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Sunday, November 8, 2009

Spicy Ragi Dosa

I know a lot of people who rush to office with just bread-omelette for breakfast as they don't find time to make anything else. For those who want a change from their regular choice of breakfast, I would like to share my wife's recipe that is quick, delicious and healthy.

Ingredients:
Ragi - 2 Cups
Curd - 1/2 - 1 Cup - Preferably sour
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 Large - Finely chopped
Green Chilly - 4 medium spicy - Chopped
Ginger - 1" Finely Chopped
Curry Leaves - 2 springs - Finely Chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat a small kadhai, add oil, splutter mustard seeds, add curry leaves, onion, ginger and green chillies. Sauté till onion is translucent, switch off and allow to cool.
In a vessel, add ragi, curd, salt, mix thoroughly. Add water to attain slightly flowing consistency (thinner than regular dosa batter). Check salt and adjust if required. To this add onion mixture and mix thoroughly.
Heat dosa tava on high flame, pour the ragi dosa batter starting from the outer edge towards the center in a circular fashion (do not spread the batter like you do with regular dosa) to attain dosa shape (like in the picture above). Cook on reduced flame. Flip the dosa to cook on both sides. You may add a little oil to the dosa to make it crisp. Enjoy this quick, easy and healthy ragi dosa as is or with coconut chutney.

Dum Murgh Ki Kachchi Biryani

My wife has been trying various biryani recipes. Over time she has trialed (unfortunately on me) these to come up with the perfect recipe for biryani. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I love savouring this delicious and rich biryani. I have not used ghee in this recipe, this is purely optional. The flavors in this recipe arise from the fresh ingredients used and grease from chicken fat and curd. Moreover I prefer rice-bran oil over others in all my recipes'.

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 Kg
Onions - 3 Large ones sliced (for frying)
Green Chillies - 3 to 4 Chopped
Coriander Leaves - ½ Bunch
Lemon - 1 Medium sized
Saffron - ½ tsp (Optional) soaked in 2-3 tbsp of warm milk
Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

For the Marination
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Curd - 2 cups
Salt to taste

Biryani Masala
Bay Leaf - 1
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1" Long
Green Cardamom - 2
Black Cardamom - 1
Cumin Seeds - ½ tsp
Grind the above into powder.
For the Rice
Basmati Rice - ½ Kg
Green Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon Stick - ½"
Cloves - 2
Bay Leaf - 1
Whole Black Pepper - ½ tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Seal for Dum
Atta Dough to seal biriyani vessel

Method:
In a vessel add in all the ingredients for marination along with biryani masala and chicken. Mix thoroughly and leave it for 2 hours.
Soak basmati rice in water for 1/2 an hour and drain thereafter.
In a kadhai, take some oil and deep fry onions till crispy brown (Make sure you don't burn the onions). Add the fried onions to the marinated chicken. Mix thoroughly and leave it for another ½ an hour.

In a vessel take enough water (since we are going to par-boil the rice and drain excess water) to cook the rice. To this add bay leaf, cardamom, whole pepper, cloves and cinamon. Bring to a boil, add salt, add rice. Boil till the rice is half cooked (The rice is said to be half cooked when the grain breaks into tiny pieces when smashed between your fingers). Drain excess water with the help of a strainer.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai, add the marinated chicken mix thoroughly for 3 minutes on high flame (intention here is not to cook the chicken).
In a thick bottom vessel firstly layer the chicken, press slightly and pack it well. Now spread chopped corriander leaves, chopped green chillies, squeeze a lemon. On top of this spread the half boiled rice, evenly. Sprinkle the saffron on top of this. Seal the vessel tight with the atta dough.

Cook for 5 minutes on high flame, then 15 minutes on medium flame and finally 10 minutes on low flame. Switch off the flame. Let it stand for some time. Mix the biryani well while serving. Enjoy this delicious mouth-watering biryani with onion raita.
Note. If you do not have a thick bottom vessel, you can also cook the biriyani in a regular vessel over a thick tava. Optionally you can add, fried rasins and cashewnuts on top of the rice.