Egg Biryani

Today I made an attempt to make egg biryani, in the rice-cooker, adapting recipes from Vahchef and Sailu's Kitchen. This biryani was quite easy to make, as I did not include any meat that called for elaborate marinating and cooking. This biryani made for a hearty meal today. A biryani is as much about the flavours as it is about the aroma. Spices such as cloves, cardamom and cinnamon play an integral part in making the biryani, if you or anyone in your family don't like the pungency of whole cloves and cardamoms, you can grind these into a powder, instead of excluding them.

Rice:
1 cup basmati rice
Water (as required)
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
2 cloves
1/2 tbs oil
1-2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

Masala:
2 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod
1/2 star anise
1/4 tsp shah jeera or cumin

Saute:
4-5 boiled eggs
1 onion
1/2 cup salted cashew nuts
3-4 tbs ghee or oil
2 green chilis
2 tbs coriander leaves (adjust)
2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 tbs curd or sour cream (adjust)
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil the eggs and peel them. Put aside. Grind the masala ingredients into a fine powder. Slice the onion and green chilis. Finely chop and grind the garlic and ginger into a fine paste. In a large pan, heat some ghee or oil. Add the masala powder, chili powder, onion, green chili, salt and saute until fragrant and golden brown. Add the cashew nuts and saute. The cashew nuts have a tendency to get burnt if you add them initially with the onion so don't add the until the onion is sauted at least half way or pre-roast the cashew nuts.

If you like, you can add the boiled eggs at this stage and marinate them in this onion masala, slit or whole. Put aside the eggs and half of the onion-cashew mixture in a bowl. Now add garlic-ginger paste and the coriander. Add the curd and mix. You can adjust the amount of coriander and curd according to your preferences. Take the saute away from the stove.

Add the water required to boil the rice in the rice cooker and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the rice properly. When the water is boiling, add turmeric, salt, oil, and the spices (whole). Mix a little. Then add the rice into the rice-cooker. Add the sauted onion-curd mixture and lightly mix. Close the lid and let the rice boil with the sauted onion-curd mixture and all the spices into an aromatic one-pot meal. Serve the biryani with the boiled egg and the sauted onion-cashew nuts and other side dishes of your choice.

I have sent this post as my entry to the "Royal Feast - Biryani" event and a Giveaway at Kaarasaaram.

Cinnamon roll with almond filling

For some reason, I feel a lot like baking this month. It is probably the pre-Christmas jitters. I have made cinnamon buns many times before. However, I have never cut the cinnamon rolls lengthwise, except once, but that was many years ago. This time I also added homemade almond paste inside, just because I love almonds. This turned out absolutely divine, if I may say so myself. A cup of warm tea and some slices of a homemade cinnamon roll, is sometimes everything you need to brighten up the humdrum cold winter noons.

Cinnamon roll:
150 g salted butter
50 g compressed yeast
2 cups milk
1.4 kg flour (5 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp cardamom or cardamom powder

Almond filling:
200 g blanched almonds
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup icing sugar
2-3 tbs milk or egg white

Butter filling:
100 g butter
1/2-1 tbs ground cinnamon
3 tbs sugar

Topping:
Almond flakes
Pearl sugar
1 egg (egg wash)

Method:
Blanch the almonds. Bring some water to boil, lower the heat, add the almonds and boil for about 4-5 minutes and then blanch the almonds or alternatively, pour the boiled water in a bowl with almonds and let soak in the warm water for a couple of minutes and then peel the skin off. I would advise you to do this the night before. Let them dry a little and slice the almonds roughly. Slicing them before grinding makes it easier to get a fine paste and keep them in a cool place till needed.

Melt the butter in a cooking pot. Add the milk and warm the butter-milk mixture to 37 C degrees (finger warm). While you melt the butter, measure the flour in a separate bowl and mix in the cardamom. Put aside. Crumble the yeast into a large bowl. Add the heated milk-butter into the bowl, mix and dissolve any large chunks of yeast with your hands. Then add the sugar and then the flour, all at once. Take a wooden spoon and mix until everything comes together into a dough. Place it on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Put it back in the bowl and cover with a cloth and allow the dough to rest (and increase in size) for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, grind the sliced almonds in a food processor. If you have a small grinder, grind in small batches. Grind the almonds as finely as you can. In a bowl, add the ground almonds and the sugar. Mix well. Add the milk or egg white. I used milk for the almond paste. Mix well into a paste and put aside. For the butter filling, mix softened butter, sugar and ground cinnamon and put aside. If the butter does not get soft, warm it in the microwave for a few seconds and then mix in the above mentioned ingredients.

