Happy Holi - I know it was yesterday but I was too busy soaking the amazing sunny weather in Delaware yesterday. For me festivals means family and friends, so we decided to meet up for dinner and I made this Veggie biryani for my veggie folks. And I am surprised to say, it was quite alright. I survived eating cauliflower instead of chicken!
Now biryani preparation takes effort and love and patience. I may have all three of those but what I do not have most of the time is TIME! So, this is my quick and dirty version of a biryani. We were so busy eating the darn thing, I forgot to take a picture! But, it was so much fun to sit together with friends and enjoy this spicy treat with a glass of Riesling! Darn I wish I had some Moscato wine - there is always tomorrow right folks?!
Note: I used the Malay spice but its technically not Malay biryani because I did not follow the recipe on the box.
Ingredients and Method:
2 cups Basmati rice
2 medium onions, chopped lengthwise
1/2 of a medium cauliflower
2 medium tomatoes
1 slab of Nanak Paneer
Garlic Ginger paste (1 tbsp for masala and 1 tsp for paneer)
1 green chilli
Handful of Cilantro, chopped
Regular full fat yogurt, beat with a fork until smooth
2 to 4 threads of saffron dissolved in 1/8 cup milk
Fried onions (available in Indian grocery store, refrigerate leftovers or they turn rancid!) (optional)
Spices:
Shaan Malay Chicken Biryani Mix
Shaan Chicken Tandoori bbq mix
Full spices for Rice: 2 cloves, 1/4 inch small cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 1 star anise
Full spices for Masala: 2 cloves, 1/4 inch cinnamon stick, 1 badi velchi, 1 star anise, 1 bay leaf
1. Cook the rice in the microwave:
Wash the rice a few times. Drain completely. Drizzle some olive oil. Add salt to taste and mix. Add 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, and 1 star anise. Add double the amount of water ie. 4 cups of water and a little more say about 1/4 to 1/2 cup more. Mix well and cook in microwave. Since microwave times vary, monitor your coooking time. Generally, for this amount I would cook the rice for 18 minutes and then 5 more minutes depending on the amount of water left. Rice should be al dente. Remove and leave it open so it dries out completely. Biryani with wet sticky rice is a big NO NO!
2. Prep the paneer:
Cut the paneer into small bite size pieces. In a bowl, take some oil, add 1 tsp of ginger/garlic paste, add Shaan Tandoori Tikka Bbq masala, dash of red chilli powder, dash of cumin and coriander powder, and dash of turmeric powder. Mix it well. Now pour this over the paneer and toss well. Set aside and let marinate for a while.
3. Make the masala:
Heat oil. Add the full spices. When fragrant, add chopped onions and chopped green chilli and chopped cilantro. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes stirring constantly so that the onions dont get burned. Add 1 tbsp of ginger/garlic paste and stir. The onions should turn into a complete mush. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Cook the tomatoes down for another 15 minutes along with the onions. Do not rush this process. Add oil or a little water if necessary but cook the contents down completely.
Once the onions/tomatoes mixture is cooked, add half of the Malay Chicken Biryani spice mix. Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder, some salt, 1 tsp of cumin powder, and 1 tsp of coriander powder. Mix well. Add about 1 cup of yogurt and mix. Add the cauliflower florettes and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Do not overcook the caulilflower. You want it to have a crunch to it - so check intermittently.
4. Cook the paneer:
While the masala is being cooked, heat oil in a flat bottom skillet. When oil is hot, Add the paneer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes one side. Flip and cook the other side. You want a good sear to the paneer. Handle gently as the paneer could break.
5. If the cauliflower is cooked to the desired consistency, add the seared/cooked paneer to the pan. Toss gently. Season with salt if necessary. Biryani masalas have a lot of added salt so check the taste of the masala before you add salt. This masala should not be watery at all. If it is, cook uncovered so the water evaporates.
6. Saffron Milk:
Add a pinch of saffron threads to warm milk and set aside. When the saffron has emitted color to the milk, drizzle it slowly over the cooked rice.
7. We are ready to layer the biryani - rice, then masala, rice, masala, rice is the order. So make three parts of the rice and two parts of the masala. Layer it accordingly with rice as the top most layer. Top it off with fried onions. Cover and seal the sides of the lid and pot with dough or just cover the pot. Let cook on simmer for 10 minutes before serving.
