cuts with the soy sauce. You can leave it for little while to seep in. If you are using yogurt, you'll get a more authentic taste since the original TC is after all marinated in it. In this case, mix the Masalas in the yogurt first and then rub the stuff into the chicken cuts as before. The yogurt tends to leave a considerable amount of water behind. DON'T THROW THIS AWAY. Let it evaporate in the oven with the chicken. This will keep the pieces from getting dry if over-cooked. Cook the chicken until it starts turning brown and the cuts you made start "expanding."

The Secret Onion Paste (biggest secret)

2 lge white onions, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic
3tbs vegetable oil
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of cinnamon


Place raw onion and garlic into blender. Add enough water to come about halfway up the side of the blender and blend until WELL smoothed.


Heat the oil in a pan on a high heat, adding the mixture (it will spit!!!)


Reduce this down until it gets dryer then add the spices and continue frying until it turns into what looks a bit like bread dough. This may take some time but is worth it for the final taste! Be careful not to burn this as it will be ruined. Taste the finished product - tastes almost "soapy" - remind you of anything familiar?


Special Spice Mix (not that special)
Equal amounts of cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and dried fenugreek. If unsure which brand to buy, try NATCO - especially their garam masala which is superb. I mix up a few tablespoons of each at a time and keep in a Tupperware tub, etc!


The above are a MUST for all recipes and corners cannot be cut in any way.


The above recipes could be doubled up for ease and stored in the freezer in pre-measured amounts.

How to make a basic 'Medium Curry'
800ml of basic curry sauce (should be around half the basic sauce recipe!? - this is enough for 4 people's main meal)


5tbs Vegetable Oil
1 level tsp of salt
1tsp of ground coriander )
1tsp of ground cumin ) (This is the special spice mix but listed individually!!!)
1tsp of garam masala )
1tsp dried fenugreek leaves )
¼ tsp of chilli powder
fresh coriander leaves


Add oil and heat. Add basic sauce (along with fresh chicken/other meats if using them) and simmer on high heat for 2-3 mins.


Add all of the spices and salt and continue for 5 mins or sauce separates from the oil. Add the prawns (if your cooking a prawn curry!) and simmer for a further 7 minutes - add any water if you feel it's getting too dry.


Although the curry is now cooked, further frying is now required and this must be done in individual portions.


At this stage (if you've doubled up the quantities) you can measure out lots of bags of 200ml/400ml at a time and freeze them for a quick curry whenever you need.


You can now take out a bag from your freezer along with a couple of frozen chicken breasts in the morning and be eating within 20 mins when you get home.


400ml of this basic curry sauce will be enough for 2 main dishes, therefore one entire recipe should be enough for 8 main dishes and so on.


1. Add some oil to your 'individual curry' pan.
2. ***NOW REFER TO THE STYLE REQUIRED AND OBEY INSTRUCTIONS***
3. Then add the required amount of sauce and meat/cooked vegetables for one portion (only 200ml of sauce as it's got to be an individual portion for authenticity)
4. Heat everything up and then add 1 tbs of the onion paste in the final minute
5. Taste, if necessary add more of the 'special spice mix' - more fresh coriander for garnish


Voila ! your individual curry!!!


From this method, you can have people round for a curry and given them all differing ones according to their personal tastes.


THE CURRY STYLES
For all of the types below, I recommend having the ingredients to hand as you'll have to work quickly - no time to start raking around your cupboards for stuff once you've started!!!!


Dupiaza
Whilst you are preparing the basic curry recipe, prepare the following


1tbs of vegetable oil
1tsp of Cumin seeds
2 large onions, sliced into rings
4 green or red chillies, halved lengthways


Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. 5 seconds later add onions and chillies and reduce heat. Fry until onions are soft and slightly charred.


Add to basic sauce, check seasoning, serve




Bhuna
Same as dupiaza but replace 1 of the onions with a chopped green pepper! (easy innit?)




