Bisi-bele-bath

Amma's Recipe #17

Bisibelebath or Bisi bele bath originates from the state of Karnataka and this is the best recipe, hands down. I have never tasted anything better than my mom's Bisibelebath anywhere. Bisi bele bath is basically sambar rice and what makes it different from an ordinary sambar rice is the freshly grounded spice powder.  

And the best accomplishments that we usually have with are Tempered Tomato Raita & Potato Chips. Its so rice and literally finger licking good. 

You will need:

2 cups Par Boiled Rice

1 cup Toor dal

1 Drumstick,  Chopped

2 Brinjals, Quartered

2 Carrots, Chopped

100g French Beans,  Chopped

100g Avaraikai / Broad Beans, Chopped

100g White Radish,  Chopped

100g White pumpkin, Chopped

150g Shallots, Skinned

3 Large tomatoes,  Chopped

Lime Sized Tamarind, Soaked in 1/4th cup water

2 tbsp Sambar Powder

Few Curry Leaves

Some fresh chopped coriander leaves

Salt to Taste

For The Masala powder:

1.5 tbsp Channa Dal

1.5 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1/2 tsp Fenugreek

2 Tbsp Grated Coconut

1/2 tsp Fennel

1 Cinnamon

1 Cardamom

1 Clove

For Tempering:

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal

Few Curry Leaves

4 Dried Red Chillies,  Broken

1/2 tsp Hing

2 tbsp Gingelly Oil

100ml Ghee

The Cooking:

Step 1:

Preparing Rice and Dal:

Soak the rice and dal together for 15 mins. Then pressure cook with required salt, 1/4th tsp turmeric powder and 8 cups of water. Once done turn off heat and let the pressure drop on its own.

Step 2:

Making the masala:

Heat a kadai and dry roast the species SEPARATELY till they turn a golden brown. Let it cool and blend everything together to a fine powder. Keep aside.

NOTE: This can be stored in an air tight container in a freezer for a week.

Step 3:

Prep the Veggies:

Heat a kadai/deep vessel with required gingelly/vegetable oil. Once hot add the shallots and saute till they are pink and translucent. Then add all the veggies. Mix everything for few mins. Then add chopped tomatoes,  sambar powder and required salt. Saute on high for 5 mins till everything is mixed in well.

Then add 3 cups of water and let the Veggies half cook. Meanwhile,  mix the tamarind well that's been soaking in some water.  Strain the tamarind and discard the pulp. Now pour this into the Veggies and cook till the Veggies become tender. Now add the powdered masala and bring to a boil. Turn off heat.

NOTE: The mixture must be in sambar consistency.  Neither too thick nor too runny. Add water accordingly and if its runny let it simmer till reduced.

Step 4:

The final mix:

Heat a large vessel and mix in the cooker rice and dal with the prepared vegetable mixture. Simmer this for 5 mins.

Meanwhile heat a kadai with little oil and ghee. Crackle the mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chillies,  curry leaves and hing. Pour this tadka into the simmering bisibelebath and mix well. Finally add some chopped coriander leaves and simmer for a min before taking off heat.

NOTE: Bisibelebath will thicken as it cools. So don't let the rice simmer too long.

Cheat's Version:

The masala can be stored in an air tight container in the freezer for a week. You can mix already made sambar with pre cooked / leftover rice and sprinkle the masala powder and simmer for few mins. I do this sometimes when am in  a hurry. But I have noticed a slight change in taste. The former version is just delish!  

Happy Cooking!  

Vegetarian

0

Mutton Biryani - Pressure Cooker Method

Amma's Recipe #14

This version of My mom's Biryani is quick, simple yet does not sacrifice in flavour or taste. BIRYANI in a PRESSURE COOKER! In this pressure cooker method the mutton is cooked with onions, tomatoes, mint, coriander and spices and uncooked rice is added to the mutton with required water and cooked till the rice is done. Its so easy and one pot. Recently we both have been trying different Biryani Recipes and sometime I crave for this version. Served hot with boiled eggs, Onions Rita and Biryani Kathirikai. 

