Takkali Biryani (Tomato Biryani)

One more biryani recipe from Tamil Nadu Which I frequently hear from my friends. I don't use tomato in biryani because I think if we use tomato in biryani that will turn mushy and with more moisture. But when I tried this we just like this with that fennal flavor. This is my final recipe for this week under Biryanis theme. 

Let's check the recipe.......
INGREDIENTS:---

Jeeraga samba rice (jeera rice)   ----   1 cup

Water     ----   1 cup

Coconut milk   -----   1/2 cup

Tomato    ----   2 medium size

Onion   -----   1 medium

Red chilli powder   ----  1/2 tea sp

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder  ---  1/4 tea sp

Small onion (sambae onion)  ---   6

Ginger    -----   1/2 inch piece

Garlic cloves   ----  4 cloves

Fennel seeds   ----  1 tea sp

Mint leaves  ----   15 leaves

Oil   ----  2 tab sp

METHOD:----

1. Wash and soak rice in one cup water for 15 minutes.

2. Puree the tomatoes and set a side.

3. Take sambar onion, ginger, garlic and fennel seeds and grind in to a smooth paste.

4. Chop onion and mint leaves and set a side.

5. In a pressure cooker heat oil add onion and mint leaves and fry till onion turns brown.

6. Now add ground masala and saute in a low heat till the raw smell goes off, add tomato puree give a good stir.

7. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste saute in a low heat till raw smell goes off and oil comes out from the sides.

8. Mix well and add coconut milk and rice mix well and cover with the lid and cook for  one whistle and keep the heat low for 10 minutes, switch off the heat.

Serve hot with onion raita.

Kerala Style Egg Biryani

For the third week this month BM my theme is Biryani. Biryanis are all time favorite meal at home. I feel that is easy to make and it is a perfect one pot meal if we add some vegetables to it. I don't need any side dish if we make it little spicy, I can enjoy my biryani just with a cup of curd. To day my biryani recipe is comming from Kerala (Malabar). 
                                                                 I used to make Biryani  every Sunday but now it is reduced to once in a month, because tummy is not accepting spices any more. Normally I make egg biryani with boiled eggs. But thisMalabar(Kerala) egg biryani is different then mine which has a flavor of fennel seeds, with omelete bite size pieces.
INGREDIENTS:---
For omelete:---
Eggs ----   2
Grated coconut  ----   1 tab sp
Onions  -----   1 medium
Chilli powder  ----  1/4 tea sp
Green chillies ----   2 chopped
Salt  to taste
Oil  1 tab sp (coconut oil preferably)
For Masala :---
Onion -- 1 big chopped
Ginger garlic paste  ----  1 tea sp
Green chillies -- 2 chopped
Garam masala  --- 1 tea sp
Fennel powder  ----  1/4 tea sp
Tomato  --- 1 medium chopped
Coriander leaves  ---  1 tab sp chopped 
Mint leaves  ---- 1 tab sp chopped
Salt to taste  
Oil   --- 2tab sp (coconut oil preferably)
For rice:--
  Basmati rice  ----   1 and half cup
Onion   ---- 1 mediun chopped
Green chilli  ----  2 chopped
Ginger garlic paste  ---  1/2 tea sp
Cinnamon  ---  2 inch piece
Cardamom ---  2
Cloves  ----  2
Lemon juice  ---  1 and half tea sp
Ghee  ---  1/2 tab sp
Salt to taste
For garnishing:
Hard boiled eggs -- 2
Coriander and mint leaves  --2 tab sp chopped
A hand full Cashew nuts and raisins fried
METHOD:---
1. Combine all the ingredients which is given for omelet mix well to combine every thing.
2. Heat oil in a pan , pour the egg mixture and make an omelet, when cooked remove from pan and cut in to bite size pieces, set a side.
For Masala:--
1. Heat oil in pan add chopped onion and fry till golden, then add chopped green chillies, ginger garlic and fry for a while.
2. Now add chopped tomato and cook for few minutes and add Garam masala, fennel seed powder, salt to taste, chopped coriander and min mix well and add omelet pieces, mix well, remove from fire and set a side.
For rice:---
 1. Heat ghee in a pan add cardamom, clove and cinnamon fry for a while then add chopped onion and fry till onion turns in to transparent then add ginger garlic, green chillies and fry for a while.
2. Wash and drain all the water from rice and add this rice  and stir for 2 minutes then add lemon juice,salt to taste, 2 cups of water bring to full boil cover and cook till rice is done.
Assembling the Biriyani:--
In a heavy bottom or non stick pan first make a layer with egg masala and spread the ricein to a layer on the top of the masala like this make layers with rice and masala.
Top layer should be rice. finally sprinkle with chopped coriander and mint leaves and some fried dry fruits and cover with a tight lid.
Heat a dosa tawa or a chapati pan, reduce the heat to low and place this biriyani pan on that dosa pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes in a very low heat
Serve garnished with hard boiled eggs, fried onion and dry fruits.
Serve with pickle, raita and pappad.
Notes:-
If you use coconut oil for masala and omelet that gives a authentic flavor to  biriyani other wise you can use sunflower oil.
You can increase the eggs for omelet according to your like I use 2 you can make the to 4 eggs.
  And make little thick omelet  if you make thin omelet it will brake and turn in to burji.
Once biriyani is fineshed keep it like that covered for another 15 to 20 minutes.
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Ambur Veg Biryani

