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

Hello! Please do not use my photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe on my blog.Thank you! 

Fruit Cocktail and Pistachio Pyrini

We’re all allowed to indulge once in a while, aren’t we? No matter eating or being to a spa or whatever. This creamy, rich, decadent Pyrini uses only five ingredients but tastes absolutely amazing!!It’s the perfect dessert to enjoy warm or chilled depending on your mood. It’s perfectly sweet, smooth and luscious! I hope this coming Ramadan many Maldivians will make this dessert for breakfast.

 Ingredients:

2 cups full cream milk

1/3 cup basmati rice

1 cup condensed milk

1 1/3 cup fruit cocktail juice drained and coarsely pureed + 2 tbs fruit cocktail for decoration

1/3 cup raw pistachios ground coarsely + extra pistachios for decoration

Raisins 2 tbs (optional)

Method:

1 _ Wash rice, rinse well and spread rice on a flat plate, when rice dries grind coarsely.

2 _ Put milk into a big sauce pan, start cooking. When milk just starts to form bubbles around the sides tip rice into the milk and cook until very thick or until rice is cooked. Keep on stirring constantly.

3 _ Pour condensed milk, stir well to incorporate now lower flame and stir in coarsely pureed fruit cocktail, raisins if using and pistachios. Stir well. Switch off flame and pour pyrini into serving bowl, garnish with extra fruit cocktail and pistachios…. Enjoy!

                                          

Hanaakuri Beef Hiki Riha (Roasted Beef Dry Curry)

Roasted beef curries are cooked many ways in Maldives this is one of my version. This curry is dry with just the hint of gravy, yet it can be coupled with simple boiled rice,  roshi or naan or even bondibai.

Ingredients

For merinate

500grms tenderloin beef ( cut in to bite size)

2tsp pepper powder

2tsp dark soy sauce

For curry

1 big onion ( sliced)

12 curry leafs

Pandan leafs

3 dry chilly

2 dry bay leaf

4 cardomom pods

3 inch cinnamon stick

1tsp ginger garlic paste

2 tbs tomato paste

3tbs chicken curry powder

2 tbs roasted curry powder

1tbs coriander powder

½ cube beef stock

2 cups water

1/3 cup thick coconut milk or cooking cream

Salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil 

 Method:

1_ Marinate beef with all marinate ingredients for one hour’s

2_ In a wok or a sauce pan heat oil, add first eight ingredients from curry ingredients and sauté until fragrant.

3_ Add marinated beef and fry stirring constantly until beef is browned from all sides, now add tomato paste, chicken curry powder, coriander powder and roasted curry powder mix for two minutes add water and beef stock cube.  Cook for 10 minutes with the lid on and after that open the lid and let the curry cook until beef becomes tender and a very think gravy is formed.

4_ Mix coconut milk season with salt, Serve with rice, bondibai or roshi ….. enjoy! 

Aseymirus Kukulhu Riha (Black Pepper Chicken Curry)

There seem to be the same main spice mixture like chicken curry powder or roasted curry powder in Maldivian chicken curries, so I made black pepper the main ingredient for this curry. I myself just love strong pepper taste in my dishes. This curry is absolutely delicious and genuine for black pepper taste lovers. The chicken gets cooked while boiling in water that’s why no need to cook curry for long time and corn flour helps to make a thick rich gravy.

Ingredients:

900 grams Chicken legs skin removed or a whole Chicken skin removed and cut into pieces

Water

Salt

1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

2 medium onions (sliced)

2 spring curry leafs

2 inch 5 piece Pandan leaf

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

½ tsp ginger paste

½ of Fresh Chilly (giteyomirus) or 3 green chilly (cut lengthwise from middle)

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp paprika

21/2 tbs freshly ground black pepper

2 tbs tomato paste
11/2 cup Chicken stock (This is made when boiling the chicken in water, see step 2)

2 tsp corn flour

1/3 cup thick coconut milk

Method:

1- Make little incisions diagonally on the chicken pieces or legs.

2- In a sauce pan add chicken pieces and pour water just 1/2inch above chicken. Add 1/2tsp salt, cook until chicken is cooked. Remove cooked chicken from the stock into another plate and strain chicken stock into another bowl. Leave aside.

3- In the same pan add about 1/3 cup oil, onion, curry leaves, pandan leaves, chilly, garlic and ginger. Saute until onions gets soft, now add cooked chicken into sauteed onion mixture. Saute chicken until lightly brown.

4- Into the sauteed chicken add cumin, paprika, two table spoon pepper powder, and tomato paste. Pour chicken stock just the amount to cover chicken, give a stir and cook for 3 minutes.