Other Biryani Recipes on blog:

Madrasi Chicken Dum Biryani, Mutton Dum Biryani, Dindigul, Mutton Biryani, The Royal Mutton Biryani, Tomato Biryani 

You Will Need:

1 kg Basmati Rice, Soaked 30 mins & Drained
7.5 Cups of Water
A pinch of Orange Colour mixed with 2 tbsp milk

Mutton Marination:

1.5 kg Mutton, Large Cuts

Juice of 1/2 a Lemon

100ml Yogurt

4 Green Cardamoms

4 Cloves

1 Stick Cinnamon

Other Ingredients:

5 cardamom Pods

6 Cloves

2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Star Anise

1/2 Kg Onions, Thinly Sliced

1/2 Kg Tomato, Chopped

10 Green Chilies, Whole
2 tbsps Ginger Garlic Paste

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Mint

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Coriander
1.5 tsp Red Chill Powder, According to taste

Juice of 1/2 a Lemon

100ml Yogurt

50ml Ghee

100ml Vegetable Oil

Salt to Taste

The Cooking:

Step 1:

Marinate the Mutton:

Heat a kadai with a tbsp of oil and roast the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon for couple of mins till they change in colour slightly. Then Cool and grind them to a fine powder. In a large bowl place the mutton and add the ground spices, juice of lemon, yogurt & salt. Mix well using your hands making sure you rub the marinate all over the mutton. Leave this to marinate for an hour at least.

Step 2:

Heat a pressure cooked with oil and ghee on high. Once hot crackle the cardamom, cinnamon, bay-leaf and cloves. Then add the sliced onions and green chilli.

Note: Poke the whole chilies with knife to avoid bursting when cooking.

Note: Place a lit on and stir once in a while.

Step 3:

Saute the onions till they turn a deep golden colour. Now add the the ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 -3 mins till the raw flavour of the ginger garlic paste goes. Then add the red chilli powder and yogurt. Keep stirring to till the oil separates and the gravy bubbles.

Note: Stir constantly after adding the ginger garlic paste to avoid the paste from sticking to the bottom.

Adding Ginger Garlic Paste

Adding Red Chilli Powder

Adding Yogurt

Step 4:

Then tumble in the chopped tomatoes and coriander. Stir and lid on. This needs to cook on high flame till the tomatoes are mushy. Keep stirring in between.

Step 5:
Once the tomatoes are all mushy add the marinated mutton and mix well. Add required salt for the biryani followed by lemon juice and cook for 5 mins so that the mutton is well coated with the gravy.

Step 6:
Pour in water and lid on with the weight. Cook the mutton until 4 - 5 whistles or until the mutton is well cooked. Turn off heat and open after the pressure releases on its own.

Before Mutton Cooked

After Mutton is Cooked

Now check for salt and spice. 

Step 7:
Turn on heat on high and now add the rice.

Note: DO NOT put all the rice together. Take handfuls and put them in spreading evenly. 

Give one quick stir and sprinkle colour water. once the rice starts to bubble, put the lid on with the weight and bring the heat to its LOWEST.  

Turn the heat off after exactly 20 mins. 

Step 8:
Once the pressure has been released by itself, open and run a steel spatula around the biryani. Invert it on to a large basin and gently mix everything together. 

This is how it should look after 20 mins. 

Happy Cooking!

South Indian

3

The Royal Mutton Biryani

My mom & me are on a major Biryani quest. Its like we just can't get enough. We have already cooked and blogged about 4 types of biryani (Madrasi Chicken Dum Biryani, Mutton Dum Biryani & Dindigul Mutton Biryani) including this biryani recipe on the blog and guess what, we are just getting started. I have been hunting down recipes for different varieties of biryani across the nation. Wow, that sounds like am really on a mission ;) My mom has her own version of biryani (am yet to blog about it) since we are busy trying nation's different varieties of biryani, its been very long time she cooked it. If you have got a must try biryani recipe, am all ears! And I also have few more variations in biryani lined up, so do stay tuned. 

The Royal Biryani, not so royal photography! ;)

Breaking of the DUM! Make sure you take a whiff of the steam that is released. 

The Final Mix! 

