Chicken Bryani

This recipe serves 4 to 5 persons

Chicken gravy
1 whole chicken (or 4 chicken legs chopped into 12 pieces)
1½ medium-sized onions
2 medium-sized tomatoes
1 tspn ginger/garlic paste
1 tspn salt
½ tspn turmeric powder
1 tspn garam masala (preferably home-made)
3 tbs oil

Heat oil and saute one onion chopped finely. Keep covered on low to medium flame till slightly brown. Chop the other half onion and the tomatoes and grind into smooth paste. Wash chicken and marinade with ginger/garlic paste, salt and 1/2 tspn garam masala.
Add the onion/tomato paste into the onion which should now be slightly brown. Mix till the oil comes on top. Add the chicken pieces into the gravy and keep mixing for about 8 minutes until the gravy is brown. Add 2 cups water and keep on low flame for about 15 minutes till cooked. Once again the chicken is cooked when you see some oil on top. You may remove this excess oil now if desired.


Bryani Rice
2 cups basmati (Indian) rice
½ tspn turmeric powder
8 pcs chopped cashew nuts and 2 tbs raisins soaked in water for few minutes
¼ tspn tandoori colour (powder form available at Indian stores)
2 tbs oil
3½ cups water
Chopped coriander, 1/2 lemon sliced and ½ onion sliced lengthwise for garnishing.

Dry spices:
2 pcs cloves
5 pcs cardamoms (small green)
10 pcs black peppercorn
1” cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

Wash rice and add water, salt, turmeric, cashew nuts and raisins and mix well. Heat two teaspons oil and add the dry spices for just a few seconds and quickly add to the rice and keep to cook. When the rice is cooked, mix the tandoori colour in 2 tbs of water and sprinkle gently onto the rice while fluffing it. This will give the rice a lovely two-toned colour of red and yellow.

In a serving dish spread layers of bryani rice alternating with a few pieces of the cooked chicken leaving the gravy aside. Garnish with the slices of raw onion and lemon and chopped coriander. Serve with the chicken gravy. Excellent with raita.

Gulab Jamuns

Gulab jamuns are sweet milk balls served as dessert. This recipe makes 25 to 30 jamuns

Jamuns:
1 cup milk powder(full cream or low fat)
1/3 cup all purpose plain flour
1 pack whipped cream (200 ml)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Few pieces chopped almonds
Oil for deep frying

Syrup:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
Few saffron threads or a few drops of yellow food colouring
5 pieces crushed seeds of green cardamoms
Few drops rose essence

Mix the milk powder, flour and butter lightly with your fingers. Add the whipped cream bit by bit to form a dough. Keep aside for approximately half an hour.

Make the syrup: in a separate pot add water, sugar, cardamom seeds, saffron threads (or yellow food colouring), and boil for a few minutes till it forms a one-thread consistency. Switch off the heat and add the rose essence and keep aside.

Knead the dough for about a minute again so that it becomes smooth but should not stick to your fingers. Make approximately 25 to 30 small round balls from the dough using your hands. Heat oil under medium flame and set it to a low flame for frying the jamuns. Keep mixing the balls gently until they turn golden evenly. Remove on to a plate and quickly add these to the warm syrup. Garnish with the chopped almonds and serve. Jamuns can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a couple of weeks. Heat slightly before serving each time or have them cold if desired.

Khato Bath (sour porridge)

This recipe serves 6 to 8 persons

2 cups rice (cooked very soft)
3 packs yoghurt (475 gm each pack)
2 tablespoons mustard seeds (slightly ground not too fine)
1 teaspoon black pepper (powder)
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Salt to taste (2 tspns or more)
2 cups water

Keep one pack of yoghurt and mix all the rest of the ingredients in a large pot and mash the rice using a potato masher. Keep overnight. Next morning add the whole pack of yoghurt and mix thoroughly and cool in refrigerator before serving. Tasty with mitha lolas.

Mitha Lolas (Sweet Lolas)

This recipe makes about 8 lolas to serve 4 persons

3 cups atta (wheat flour)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup oil
1 & 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamoms

Melt sugar in water in a bowl thoroughly to form a syrup. No need to boil the water. Mix atta, all purpose flour, ground cardamoms and oil and knead slightlly. Then knead the dough using the syrup. Keep for about 1 to 2 hours. Then make about 8 portions and roll them out one by one into a round shape. Roast each of these lolas on griddle under very low flame. This will take about 10 mins on each side. Remove from heat and place on a stainless still plate (thali) filled with 1/2 cup oil and dip lightly. Remove and keep aside. This process makes the lolas crispy. Do the same for each lolo. Serve hot or cold.

This dish is very tasty served together with khato bath.