Biryanis in South India is little different then North Indian biryani's. As this dish is not originated from India but very much popular In all over India and of course all over the world. In South India biryani recipes will change according to the region. In Tamilnadu biryani is much more popular in Muslim community. One of the most popular biryani in Tamil Nadu is Ambur Biryani. Ambur is a town in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu which comes on National Highway Chennai to Bengaluru. This town is famous for it's leather industry so Ambur is one of the important industrial area in Tamil Nadu. Apart from it's industrial impotence Ambur is very much popular for it's biryani. Ambur biriyani is developed by Arcot Nawabs, since this area is ruled by Arcot Nawabs.

                                                                        Ambur biriyani is originally made as a non-veg biryani with mutton or chicken and served with a non-veg gravy, onion raita and a sweet dish like gulab jamun, gajar ka halwa. This biryani is a must dish in Muslim weddings and special occasions. Specially rice they use for this biriyani is not basmathi rice they use jera samba (jeera rice) in the original recipe. This rice is a short grain rice which has a smells  like basmathi rice. So this rice is one important ingredient for this Ambur biryani and second thing is the masala which they freshly grind and add to the biryani.

                                                                So here I chanegs the very famous non-veg biryani to veg biryani.. Hubby said that is perfect the flavor and taste but only missing is meet in it :)
Any way let's check the recipe.........     
INGREDIENTS:-- Jeeraga samba Arisi (jeera rice)  ---  1 cup
Onion   -----   2 big
Tomato  ----  1 big
Soya chunks  ---  15 chunks
Red chilli paste  ---   1 tab sp
Ginger paste  ----   1 tea sp
Garlic paste  ---  1 tea sp
Mint leaves  ---  1 tab sp chopped
Coriander leaves  ----  1 tab sp chopped
Salt to taste
Water ---  2 cups
Curd   -----  3 tabsp
Lemon juice from one lemon
Cooking oil   ----   4 tab sp
cinnamon   ----  2 inch piece
Cloves   -----  4 cloves
Cardamom  ---  2
METHOD:--
For red chilli paste soak 6 red chillies in warm water for 10 minutes and grind in to a fine paste and set a side.
Soya chunks.. Boil water in a pan add soya chunks boil for a while and switch off the heat and leave them a side to double in size.
chop onion and tomato and keep them ready..
1. Now heat the oil in a pressure cooker when oil is hot add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom then add ginger garlic paste fry till raw smell goes.
2. Add red chilli paste and squeeze soya chunks and add them to masala and  mix well to coat the masala.
3. Now add onions fry till onions become transparent then add chopped tomato and cook till tomato become mushy.
4. Add chopped mint and coriander leaves, salt to taste mix well to combine every thing.
5. Add curd, lemon juice and two cups of water bring to a full boil.
6. Wash and drain all the water from rice, add to the boiling water mix well adjust the salt cover with cooker lid. cook in a medium heat for two whistles reduce the heat to low and leave it for 10 minutes.
Switch off the heat and leave it like that for ten more minutes then open.
Serve hot with raita.
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Sajja boorelu

Sajja boorelu this is one of the oldest traditional recipe from Andhra cuisine. Specially south regions of Andhra pradesh, people use bajra and sorghum in the place of rice. In my childhood we use to get this millets fresh bach in Sankranthi season. We use to have sorgham as pridge and my mother used to make rotis with sorgham flour. And  the other millet bajra, my grand mother used to make sajja boorelu. Specially for Sankranthi sajja boorelu, Ariselu, chekralu are must snacks at home, along with these snacks we kids enjoy regupandlu (Indian wild berrys) and sugar cane. Some times my grand mothe used to make regu vadalu (sundried pappad with Indian wild berries)
                                                                  Sajja boorelu is the recipe for this month ICC........ 