Now, divide the dough into three equal parts. Roll it out, like you would a pizza dough, fairly thin, spread some of the butter mixture with a dining knife evenly on the dough. Add the almond paste over the butter filling and spread it as evenly as you can on the dough. Roll the dough up. Take next batch and repeat this process until you have three rolls. Let them rest for another 15 minutes or so. Cut the rolls with a scissor, not all the way down, and in equal sizes and drag the buns left and right with your hand. Whisk an egg. Give the rolls an egg wash, spread some pearls sugar and almond flakes over the cinnamon rolls.

Prepare two oven sheets by placing parchment/bakery paper on them. You can place two cinnamon rolls on one oven sheet.  Place the oven sheet in the middle part (but not on the lowest) of the oven and bake in a preheated oven at 175 C (350 F) for about 15-20 minutes. Let them cool somewhat before serving. You can refrigerate them and serve them on an another occasion, if you like. Let them cool down covered with a cloth on a wire rack, slice them and then put them in plastic bags and refrigerate. Eating them within two to three weeks is preferable.

Almond milk - Badam paal

Badam milk is a very wholesome drink enjoyed by people of all ages. This is a nourishing and soothing drink that is perfect to be consumed around this time of the year. Since many people suffer from dry skin during the winter season it's not a bad idea to consume it regularly once or twice a week. This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup water
3 tbs sugar
A pinch of saffron powder
A pinch of cardamom powder

Method:
Blanch the almonds. You can either bring some water to boil, add the almonds and boil for about 4-5 minutes and then blanch the almonds or let the almonds soak in warm water for a couple of minutes and then peel the skin off. Slice the almonds. Slicing them before grinding makes it easier to get a fine paste. Grind them in a food processor or in a wet grinder with some of the milk and grind into a fine paste. Grind it as finely as you can. I think the food processor grinds it more coarsely than the wet grinder. If you like it more nutty, you could use the wet grinder. 

In a cooking pot, add milk and the almond paste and bring it to boil in below medium heat while continously stirring. This might take about 15-20 minutes. Then add the sugar, saffron powder and cardamom powder. Stir for about 5-10 till the milk gets a nice colouring from the saffron. Typically the badam is made over the stove till it thickens somewhat. The milk that you get here tends to have more water in it. If you want it thick, you can stir till you get your desired consistency. Take it away from the stove and pour it into glasses or another bowl and allow to cool. Serve this drink cool.

Tekaka

These buns are called tekaka in Swedish, meaning tea-time buns. They are a cross between flatbread and buns, sweet and fluffy, so fluffy that they melt in your mouth while you eat them. Everyone in my family loves these buns. We love tekaka so much we fight over the last one. :) It is that good. We typically buy tekaka at the local store-cum-bakery nearby because it is more convenient but for Christmas I decided to make these for breakfast.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to read that I had received an "Inspirational Award" by Sonali at OnlyFishRecipes. I was and still am ecstatic about it. It's such a nice way to wrap up this year and my 3 months of blogging adventures. Thank you Sonali for the award. The awardee is suppose to answer 8 questions as well, and I have answered them down below, please scroll down if you are interested in reading them. The awardee is also supposed to pass down the award to fellow bloggers and I have listed the names and blogs of people I would like to pass on this award to.

Ingredients:
50 g compressed yeast
2 cups water
100 g butter
1 tsp of salt
10 tbs caster sugar
5 1/2-6 cups all-purpose flour

Method:
Heat the water to 37 C (fingerwarm) in a pan. In a separate pan, melt the butter at low heat. Measure the flour, add sugar and salt and mix. Put aside. Crumble the yeast in a large bowl. Pour the finger-warm water over it. Mix and dissolve any large yeast chunks with your hand. Add the butter and mix. Add the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon till everything comes together. Place the dough, on a floured surface. Knead and work it for about 10 minutes. Place it back in the bowl and let it rest, covered with a cloth, for 35 minutes. Do not let it rest for more than 35 minutes because the yeast thrives on sugar and if you let the dough yeast for more than 35 minutes the first time (you have to let them rest again after shaping them), the tekaka may not turn out sweet at all.

Knead the dough lightly and press out the trapped air in the buns. You can either roll out the flour and knife out flat-bread like buns or divide the dough into equal portions/balls and then flatten them out. Stick the buns with a fork, all the way down. Let them rest for 10 minutes. Bake them in the middle part of a preheated oven at 200 C (400 F) until they get a nice colour. Let them cool covered in a cloth and keep them in an airtight container. Now, more about the award. :)

My congratulations to you, Sonali, and thanks a bunch for passing on this award to me. I would like to pass on this "Inspirational Award" to the following bloggers:

Amy of FoodCorner
Mahi of Mahi's Kitchen
Reva of Kaarasaaram
Sangeetha of Spicy Treats
Sudha of Wit, wok & wisdom

Egg toast

For me this makes for a quick, scrumptious breakfast. I like soft white bread, but you could make these toasts with a fibre-rich bread varieties as well.