Now biryani preparation takes effort and love and patience. I may have all three of those but what I do not have most of the time is TIME! So, this is my quick and dirty version of a biryani. We were so busy eating the darn thing, I forgot to take a picture! But, it was so much fun to sit together with friends and enjoy this spicy treat with a glass of Riesling! Darn I wish I had some Moscato wine - there is always tomorrow right folks?!
Note: I used the Malay spice but its technically not Malay biryani because I did not follow the recipe on the box.
Ingredients and Method:
2 cups Basmati rice
2 medium onions, chopped lengthwise
1/2 of a medium cauliflower
2 medium tomatoes
1 slab of Nanak Paneer
Garlic Ginger paste (1 tbsp for masala and 1 tsp for paneer)
1 green chilli
Handful of Cilantro, chopped
Regular full fat yogurt, beat with a fork until smooth
2 to 4 threads of saffron dissolved in 1/8 cup milk
Fried onions (available in Indian grocery store, refrigerate leftovers or they turn rancid!) (optional)
Spices:
Shaan Malay Chicken Biryani Mix
Shaan Chicken Tandoori bbq mix
Full spices for Rice: 2 cloves, 1/4 inch small cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 1 star anise
Full spices for Masala: 2 cloves, 1/4 inch cinnamon stick, 1 badi velchi, 1 star anise, 1 bay leaf
1. Cook the rice in the microwave:
Wash the rice a few times. Drain completely. Drizzle some olive oil. Add salt to taste and mix. Add 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, and 1 star anise. Add double the amount of water ie. 4 cups of water and a little more say about 1/4 to 1/2 cup more. Mix well and cook in microwave. Since microwave times vary, monitor your coooking time. Generally, for this amount I would cook the rice for 18 minutes and then 5 more minutes depending on the amount of water left. Rice should be al dente. Remove and leave it open so it dries out completely. Biryani with wet sticky rice is a big NO NO!
2. Prep the paneer:
Cut the paneer into small bite size pieces. In a bowl, take some oil, add 1 tsp of ginger/garlic paste, add Shaan Tandoori Tikka Bbq masala, dash of red chilli powder, dash of cumin and coriander powder, and dash of turmeric powder. Mix it well. Now pour this over the paneer and toss well. Set aside and let marinate for a while.
3. Make the masala:
Heat oil. Add the full spices. When fragrant, add chopped onions and chopped green chilli and chopped cilantro. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes stirring constantly so that the onions dont get burned. Add 1 tbsp of ginger/garlic paste and stir. The onions should turn into a complete mush. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Cook the tomatoes down for another 15 minutes along with the onions. Do not rush this process. Add oil or a little water if necessary but cook the contents down completely.
Once the onions/tomatoes mixture is cooked, add half of the Malay Chicken Biryani spice mix. Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder, some salt, 1 tsp of cumin powder, and 1 tsp of coriander powder. Mix well. Add about 1 cup of yogurt and mix. Add the cauliflower florettes and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Do not overcook the caulilflower. You want it to have a crunch to it - so check intermittently.
4. Cook the paneer:
While the masala is being cooked, heat oil in a flat bottom skillet. When oil is hot, Add the paneer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes one side. Flip and cook the other side. You want a good sear to the paneer. Handle gently as the paneer could break.
5. If the cauliflower is cooked to the desired consistency, add the seared/cooked paneer to the pan. Toss gently. Season with salt if necessary. Biryani masalas have a lot of added salt so check the taste of the masala before you add salt. This masala should not be watery at all. If it is, cook uncovered so the water evaporates.
6. Saffron Milk:
Add a pinch of saffron threads to warm milk and set aside. When the saffron has emitted color to the milk, drizzle it slowly over the cooked rice.
7. We are ready to layer the biryani - rice, then masala, rice, masala, rice is the order. So make three parts of the rice and two parts of the masala. Layer it accordingly with rice as the top most layer. Top it off with fried onions. Cover and seal the sides of the lid and pot with dough or just cover the pot. Let cook on simmer for 10 minutes before serving.
It was delicious... thanks for the wonderful dinner Sans.
ReplyDeleteHey pretty lady!!! I made the paneer biryani from your blog...turned out yummylicious...I added some green peas too and it was really spicy!! Next on my to-do list is the methi chicken ...thanx for all those easy, yummy recipes!!
ReplyDeleteHey Thanks for the recipe.. i was waiting for a recipe made out of shan.... thank you so much... Im gonna make it right now... will surely update the result.....
ReplyDelete