5- While curry is cooking dissolve corn flour into coconut milk. Bring heat to lowest and pour coconut milk & corn flour mixture into the middle of pepper chicken curry. Turn to medium heat and cook until the curry gets thick and glossy stirring in between. When pepper chicken curry gets thick and glossy (never heard curry getting glossy well this will) taste and season with salt and extra pepper from the left over ½ tablespoon pepper, if the curry is not spicy enough. Serve with rice, roshi, bread …. Enjoy!

Bokuri Bambukeyo ( Caramelized Breadfruit)

This is my absolutely favorite of all favorite desserts, I mean from local desserts.  Simple and very scrummy and moreish and yet at the same time looks very very elegant I mean the dark amber color like a glowing bunch of small amber colored rocks. I could eat the whole recipe by myself, hahaa. 

I was thinking to use this as a filling in tarts, puff pastry, pies, but not this time in another recipe. For a creamier taste my mum used to eat this with thick coconut milk, instead of coconut milk I added some whipping cream and the taste was mind blowing. From this recipe six servings can be taken.

Ingredients:

1086 grams breadfruit (bambukeyo, cored skin removed and cut in to bite size pieces)

543 grams sugar

21/2 cups water

½ cup jasmine water

2 sticks cinnamon 

Method:

1 - In a deep sauce pan add breadfruit and water.

2 - Cook until bread fruit gets medium soft, just water reaches to half.

3 - Add sugar and cinnamon, give a good stir. Cover and cook on low heat until some breadfruits get soft, some mushy and the color changes to light caramel brown.

4 - Now add Jasmine water again cook until color changes to deep amber color. Serve hot with coconut milk or whipping cream. Enjoy!

Kashikeyo Baipen

Baipen is called to a rice gruel cooked with tiny discernible rice grains. This can be cooked as a dessert or as a savory gruel. In all sweet baipen all other ingredients other than screw pine which I have mentioned in the ingredient list are used. Savory baipen is cooked using some spices, breadfruit, crushed dried tuna, rice etc.

My family is from capital Male'  we have our own home located in Henveyru and since a baby I have been living here and haven't seen a single Screw pine tree ever in this island, but of course Screw pines are always available at the local Market which is expensive to buy for business purposes so my mum brings Screw pines from some of the near by islands. She makes screw pine cakes for orders that’s why she keeps good stock in her freezer.

To keep screw pine for 4 to 5 months my mum slices screw pines and grind it than put it in an airtight container and freeze it, this does not bring any difference to the taste of screw pines. 

Ingredients:

3 liter water

2 big sticks of cinnamon

16 cardamom pods

1 big pandan leaf cut in to 2 inch pieces

1 cup basmati rice (washed)

3 cups (sliced or grind) pressed screw pines

3 cups thick coconut milk

3 cups sugar

11/4 cups Jasmine water (Jasmine flower infused water)

Method:

1-      Put first four ingredients in a pan and cook until fragrant.

2-      Add rice, cook until rice gets mushy.

3-      Add sugar and screw pine, cook until all sugar is dissolved

4-      Add coconut milk & Jasmine flower infused water stir and serve hot or cold …. Enjoy! 

    Note: For this recipe Instead of fresh coconut milk canned or packet 100% coconut milk can be used this will not bring any difference to the taste but not the powdered coconut milk. If Jasmine water is not available rose water will be fine, don't put it as much I have mentioned for Jasmine water, may be 1/3rd cup will bring the taste just taste and adjust to your taste buds. This is a huge pot my cooked for all of us around 10 servings can be taken from this amount.
    

Queen of Island Rice

I love to try different variations with rice dishes with varieties of flavors which come to our big stores from around the globe. This rice dish has its own unique flavor with the combinations of all spice, paprika and Maldivian flavor chicken curry powder. By looking at the ingredients one may think this will be a very difficult dish, but what I believe is if all ingredients are capt ready any dish becomes a piece of cake.

 Ingredients

21/2 cup rice

900 grms chicken legs or 1 chicken cut in to pieces

2 large onions (sliced)

2 springs of curry leaves

8 pcs pandan leaf

4 garlic chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

6 cardamom pods

2 inch 4 piece cinnamon sticks

Fresh chillies  ( giteyomirus)

1 chicken stock cube

2 tsp paprika

3 tsp all spice

2 tbs chicken curry powder ( kukulhu havaadu )

21/2 tbs tomato paste

1/2 tsp ajinamoto

Oil

Water

Method:

1-    Put chicken in a pan, pour water just the amount until chicken is covered, add about half tsp of salt and cook until chicken is cooked.  Take out the chicken on to a plate. Add chicken stock into the soup and cook for another 10 min. Set aside.

