June 11, 2019

My auntie's biryani



Biryani the one universal dish that is a unique combination of succulent marinated meat cooked along with long grain rice, there are tons of different versions of biryani's out there all following the basic guidelines of meat and rice . This dish basically originated in the middle east and now is a staple of Indian cuisines too. Biryani is such a complete meal the only thing needed with s scrumptious biryani is yogurt cucumber raita and some pickle and you are on your way to food heaven !!

This recipe was passed on to me from my dear cousin while  we were chatting one day, she mentioned that her mom was visiting her and they were making Biryani :)  that bought back so may good memories of visiting her family as a a kid and her mom would make this delicious recipe that we always looked forward too and to this date I remember her mom's Biryani was different and so good. So without any more delay took down the recipe and  here is it.

What u need:

Basmati rice - 4 cups
Salt as needed
Black Pepper  - 1 tbsp
Chicken - 2 whole (I used Cornish hen cut up and cleaned)
Ginger garlic paste - 1/4 th cup
Coriander leaves - 1bunch finely chopped 
Mint leaves - 1/3 cup
Onion - 2 big red onion chopped ( half for fried onions & the other half for the mixture)
Bay leaves - 4
Turmeric pwd- 1 tsp
Chilli pwd- 1 tbsp
Cardamom - 5
Clove- 4
Star anise - 2
Cinnamon stick - 2 pieces
Cashew nuts fried & Fried raisins - 5-8 for garnish
Carrots - sliced thin for garnish
Ghee - 1tbsp 
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Water  - as needed for the stock
Lemon - 1 whole 

Garam masala : powder all these ingredients together
Cardamom - 5
Clove- 5
Star anise - 2
Cinnamon stick - 2 pieces
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Mace-  2
Nutmeg- 1/6

  • Wash and marinate the chicken for at least an hour with salt, pepper, ginger garlic  paste & a little bit of garam masala . Overnight works too that helps to get a consistent flavor .
  • Cook this in a cooker with enough water usually close to double the amount of rice to have a stock that can be used to cook the rice and just one whistle is good . 
  • Grind together few pods of garlic, a big piece of ginger, 4 green chilies, mint leaves and  half of the coriander leaves. 
  • Chop 2 large onions and  sauté with 1tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder then add a tsp of the ground mixture and fry. Keep the rest of the ground mixture for the rice 
  • Add the half cooked chicken into onions  and fry well in an  pan . 
  • Then in an other pan add 2 tablespoon of ghee, a few cloves, cinnamon pieces, bay leaves, star anise, add washed, dried rice then fry. 
  • Add the remaining ground mixture to the rice and fry some more then add the chicken stock ,  and lemon juice , let this cook till rice is half done . 
  • Add the fried chicken then let cook for 5-8 mins more.
  • Then sprinkle a lil bit of garam masala to the rice, 
  • Garnish with crispy fried onions, cashews and fried raisins , juliene carrots  . 
  • Serve with yogurt raita and Njoy !

April 23, 2019

Eggs and toast


Today feels like one of those days when you want to take it easy ... easy with some eggs and warm toast although it is still just Tuesday so what !! 
I had some rustic bread and eggs in the fridge what better than getting them together for a holistic get together :)
What U need :

Rustic bread - 2 slices or more :)
Butter - 1 tablespoon i used the avocado butter
Eggs - 2 
Parsley- 1 teaspoon dried or freshly chopped
Black pepper - freshly ground
Salt as needed
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon 

Heat a pan on medium heat add the EVOO , meanwhile beat up the  eggs with some salt u can add some milk to make them more soft optional.
Also to make soft eggs it is very important to add the eggs to medium hot pan not super hot it should not sizzle then gently mix the eggs till they gets firmer not hard .
Put off the heat and add the chopped parsley and crushed pepper .
Serve these yummy soft scrambled eggs with butter toasted bread Njoy !!

January 12, 2019

Olive relish


If you have ever been to a authentic Italian restaurant then you have got a taste of the appetizer they serve the rustic bread with the olive oil relish . So yummy ! 😛
This  is a very simple recipe and equally delicious 
Here's what U need :
Olive Oil - 1 cup
Green olives - finely chopped 1/2 cup
Red chilli flakes - 1 tbsp
Salt - as needed as olives are salty 
Italian oregano - 1 tbsp
Dried basil - 1 tbsp
Dried Parsley - 1 tbsp
Mix all these ingredients together leave it for at least overnight and serve with rustic bread .Njoy !



Cinnamon rolls

  This year I decided to go on a baking mode with some new cookie recipes and some older tried and tested goodies, Filling up the house with...