Lets check the recipe.......

Sajja pindi ---   500 gms

Jaggery  ----  200 gms grated

Grated coconut  ---  50 gms

Sesame seeds  ---  25 gms

Cardamom powder  ---  1 tea sp

Water for kneading the dough

Oil for deep frying.

METHOD:-

1. Add 1/2 cup water to jaggery and cook till jaggery completely melts, strain and allow it to cool till room temperature.

2. In a big mixing bowl take sajjapindi, grated coconut, sesame seeds, cardamom powder, add jaggery water to the flour mix well.

3. Now add little by little water and make a soft dough(just mix amd make a dough don't over knead the dough).

4. Take a banana leaf or a plastic cover apply a little ghee, take a big lemon size ball and press it in to a circle like a small puri (wet your fingers).

5. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, drop this sajja boorelu in to the hot oil and fry till golden

Store them in a air tight container.

Note:-- Jaggery water and water that we use for making the dough that should be warm not hot or cold water.

For Sajja pindi freshly ground flour in the mixee or in the mill will be good choice other then store brought flour.  

When we are making the boorelu with sajja pindi they turn in to dark brown color some people don't like that color so they add a little bit of saggu biyyam (sago) to the sajjalu  and grind in to a powder this will done in the mill we can not do this in the blender or mixee.

Aappam With Kadala Curry

Avery Happy New Year to all .
Iam going to start this new year with one of my favorite break fast recipe. Kerala aapam with kadala curry. This will be my first recipe for B.M 48 th edition under Nasta theme. When I saw this theme I didn't understand what nasta means. In India some regions people call breakfast as nasta, in some regions nasta is a snack which they have with evening tea, a bit confused right. what is nasta is it morning breakfast or evening tea time snack? or both. Finally I decided to post a mix of break fast recipes and teatime snack recipe...
                                                                  My first recipe for this theme is a break fast recipe from Kerala. Aapam and Kadala curry is a very popular breakfast in Kerala cuisine. There are many variations in this recipe, the recipe changes a little bit family to family. Aapam is quite popular in TamilNadu and Andra cuisines too but here the recipe changes a lot. Even in Kerala cuisine they have a different varieties of aapam recipes like Palappam. vellappam and few more like this.
Let's check the recipe.......

INGREDIENTS:---
Raw rice  ----  2 cups
Idli rice  ----  2 cups
Cooked rice  ---  1/2 cup
Grated coconut  ---  1 cup
Sugar    -----  1 tea sp
Salt to taste
Cooking soda  ---  1/2 tea sp

Yeast  ----  1/2 tea sp
METHOD:---
1. Soak both  rice in enough water for 4 hours.
2. Add cooked rice and grated coconut to the rice and grind in to a smooth paste, add salt mix well and set a side to ferment for 8 hours or over night.
3. Aapam batter should be in little thin consistency then dosa batter.
4. Add sugar to yeast with 1/4 cup of warm water let it rise and add this yeast mixture and cooking soda to the aapam batter just before making the aapams.
5. Heat a aapakadai in medium heat, spray little cooking oil and wipe with a kitchen towl.
6. Pour a laddle full aapam batter, hold the kadai with two hands and rotate the kadai in to circle to spread the batter till 1/4th of the aapakadai, cover with lid reduce the heat to low and cook till the middle of the aapam cooked.
7. Make sure the batter should be in thin consistency then dosa batter so that you can spread the batter with out the help of a laddle.
8. Remove the aapam from the pan and serve hot with kadala curry or with stew.
Note:---
1. Rice should soak at least for 4 hour 
2. In this recipe I used yeast to give air in the batter for those holes If you don't want to use yeast,
Save the coconut water when you break the coconut add a tab sp of sugar to that coconut water and leave a side for two days to ferment and add this fermented coconut water after you grind the batter, mix well and set a side the batter to ferment. these aapams will be more tastier the yeast ones.  
Check for Kadala curry recipe
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