Ingredients:
5-6 slices of white bread/loaf
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
Salted butter

Method:
In a pan, melt some salted butter. Beat eggs in a soup plate, add some salt and whisk. Take a slice of loaf and dip it in the beaten eggs. Coat both sides of the loaf with the egg mixture. Place the egg in the heated pan and "toast" both sides. The butter has a tendency to turn brown, so adjust the heat as required. I slightly press the bread against the pan with a spatula to make sure it gets toasted properly. Toast both sides until golden brown. Serve warm and crispy with butter, cheese, maple syrup, marmalade and/or fresh fruits!

Mixture (Mixer)

Mixture or "mixer" as I have been fondly calling it since childhood :) is a very popular snack in Sri Lanka and India. In our family, we prepare mixture with fried chickpeas, yellow lentils, dry-roasted cashews, salty peanuts and gram murukku. Making mixture is a time consuming process that requires copious amounts of oil but this snack has a long "expiry" date and is usually enjoyed by everyone in the household. It has been ages since we made this but with the upcoming festive season, it was about time we made this protein-packed snack.

Mixture:
2 cups chickpeas
2 cups yellow lentils
1 cup salty peanuts

Cashew nuts
4-5 sprigs of curry leaves
500 ml coconut oil for deep frying
Salt and ground chili powder to taste

Murukku:
2 cups gram flour (ground yellow lentil flour)
1 cup all purpose flour or rice flour
1/2 tsp ground ajwain
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 tsp ground chili powder
Salt to taste
Hot water

Step 1: Soak the chickpeas and the yellow lentils for 10-12 hours. Wash them again and drain from excess water. In a large pan heat the oil. Deep fry the yellow lentils. Deep-fry them in 2-3 batches. When you place them in the oil they will sink to the bottom. Once they are properly fried, they will start to float to top (see pictures). It will take about 10 minutes to deep fry them. Take some out and taste. They should be medium crunchy (they will get more crunchy once you have taken them out). Place them on tissue paper to drain the excess oil. Add salt and ground chili powder and mix while the lentils are still warm. Taste and adjust spices.

Step 2: Drain the chickpeas from water. This is very important as some of the chickpeas tend to "explode" and fly off in different directions while you deep-fry them. Place the chickpeas in a spoon and put them in the oil. Don't stay or sit close-by because one or two chickpeas always tend fly out in different directions. Deep-fry the chickpeas for about 15 minutes in 2-3 batches. Taste the chickpeas. They should be crunchy. Take them out and place them on a tissue paper. Add salt and ground chili powder while the chickpeas are still warm and mix with a spoon. Taste and adjust spices.

Step 3: To make the murukku, mix both flour types in a bowl. Add salt, turmeric, ground chili powder and dry roasted, ground ajwain and mix. Heat some water. Pour a small quantity of the water in the flour och wait for 3 minutes and then mix with a spoon and repeat this process until you get the same batter texture as seen below. 

Stuff an idiyappam/murukku maker with this batter and press it into the oil (see picture below). You'll have to repeat this process many a times till you finish the batter. Fry the murukku on both sides until golden brown. Take it out and place it on a tissue paper.

Step 4: Crush the murukku. Mix the deep-fried chickpeas, yellow lentils and the murukku in a large bowl. Dry roast some cashews and add them to the mixture. You can use store-bought salted peanuts or you can dry roast raw peanuts (I used a combination of both) and add them to the mixture. Lastly, add fried curry leaves and mix. Taste and adjust spices, if needed. Good luck! 

I am sending this as my entry to "Snacks Mela" by cooking cooking4allseasons.

Kothu Roti

This is the ubiquitous street food 'kothu roti' recipe. Kothu roti literally means chopped roti, but from what I have observed at the roadside kothu huts, it is usually paratha. There are many different types of kothu rotis. When we make kothu roti at home, we usually make "chicken kothu".

To make the chicken kothu, you need to prepare the chicken curry separately and the roti/paratha separately. These two items are then chopped and fried together with various vegetables and egg. At the kothu huts a heated iron sheet and blades that look like dough scrapers are typically used to make this. We prepare kothu roti in a large pan and it works just fine. 

