Puliyodhari/Puliyogere/ Tamarind Rice

Its been ages since I made the tamarind rice- in an authentic way and to be honest I haven’t done it this way and the main reason is I hate this dish. At last I decided to make it as my hubby loves this and I don’t want to find an excuse for not making just because I don’t like it. Every one says this dish is so tasty and I don’t know why my taste buds always rejects this rice.
Everyone knows this is a very popular temple prasadam allover south India and many people visits temple regularly just for this but visit for sweet pongal they give at temple and sometimes they would give both and I always trade my puliyogere for pongal with whoever I go. This rice is also very popular for picnic in India but not in the trip I am organizing or at least I make sure curd rice is also there or else no picnic:-)

Ingredients for pulikachal/gravy
Tamarind – A golf ball size
Gingelly oil - ¼ Cup
Channa dhal – 2 tbsp
Roasted Peanut – 3 tbsp
Red Chilies – 3
Mustard – 1tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Asafetida
Salt to taste

For the Powder
Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp
Coriander seed – 2 tsp
Fenugreek seed – ¼ tsp
Red Chilies – 2


Method
Add enough water to soak the tamarind and microwave for 2 mins and extract the juice and discard any lumps and do no add more water.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the asafetida and mustard seed and when they splutter add channa dhal and peanuts and add turmeric powder and when the channa dhal turns red add red chili and add the tamarind juice and add half of salt and remaining salt can be added while mixing with rice. Reduce the heat and cook until it becomes thick and oil floats on top. Cool and store in the refrigerator in a bottle and this will stay fresh for a month.
For the powder, just roast all the ingredients and grind to a coarse powder and store in a separate container.

For making tamarind rice
Cool the rice after cooking and rice should be separate.
Add little pulikachal with rice and mix it and sprinkle little of the powder and mix. Add salt to your taste and Enjoy with papad.

Sunny's Shrimp Biryani

My hubby hates seafood, he is okay with fish but he can't tolerate the smell of shrimp and crab, unfortunately those two are my favorite, even my boy loves shrimp. Usually on friday my hubby has team lunch in office, no need to pack lunch for him, so all fridays has become shrimp day for me and my boy till he started going to kindergarten. When going to pre-school he comes home by 1' o clock and if its friday while going to school he would remind me to prepare shrimp for lunch. Now in kindergarten he comes only by 4'o clock so me not getting any chance to prepare shrimp for couple of months. He likes only gravies with shrimp or just fried shrimp and biryani is out of question. My hubby is ready to eat shrimp w'out the smell of shrimp. I don't know, what a shrimp dish would be w'out the smell of shrimp and best way is he not eat shrimp.
I was planning to prepare this shrimp biryani for a quite long time but due to my laziness of preparing just for me  kept on delaying this, my choice was always simple either curd rice or maggi noodles for lunch on fridays. This time I dissipated my laziness and prepared this shrimp biryani and had great lunch all by myself. Each mouth made me wonder how can people not like shrimp!!! I saved some for my boy to eat after coming from school and to my surprise he really enjoyed it. Its always hard to say which food they like or dislike, its keeps changing. Already I made this dish 3 times within a week time, so I give the name sunny's shrimp biryani.  

Ingredients
Basmati Rice- 1/2 cup
Shrimp - 1 cup
Cloves - 2
Bay leaf - 2
Cinnamon - 1/2" stick
Cardamom- 1
Fennel seeds / saunf - 1/2 tsp
Tomato - 1 medium chopped
Onion - 1/2 of 1, chopped
Green Chilies - 2 slit
Mint and cilantro chopped - 1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
Coriander Powder - 1tsp
Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2tsp
Salt to taste

Method
Soak rice for 1/2 an hour and boil the rice till its fully cooked. Clean and devein the shrimp. In a non-stck pan heat oil and add clove, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and fennel seed. Add onion and green chilies and saute for few mins and add ginger garlic paste and tomato and add all the dry powders and add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp is fully cooked and the gravy is dry. Add the chopped mint and cilantro. Now add the cooked rice and mix and eat with onion raita.  

Green Peas Pulao

I always love to have this "peas pulao"- a simple mild spicey meal to enjoy.Looks fantastic and tastes delicious. This dish reminds me of my college life.This is the only dish I know to prepare during my college days and my friends used to love it. They always insists on preparing this dish whenever we have a get together in my house. Those days are golden. Now whenever I prepare this dish I miss my friends :-(




Ingredients:
Basmathi rice - 1 cup
Frozen or canned Peas - 1 cup
chopped onion - 1 cup
Green Chilies - 3 slit
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1" stick
Oil - 3 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

To Grind
Ginger - 2 small slices
Garlic - 5 cloves
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Mint - 1/4 cup


Method:

Pour oil in the cooker. When it heats up add clove,cinnamon and cardamom. When you get a nice fragrance from that add onion and green chilies and saute till the onion is cooked. Add the grinded paste and cook for few mins. Add the peas and mix well . Add the water , for 1 cup rice add 1 and 1/2 cup and bring to boil and add salt. Now add the rice and close and cook. Add ghee when its done. Serve hot with onion raita.

