Saturday, February 27, 2010

Favorite Dish

We all have our favorite type of food. Today im going to share with you one of my favorites, and the most favorite dish in it.

I might not be Indian, but my favorite type of food has got to be Indian food. I love the smell, taste, and texture. I didn't always like Indian food, but then i moved next to some really nice Indian people. Whenever they cooked [which was like twice a day] they would always bring me over a plate. I was a little wary at first but then they brought me this:


Indian Biryani Rice, one of India's most famous dishes.

It smelled so good, and tasted even better. Since that day Ive always looked forward to Indian meal time.
Do any of you guys like spicy foods too? we'll your in luck! I managed to get the recipe:)

Serves 6-8
Ingredients

Cooking the Rice
1 package Ajika Basmati Rice washed and drained
1/2 tsp. salt
10 cups water

Cooking the Biryani
2 lbs. chicken, lamb or mutton leg/shoulder cut into bite size pieces, washed and drained
5 tbs. oil or ghee
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 inch piece ginger minced
1-3 green chillies minced
6-7 tbsp. Ajika Biryani Spices
2- 2 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup thick yoghurt
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves, minced
1 lime or 1/2 lemon, cut into small pieces
A few strands of saffron soaked in a tablespoon of warm water
1 tbs. Ghee

Method:
Cooking the Meat
Heat oil/ghee in a large pan and fry onions, until quite dark brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
In the same oil (add more if needed), add spices ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute or two.
Add meat pieces, salt, chilli. Stir fry until meat is nicely browned on all sides.
Add yoghurt, tomatoes, cilantro, lime. Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is soft and only a little gravy is left.

Cooking the Rice
While meat is cooking, boil the water for rice with salt.
Add rice and bring to a rolling boil, until 2/3rd done about 5 minutes after the boil.
Drain/Seive the water off like you do when cooking pasta. You can run a little cold water over it, to stop the rice from cooking further while resting. Leave in the colander for a few minute, for the water to drain out completely.
Add ghee to grease a large oven proof dish or a pan.

Layering the Biryani
Spread 1/3rd of the rice in a layer at the base of the pan. Now layer with 1/2 of the meat.
Repeat the layering till the last layer is the rice.
Sprinkle the saffron on the top of the rice.
Add fried onions on top.
Dot with a little ghee.
Cover the pan with a tight lid.
Put it in a medium hot oven and bake for 30 minutes at 350 F the rice is fully done.

You should have the perfect Biryani.
-Indian Foods Co.

You guys HAVE to try this! If you do tell me about it.

2 comments:

  1. I do like Indian food, but just as an occasional treat. The thought of living on Indian food fills me with horror. I've never seen a decent Indian vegetable or seafood dish, nor do I know of any. The use of spices obscures (obliterates?) the natural flavour of the principal ingredients, unlike Cantonese cuisine, which works with the natural flavours of those ingredients.

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  2. there's a lot more where that came from!:D...India has a wide variety of food from every part of the country.you'd go crazy trying to get it all!:)

    @Dennis-haha...it tends to happen.but if you had the regular household food(as opposed to restaurant food)you'd find it simple,delicious and a lot more suited to your taste.:)

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