Jalfrezi
1 tbs of vegetable oil
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 large green pepper, chopped into chunks
4 green or red chillies




Korma
5 mins from end, add 1 tbs of ground almonds and 3 tbs of single cream. (It's that easy!)




Pasanda
Cook the basic korma and add 1" of a standard coconut block, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tsp turmeric 5 minutes before the end.




Madras
Replace ¼ tsp chilli with 1 tsp of chilli. Add some lemon juice if you want. (how easy was that!?)




Masala
Add 4 tbs of Heinz tomato soup (& red food colouring) 5 minutes before end. Serve with single cream on top. (I guess the tomato soup fully justifies the £7.50 price in a restaurant!)




Vindaloo
Replace ¼ tsp chilli with 2 tsp chilli and add 1 tsp of malt vinegar 5 minutes before end.




Pilau Rice
Fill and switch on your kettle
Whilst this is happening heat up a little oil in a pan that comes with a tight fitting lid
Allow 3oz of BASMATI rice per person (weigh it!!! And it must be basmati - nothing else works! You can also be boring and soak the rice in water first but I never bother)
Salt to taste
2 green cardamom pods (split open slightly) per rice serving
1 whole clove per serving


When the oil is warm, add the raw rice and spices together
Mix well, ensuring the rice gets coated in the oil - don't worry if it starts to turn white
Turn down the heat to minimum


Quickly pour the boiled water into a measuring jug
(allow double the fl oz of water to the rice weight) ie for 4 portions: 12 oz of rice and 24 fl oz of boiled water.
Stir everything around to stop any sticking and place the lid on securely
Cook for 12 minutes on the lowest heat setting
After 12 minutes take from heat and leave for another 12 minutes (do not remove the lid - the steam will continue to cook the rice!!!)


Later take the lid off and you can add a drop or two of food colouring for that restaurant effect ( I use a drop of red at one end of the pot and a drop of green at the other - leave for a while and then mix through the white rice for a realistic effect)


I would normally make the rice first and, while it is resting, knock up the curry sauce. The rice stays hot like this for a couple of hours if you don't keep removing the lid and let the steam escape!)


This recipe will give impressive results if you measure/time things accurately.
A piece of cake….


(For plain boiled rice, omit the spices and food colouring).

The Indian Curry

The Secrets of British Indian Restaurant Curry Recipes

CATALOG SUSPENDED

The restaurant food enjoyed in British Indian restaurants for generations is very different to traditional Indian food, largely because the majority of "Indian" restaurants are owned and run by Bengalis, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. In addition, the original recipes have changed to reflect local tastes and available ingredients. This has resulted in what is today identified as the "BIR" or British Restaurant Curry.


There are several web sites devoted to recreating the BIR taste at home and thanks to an anonymous contributor - we have pleasure in presenting what in our opinion is the closest recipe to recreating your favourite restaurant curry.


This recipe has been contributed by a customer who asked to remain anonymous (Thanks again "M"!) who has spent 20 years trying various combinations and recipes - his own personal "Holy Grail" and we reproduce it here exactly as he wishes.


The Basic Curry Sauce


(Tip: have a read of ALL of these pages first - pick a curry and ensure you've got all the things you need before starting).


4 large RED onions, coarsely chopped - yes red onions!
2oz unpeeled fresh ginger, chopped
3oz peeled fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
6tbs vegetable oil
1tsp heaped salt
½ tsp sugar
240g tin of chopped tomatoes
1tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (important!!!!)
1tsp Paprika
1tbs tomato puree
1tsp tomato ketchup


1. Fry onion in 1tbs of oil for 10 mins on a low heat until soft (not browned)
2. Put in the garlic, ginger and salt then add enough water to just cover the top of all ingredients.
3. Bring everything to boil then turn down to a simmer for 30 mins (no lid)
4. While this is simmering, place remaining 5tbs of oil, tomatoes, puree, ketchup and spices into another saucepan - boil then simmer for 10 mins on low heat.