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Indian cuisine is gaining popularity all around globe.
It is easy to prepare, tasty and it's mainstay is whole
grains which is what people want today for health and
environmental reasons. They want balanced meals with
carbohydrates, have ample amounts of a variety of vegetables
and contain complete proteins and sparse amounts of
fat. (Note: Lentils and beans combined with rice or
wheat form complete proteins that have all of the eight
amino acids) Indian food provides this and more - it
also has the health promoting properties of various
herbs, ginger and spices.
Yogurt,
an accompaniment to Indian meals introduces good flora
(acidophilus) into the digestive system. Many of our
menus are vegetarian, which tend to be more alkaline
than non-vegetarian menus. Fresh fruit follows Indian
meals, which also contributes to an alkaline balance.
Indian cuisine saves time. Many items can be cooked
in crock pots, in a pressure cooker or in electric pans.
Beans can be soaked overnight. The whole wheat dough
for chappatis and rotis can be made ahead of time and
kept in the refrigerator. Indian Cuisine is also very
easy to prepare: Full menus can be prepared within half
an hour.
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Veggie
Biryani - Most popular rice dish from India
(Serves
6-8)
Ingredients
10 oz. from a choice of cauliflower, potato, carrots, asparagus,
broccoli cut into bite size pieces, washed and drained
2 tbs. oil or ghee
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 inch piece ginger minced
1 green chillie minced
Package of Ajika Saffron Biryani Pkg
1 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup thick yoghurt
1tomato, chopped
1/4 bunch of cilantro leaves, minced
1/2 lemon, juice
Method:
Heat oil/ghee in a large pan and fry onions, until quite dark
brown. Now add ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute or two.
Add veggies, spices from the package, salt, green chilli.
Stir fry until veggies is nicely coated with the spices.
Add yoghurt, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice. Cook, stirring
frequently, until veggies are soft and only a little gravy
is left.
While veggies are cooking, wash rice , rinse a few times till
rice water is somewhat clear. Drain.
Add rice to the veggies and 2 1/4 cups of water and bring
to a rolling boil. Then turn heat to medium-low and cover
the pot with a tight lid. Cook for 10 minutes and turn the
heat off. Do not lift the lid. Let the rice steam in its own
heat for another 5 minutes.
The rice is ready to serve. Serve with raita and dal.
Lamb
Biryani -Most popular rice dish from India
(Serves 6-8 - Serve with Raita and Chunda Sweet Chutney and
some excellent wine - red or white.)
Ingredients
Cooking the Rice
1 package Ajika Basmati Rice washed and drained
1/2 tsp. salt
10 cups water
Cooking the Biryani
2 lbs. lamb or mutton leg/shoulder cut into bite size pieces,
washed and drained
5 tbs. oil or ghee
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 inch piece ginger minced
1-3 green chillies minced
6-7 tbsp. Ajika Biryani Spices
2- 2 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup thick yoghurt
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves, minced
1 lime or 1/2 lemon, cut into small pieces
A few strands of saffron soaked in a tablespoon of warm water
1 tbs. Ghee
Method:
Cooking the Meat
Heat oil/ghee in a large pan and fry onions, until quite dark
brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
In the same oil (add more if needed), add spices ginger and
garlic. Fry for a minute or two.
Add meat pieces, salt, chilli. Stir fry until meat is nicely
browned on all sides.
Add yoghurt, tomatoes, cilantro, lime. Cook, stirring frequently,
until meat is soft and only a little gravy is left.
Cooking the Rice
While meat is cooking, boil the water for rice with salt.
Add rice and bring to a rolling boil, until 2/3rd done about
5 minutes after the boil.
Drain/Seive the water off like you do when cooking pasta.
You can run a little cold water over it, to stop the rice
from cooking further while resting. Leave in the colander
for a few minute, for the water to drain out completely.
Add ghee to grease a large oven proof dish or a pan.
Layering the Biryani
Spread 1/3rd of the rice in a layer at the base of the pan.
Now layer with 1/2 of the meat.
Repeat the layering till the last layer is the rice.
Sprinkle the saffron on the top of the rice.
Add fried onions on top.
Dot with a little ghee.
Cover the pan with a tight lid.
Put it in a medium hot oven and bake for 30 minuites at 350
F the rice is fully done.
You should have perfect Biryani
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This
article copyright to Indian Foods Company, authored by
Kavita Mehta, was originally published in indianfoodsco.com |
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