2-    In another pan put onion, curry leaves, pandan leafs, chopped garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, fresh chillies and pour about ¼ cup of oil. Fry until onions are soft, take half of the onion mixture into a plate.

3-   Wash rice and put rice into the pan with soften onions. On medium flame roast the rice with onion. Stir constantly don’t take your eyes off because the rice will burn easily, keep on stirring until the rice granules separates from each other (Roasting rice with soften onion is very important in this recipe, it brings a very unique and delicious flavor to this dish). Set aside.

4-    In a big enough pan or wok which the rice can be cooked put rest of the onion mixture, 4 tbs vegetable oil, cooked chicken, paprika, all spice, chicken curry powder, garlic paste, ginger paste  and tomato paste. Roast chicken in this spice mixture stirring constantly. 

      Keep flame on low, when the chicken gets a nice brownish color pour soup, give a good scrub using a wooden spoon in the bottom of the chicken fried pan because the spices stuck in bottom of pan will contain lot of flavor, put roasted rice and if soup does not reach 2 inches above the rice & chicken mixture, pour enough water to reach 2 inches above. Put ajinamoto & salt give a stir, cook rice until soft but not mushy. Serve rice by itself or with dry potato or Eggplant curry .... enjoy! 

      Note : I used old big grain rice, basmati rice will taste good too. The spices I bought from                      Fantasy.

                 If the water gets less add extra water to cook rice, instead of water more chicken soup will be fine.

Saagu Bondibai my way

Hello my readers I am sorry I am not updating my recipes regularly, but I will try to upload as much as I can when I get free time. I never made sago bondibai & this is my first attempt of cooking it, I am happy this bondibai turned out great & yummy. Saago we have always seen in white color, but now it’s available in different colors and sizes so I bought this pink sago packet I saw from one of the stores.  I always think food looks delicious and tempting when beautiful colors are combined. Don’t you agree with me? 

Ingredients:

3 cups water

½ cup sago or saagu

1/3 cup sugar

3 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick
3 piece pandan leaf

¼ cup Jasmine flower infused water or some rose water

¼ cup sweetened condensed milk

Method:

In a pan start cooking water, when water starts to boil add sago. Cook until sago turns transparent or until cooked. When sago is cooked drain water using a strainer, again add sago into the same pan. In to this add sugar, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, pandan leaf and jasmine water.

Cook until all the sugar is dissolved and all water evaporates, add condensed milk give a stir cook another 2 minutes turn off flame and serve hot or cold. This recipe is enough for 2 person …………………….enjoy!

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.

Pirini ( Rice Pudding)

First of all I would like to wish Eid Mubarik to everyone, wish everyone a lovely holiday. Eid is a time we make special foods, visit our relatives and enjoy lot. Half of Maldives population lives in capital Male' so on Eid holidays most of the people living in Male' will leave to the islands. In the islands Eid is much celebrated than in the capital. So many kinds of sweets, savories will be made and people who visit from Male to the islands will be invited for tea, lunch or dinner throughout the holidays. Eid holidays lasts about ten to fifteen days.

Pirini is a very delicious dessert made on special occasions like Eids or weddings. So I hope this recipe will satisfy who are looking for a dessert to make on Eid. 

Ingredients:

1cup Bamati rice

3tbs sugar

13/4cup condensed milk

2tbs rose water

3cups water

6tbs cinnamon, cardamom powder

Method:

Wash rice and dry in the sun. If you want make for noon morning you wash and leave in sun to dry.

When the rice is dry grind to fine powder not smooth when you rub between your fingers you must feel roughness not smoothness.

In a sauce pan add rice powder and sugar stir constantly on very low flame for about 10 minutes. Don’t let the color of rice change, if it changes then the heat is much and the rice cannot be used. So don’t take your eyes off.

When the rice gets dry add water stir constantly. Cook until pirini gets thick enough to coat back of a spoon.

Pour condensed milk and stir constantly. When the pirini gets thick add rose water stir and pour in to a serving dish or a bowl.

Hanaakuri Kukulhu (Stove roasted chicken curry)

Hanaakuri Kukulhu is made using so many varieties of curry pastes and this is my version and I promise whoever try will love this curry.

Ingredients: 

1kg Chicken (Skin removed and cut in to big pieces)

4tbs lonumirus chicken curry paste

2big onions (sliced)

2tbs Tomato paste

2inch 5pandan leaves

2spring curry leaves

2garlic (chopped)

1/3cup vegetable oil 

Method:

In a big saucepan heat oil put onion, curry leaves, pandan leaves and garlic sauté until light golden brown.