Chicken Biryani

This is my way of preparing this delicious chicken biryani. I used to cook this way for quite a long time. Everyone in my family and even my friends love this biryani. My brother used to call me as "biryani master" just b'coz of this biryani . I usually prepare this dish quite fast and preparing briyani has always been easy to me. When ever I decide to quit eating non-veg ,just the thought of this biryani does not allow me to. I am a very great lover of biryanis so atleast once in two weeks I would prepare this dish. Here is the recipe of the delicious chicken biryani . I am drooling now.

Ingredients:

To marinate (for half an hour)

Whole cut Chicken - 1lb

Yogurt - 1 cup

Chili Powder - 1tsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

Cilantro Chopped - 1/2 cup

Mint Chopped - 1/2 Cup

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Salt - little

Other Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Onion Chopped - 1 big

Tomato chopped - 2 medium

Green Chilies Slit - 3

Bay Leaves -3

Cardamom - 2

Clove - 3

Cinnamon - 1/2''

Oil - 5 tsp

Salt as required

To Grind:

Garlic - 10 cloves

Ginger - 2"

Clove - 5
Cinnamon - 1''

Onion chopped - 1/2

Procedure:

Wash and soak the basmati rice for 10 mins. In a cooker heat oil and add the bay leaf,Cinnamon,cardamom and clove. When you get the nice fragrance add the onion and green chilies and saute for 5 mins. Add the the grinded paste and saute well. Add the tomatoes and mix for 3 mins. Now add the marinated chicken and give a good mix. Add salt Cook in slow flame until the oil seprates. Add water, for 1 cup rice I added 1&1/2 cup of water. When the water boils add rice and close the cooker and cook for 10 mins. Serve with onion raita and chicken gravy.

Hyderabadi Chicken Briyani

There are lots and lots of ways to make briyani . In tamilnadu they use jeera rice to make Bryan's and it has different flavour and taste. I myself make briyani in 3 different ways. Hyderabadi briyani is the most popular and one of the best . Hyderabadi briyani is one of the tourist attractions of Hyderabad. This is cooked in layers of chicken and rice on dum - its a slow steam cooking. This is usually accompanied with onion raitha

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken cut - 1lb

Basmati rice - 2 cups

Whole garam masala ( cardamom -2 Cinnamon , clove - 5, bay leave -3)

Shahi Jeera or black cumin - 1tsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 3 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Green chilis slit - 4

Briyani masala - 5 tsp ( use shan briyani masala)

Cilantro chopped - 1cup

Mint chopped - 1/2 cup

Oil - 3 tsp

Salt as required

Fried Onion - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Wash and soak rice for nearly 45 mins. Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for half an hour except fried onion and reserve half cup of cilantro . Boil water with little shahi jeera and 1 tsp of oil and salt.When water boils add soaked rice and cook until 80% done and drain the water. In a non stick pan add the marinated chicken and cook in medium heat for 10 to 15 mins. Pre heat oven at 375* F . Transfer the chicken into oven safe pan and top it with fried onions , and top of that add rice as a layer. Mix red food colour with 2 tsp of water and spoon it on top of the rice . Garnish with reserved cilantro on top of rice and close with an aluminium foil and bake for 30 mins. Serve with onion raitha. Enjoy hot!!!

Fried Rice

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Cooked vegetables - 1 cup (carrot, peas, beans)
Eggs - 2
MSG(Ajinomoto) - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 2 tsp
Onion chopped - 1/2 cup
Spring Onion
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Salt as required
Oil - tbsp

Method

Soak the basmati rice in water for 45 mins. If you don't soak the rice, the fried rice doesn't come out good. Boil water in a bowl sufficient enough to cook 2 cups of rice. Add the correct amount of salt (taste the water after adding salt, it has to be little salty). When the water boils add 2 tsps of oil and add the soaked rice without water. Cook the rice till its 90% done then drain the water and spread the rice on a plate.

Next pour oil in a non stick saucepan. When the oil heats up add the chopped onion and saute it for few minutes. Beat the eggs in a bowl and pour it on top of the onion and keep mixing. When the egg is cooked add pepper powder, MSG, soy sauce and mix. Now add the cooked vegetables (can be cooked in a microwave for 3 minutes) and keep mixing. Add little salt for the vegetables and egg (remember rice was cooked with salt in it). Last add the rice and keep mixing. Finally garnish with the spring onions. Enjoy!!!!!