Kashmiri Chicken Pulao (Eid Special)

Did you notice the gap? the gap which went without posting any recipe, well my readers should because since Ramadan started I was posting recipes more regularly than before. The reason is I made a quick trip to Hong Kong with my mum and daughter. I will be posting more about the trip in my next post. Back to recipe.

Just for Ramadan some restaurants introduced iftar packages.One of the package had a Kashmiri pulao which took my total attention, so I brought this option for a busy day iftar, because the name sounds kind of special which made me want to taste it but when I saw this rice I knew it was just plain vegetable fried rice. I thought to my self is Kashmiri Pulao just this simple? I started my research and came up with a little bit Maldivian style of Kashmiri Pulao.  Since Eid is just few days away, I wanted to post special dishes for Eid. I did prepare this dish some days back, tasted more like a special biryani. This dish will be great for Eid lunch or any other special occasion.

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice

1 900 grms chicken (cleaned, skin removed and chopped curry style)

3 teaspoon cumin powder

4 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 tsp allspice powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

4 pods of green cardamom

2 sticks of cinnamon

4 cloves

3 cloves of chopped garlic

1 inch ginger chopped

1 fresh chilly (githeyomirus) chopped

170 grms yoghurt

2 medium onions (sliced)

3 springs curry leaves

4 piece pandan leaf

¾ cup vegetable oil

3 cups water

2 1/3 tsp salt

1/4 cup dried raisins

1/4 cup dried fruits

Directions

1. Wash rice properly and soak it in water for 20 minutes.

2.  Put yogurt into a bowl and add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, all spice powder and black pepper powder, Whisk the yogurt nicely and keep it aside.

3. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a pan, add onion, curry leaves, pandan leaves, chilly, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chopped garlic, ginger and saute until slightly brown.

4. Add the whisked yogurt mixture and saute, cook for 2 minutes and once you see oil floating up.

5. Add the chicken pieces, 3 cups water close pan with lid and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.

6. When the chicken is cooked, add rice, dried raisins and fruits into the chicken and give a stir, at this stage if you think the chicken stock is not enough to cook rice add enough water and allow it to cook on low heat covered with lid.

7. When cooked fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Serves: 5

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Vegetable Biryani

May the light that we celebrate at Ramadan
show us the way & lead us together on
the path of peace & social harmony.
WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY RAMADAN..

Ingredients:

2cups rice

2big potatoes (chopped in to bite size cubes)

1big carrot (chopped in to bite size cubes)

8beans (chopped in to bite size pieces)

3 big onions (sliced)

Curry leaves

Pandan leaves (raanbaa fai)

Maldivian chilly (githeyo mirus) (chopped)

1tsp ginger garlic paste

2inch 3piece cinnamon sticks

5 cardamom pods

4 cloves

11/2tbs garam masala powder

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1tsp roasted curry powder

Your choice of nuts about a handful

Raisins

Salt

4cups of water

1/2cup vegetable oil

Method:

In a big pan boil water cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom and rice until half cooked. In another deep sauce pan heat oil & fry half of the onions until golden brown, take out the crispy onions on to a kitchen towel leave to drain oil, in the same oil roast the nuts until slightly light brown take from oil & leave to dry on paper towels, Just the same way roast the raisins until it pops, take on to paper towels, mix fried & roasted, onions, nuts & raisins leave aside, In the same sauce pan add rest of the onions, potatoes, carrots, beans, curry leaves, pandan leaves, ginger garlic paste and Maldivian chilly mix all ingredients if you think oil is less add extra oil. On low heat stir fry these vegetables until vegetables are half cooked.

Now add garam masala powder, turmeric powder, roasted curry powder and salt mix with the vegetables and roast the vegetables with the spices for 2 to 3 minutes, add the half cooked rice with the remaining water in the rice or if no water add 1cup of water and mix everything slowly, put the lid on the sauce pan and cook for 5minutes or until all water is absorbed. Fluff the biryani with a fork to separate the rice grains. Put biryani into a serving dish and sprinkle a generous amount of roasted onions, nuts & raisin mixture on top, Serve hot ..............................enjoy!!

Note: I did not sprinkle nuts, raisins on top of this recipe that's because my kids does not like it....

Biryani My Version one

Since my childhood I have been eating so many kinds of biriyani. But only in special occasions until the restaurants and food cafes started in Male'. Now we can order any kind of biriyani we want except Maldivian biriyani. I have tasted Maldivian style biriyani few times, but I don't know what the real ingredients they add. I have tried to find out, but no luck yet. My mum cooks Biriyani by using biriyani powder and the chicken she fries crispy before adding to briyani. The way she cooks it is so delicious. But she has left to Huraa (One of the near by island) with her best friend family for Eid. So I have tried my way & it tasted yum yum. 

I did not add resins or sultanas to briyani because when my mum cooks she never adds and we like it that way. But if you want you can add sultanas (hiki meybiskaduru) by frying handful just the way Sea Almond and onion was fried until it pops. 

      Ingredients:

      11/2cup normal rice
4cups of water

1/2cup vegetable oil

4big onions (sliced)

12curry leaves

1/2tsp cumin(Diri) 

1 Maldivian chilly(Tholhi mirus noonee Githeyo mirus)

1/2cup Sea Almond(Kanamadu)

1tsp Garam Masala powder 

1tsp whole pepper

 4cardomom
 3inch cinnamon

 4cloves (Karanfoo)

 Salt

 2boiled eggs(sliced)

 Marinate 
700g chicken(Cut in to pieces)

      1/2tsp turmeric powder

11/2tbs lonumirus curry powder or chilly powder

1/2tbs cumin (diri) powder

1tbs ginger garlic paste
1/3cup yogurt or thick coconut milk

Method:

Merinate the chicken adding and mixing all the marinate ingredients. Set aside for 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap. Wash and soak rice in water for about 20 minutes. Fry 3/4th of onion to golden brown and crispy. In the same oil fry Sea Almond (Kanamadu) for few minutes. Set aside on paper towel.

Heat oil in the pan you want to cook rice, add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, whole pepper corns, when these ingredients crackles add rice and fluff on low flame for 5 minutes.

Add three cups of water and salt cook until soft. When cooked with a fork separate in to individual grains. In another big pan add oil and cumin seeds wait until crackles than add onion, curry leaves fry to light golden. Add marinated chicken and garam masala powder mix well and stir fry until oil separates. Now add one cup of water and cover the pan. Cook until chicken gets tender. Remove from flame. In a big pan add half of the cooked rice, Half of the chicken gravy mixture, half of the previous fried onion and Sea Almond (Kanamadu), again repeat the second layer.