Chunky Tuna Biryani

Chunky Tuna Biryani

(A super-quick recipe of tuna chunks in a medium-spicy, aromatic & flavorful biryani)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10 Min 3-4 15-20 Min

Ingredients:

2 cans white/light-meat tuna chunks
3 cups rice
2 large onions - finely chopped
1 large ripe tomato
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 green chilies - slit
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 inch cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 inch ginger - crushed
4-6 cardamoms
salt to taste
2 lemons
4 sprigs curry leaves
food color (few drops orange & few orange-red) - optional


Cooking Instructions:

Fry onions pink & then add the whole spices, garlic & ginger - fry for 2 mins. Then add the tomato & chilies. Fry till tomatoes are soft. Add tuna chunks with 1/2 cup of brine from the can, 1/2 the curry-leaves & salt to taste. Simmer covered for 3mins. As you enjoy the aroma, wash the rice, add double its quantity of water, salt to taste & bring to a boil. Simmer till its almost done & drain. Heat ghee in a tempering pan & splutter the mustard seeds & curry leaves in it. Add the tuna-masala, a few drops food color & the mustard-curryleaves mix into the rice, cover & toss well. Simmer covered for 1 minute or till rice grains are well cooked. Garnish with the left-over fried onions, some freshly chopped coriander leaves & lemon wedges.

Hyderabadi Paneer Biryani

Hyderabadi veg./paneer biryani

(A minty biryani with paneer & a host of fresh vegetables)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
30 Min 3-4 30 min

Ingredients:

For the masala:
1/2 bunch pudina/mint
1 bunch coriander (mint & coriander in 1:2 ratio)
2 tbsp dessicated coconut
1 handful roasted peanuts
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin
5-6 peppercorns
1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric pwd
1/2 onion
2 red chillies or 2-3 green chillies
6 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger.

500g paneer cubes
3 small potatoes - peel skin off & cut in half
1/2 cup cubed carrots
1/2 cup green peas
2-3 boiled eggs (optional)
2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1 large chopped onion
1 inch cinnamon stick
4-5 cardamoms
1 more chopped onion
rice (about 2 cups for 3-4 ppl) - washed & drained
salt to taste
2-3 bayleaves
a mix of 1 small chopped & fried onion, roasted/fried nuts & raisins, chopped coriander/cilantro and 1/4 cup lime juice

Cooking Instructions:

Grind the masala ingredients with a lil' water to a smooth paste. Deep fry paneer cubes & set aside. Heat oil, fry onions till pink and then add the masala, 2 tbsp at a time, frying well in between. Then add the potatoes & carrots with a little water, cover & cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the paneer & peas & cook for 2 minutes, covered. In a separate vessel, heat some ghee & fry a chopped onion till pink, then add the cinnamon, cardamom & bay leaves. Add rice, nuts & raisins & fry well. Add water & salt and cook till rice is almost ready - drain off excess water & add the paneer-gravy, tossing lightly. Place halved boiled eggs in between some layers & steam closed for till rice is cooked fully. Garnish with limejuice, nuts/raisins & coriander.

Muchboos (Arabic Chicken-Rice recipe)

Muchboos (Arabic Chicken-Rice recipe)

(An Arabic dish of rice & chicken where the rice is cooked in the chicken broth & topped with the friedn chicken, served with dakoos/hot-sauce/tobasco, fresh salad & laban)


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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
10 Min 4-5 30 Min


Ingredients :

1 full 1kg chicken
2 large cut onions
1 1" cinnamon stick
5 cardamoms
3-4 red dried chilies
5 cloves
1/2 tsp pepper corns
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
2 tsp salt
cooking oil
1/2 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 glasses rice - washed & drained
4 glasses water


Cooking Ingredients :

In a pressure cooker/ vessel, fry chopped onions in 2 tbsp heated oil, then add whole spices (cinnamon, cardamoms, red dried chilies, cloves, tsp pepper corns, bay leaves) & fry well. Add the garlic-ginger paste & salt & fry well. Add the whole chicken & toss the spices over & around it - fry for 2 minutes, tossing gently. Add the water, cover & cook till the chicken is done. Take the chicken out from this vessel & add the rice to it. Cook rice in this water & transfer onto a serving tray. Smear the cooked chicken with the red-chili, turmeric, cumin & pepper powders & the soy sauce and shallow fry on a frying pan in 2 tbsp heated oil. Turn over & ensure both sides are well colored to a dark red-brownish to golden-brown. Place this cooked chicken on the rice tray & serve with a cold salad, dakoos (or tobasco sauce/ hot sauce) & laban.

Note: This recipe can also be made with lamb but this is how we made it growing up in Kuwait.