Roti:
2 1/2 cups flour
Water (as required)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Oil

Chicken curry:
1 chicken
1 onion
1/2 tsp cumin
3-4 garlic cloves
2-3 green chilis
1 tbs curry powder
2-2 1/2 cups water
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste

Stir-fry:
Pinch of mustard seeds
Pinch of cumin
Curry leaves
6 green chili
2 small onions
2 cups cabbage/leeks/spring onion
2 carrots
2 eggs
Salt to taste

In a bowl, add flour and mix flour and salt. Then pour 1 cup of water in small quantities and knead the dough. Add some more water if needed. If you are inexperienced when it comes to kneading doughs this may be a troublesome step for you but don't give up. With some will you can get it together. When you are finished kneading the dough, add some oil and roll the dough in oil. Wrap up the dough in a plastic sheet so that it doesn't get dry and let it rest while you prepare the chicken curry.

First clean and chop the chicken in small sizes. In a large cooking pot, heat some table spoons of oil. Add cumin seeds, chopped onion, garlic and green chili and fry until light brown. Add the chicken chunks, mix and fry. Close the cooking pot with a lid and let it cook for about 10 minutes on medium to high heat, but take the lid off and stir every once in a while until it's half-cooked and has changed colour. Then add the curry powder and mix well. Drizzle the water, salt and let the chicken curry cook for about 30-40 minutes. Add the lemon juice last before taking the chicken curry off the stove. Taste and adjust spices before taking it away from the stove.

Chop the vegetables needed to make the kothu roti. I like cabbage but you could also use leeks or the green part of spring onions depending on your preferences. I would advise to make the kothu roti in 2 batches. Chop all of onion, green chilis, carrots, curry leaves and cabbage at once and then divide into two batches.

Roll out the roti on a lightly oiled surface. Heat a pan and heat the roti on both sides. Then cut the rotis into small pieces with a knife or a food scissor. In a large pan heat some oil, add mustard seeds and let splutter. Then add cumin. In the same pan, fry onion, curry leaves, and green chilis. Then add the cabbage and stir-fry well. Lastly, add the carrots and salt. Shove the vegetables to the side in the pan or take it out and place it in a plate. Whisk an egg and add some salt in it. Pour the egg in the pan and scramble it. Mix the vegetables and the scrambled egg, add the roti pieces and mix. Then spoon in the chicken curry (chicken chunks as well as curry) and mix. Serve warm!

Mango chutney (mangai pachadi)

I have been wanting to make mango chutney for a long time but it has been very difficult to find raw, sour mangoes in the stores. I found some sour mangoes at the Chinese store, and although expensive, they looked decent enough to serve the purpose. I wanted something tangy to tickle my tastebuds. This actually tastes like a sweet-sour tamarind sauce. Typically, neem flowers are also added, to lend some bitterness, but I have excluded it.

Chutney:
2 raw mangoes
1 cup brown sugar (or jaggery)
1 cup water
1 green chili
Salt to taste

Tempering:
Mustard seeds

Peel the mangoes and cut it in small pieces. In a pan, add water and bring it to a boil. Add the mango slices, slit green chili, and salt. Cook at medium heat. Add the brown sugar after 15 minutes and cook until it looks and gravy-like. In a separate pan, heat some oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Top the mango chutney with the tempered mustard seeds and serve.

Lemonade

I had a craving for lemonade today. In Sri Lanka, you typically prepare lemonade with lime. You just blend fresh lime juice, water and sugar (and sometimes salt) with a spoon and consume it fresh in the hot months. There's nothing like a home-made lemonade. It's so refreshing and you always end up craving for one more glass.

1 large lemon
2 cups water
1/3 cup caster sugar (adjust)

Roll the lemon on the kitchen counter with your palms, to loosen up the lemon cells. Cut it into halves and squeeze the lemon juice. I pressed out the juice with my hands intially and then used a manual juice squeezer to squeeze out as much as possible. Boil the sugar and the water at below medium heat till the sugar dissolves and stir continuously. Add lemon juice and stir. Taste. Add more sugar if needed and stir but don't keep the lemonade on the stove for too long after adding the lemon juice. Let it cool before serving.

Mushroom curry

Ingredients:
200-250 g fresh field mushrooms or button mushrooms
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
10 cashew nuts
A pinch of cumin
1 tsp chili powder (optional for more heat)
1 tbs curry powder
3 cups water
1 spring curry leaves
Salt to taste


Method:

I wash the mushrooms under cold water first. Some say you should not wash mushrooms in water. The common guide is to gently rub them with a paper towel or quickly brush them. I personally think it doesn't feel clean without washing them, so I give them a quick cold shower. You can do as you like. 

Slice the mushrooms. Cut the onion and garlic finely. In a large pan, heat some oil and add the cumin, onion and curry leaves. Fry until golden brown. Add chili powder, turmeric, garlic, and curry powder. Mix well. Then add the mushrooms and enough water to allow them to cook. Add salt. Grind the cashews coarsely and add to the curry. You can add more water later, if needed. Cook for about 30 minutes. Mix and taste. Serve hot with rice or anything of your choice!