So, this biryani recipe was shared by Reema Haseeb, author of food blog RIMZYS KITCHEN in one of a food groups. And I immediately knew I got to try it. She calls it Pulao Biryani. But the first word that struck me when I tasted it was 'Royal'. And hence I call it THE ROYAL BIRYANI. It was AMAZING! Through out the making of this biryani, me and my mom kept saying 'wow it smells amazing, wow it smells amazing'. And am so very sorry for the poor photography. My dad was so hungry, he just could not wait till I clicked something good. You can serve this biryani with raita or like us you can enjoy this with Mutton Pepper Fry & Brain Fry, Goat's I mean not the you know ;P 

Serves 4

You Will Need:

1/2 Kg Basmati Rice (Soak 30 mins)

Ingredients 1:

1/2 Kg Mutton

1 inch Ginger

12 Garlic Cloves

1 Big onion, sliced

1 Tomato

1 tsp Salt

1 Stick Cinnamon

1 Black Cardamom 

4 Cloves

15 Black Peppercorns 

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Bay Leaf

4 Cups Water

Ingredients 2:

3/4 Cup of Browned Onions

1 tsp Ginger garlic Paste

1 1/2 Cups Thick Yogurt

1/2 Cup Oil

1 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder

1 tsp Garam Masala

2 Green Chillies

1/4 Cup Chopped Mint

1/4 Cup Chopped Coriander

Required Salt

Orange Food Colour / Few Strands of Saffron Soaked in milk

The Cooking:

Step 1:

In a deep vessel or pressure cooker add all ingredients 1. Cook this for 30 - 45 mins till the water is reduced to a cup. If in a pressure cooker, cook till the 5 or 6 whistles and simmer to reduce the water. Once this this done strain and separate the stock and mutton. 

Step 2:

Heat oil on high in a pan and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute for a min and add the brown onions and yogurt. Stir well till everything is combined. Now add the chilli powder and garam masala and cook till the oil separates. 

Step 3:

Add the mutton and stock to the gravy.

Step 4:

Add chilli, coriander and mint. Cook on high till the gravy is combined together. Take off heat.

Step 5:

Cooking The Rice:

Boil plenty of water and add salt, few mint leaves and juice of half a lime. Once the water comes to a rice boil add the soaked rice. Cook for 7 mins approx. Or keep the flame high and wait till the water starts to come to a rolling boil. Once the water boils strain the rice. 

Step 6:

Layering the Biryani:

 In a wide vessel, place the rice followed by the mutton and gravy. Then sprinkle little brown onions and evenly sprinkle the food colour mix with little milk / saffron soaked in milk. 

Step 7:

Putting the Dum:

Tightly cover the top of the vessel with foil. And cook on low heat for 20 mins. You will see steam coming out after 20 mins which means the rice is fully cooked. 

Step 8:

After 20 mins, turn the heat off and wait for 2 mins. Then carefully peel off the foil (there will be so much steam trapped inside so be careful). 

Tumble this into a wide basin and with a flat spatula / metal spoon gently mix couple of time. What this does is, it evenly mixes the rice and the gravy.

Note: MIX GENTLY, twice or thrice will do.

Serve Immediately!

Like ShobsKitchen on FaceBook! 
Happy Cooking!

Rice Varieties

4

Dindigal Mutton Biryani

#8 Amma's Recipe

I love biryani and am back with another delicious biryani recipe. Hope you have already read my older posts on Madrasi Chicken Dum Biryani, Mutton Dum Biryani and The Royal Biryani. They are to die for.... And now am sharing with you my Mom's (of course its hers...trust me am not that good) DINDIGUL MUTTON BIRYANI! 

Dindigul is a city in Southern Tamil Nadu. Every state in India has their unique way of making biryani. And this Dindigul Biryani is so famous at places like Sivakasi (one of the best cuisines in India), Madurai, Dindigul, Virudhunagar and many more cities close by. Its so different from the Mughal biryani. And I have to tell you, this one tastes just like the biryani at Hotel Junior Kuppanna. So so goood!!! 

Milagai Muttai Varuval, cucumber raita are the best accomplishments for this biryani. Biryani Kathirikai that are served with the mughal biryani does not go with this. This biryani is cooked in a pressure cooker, the ingredients may look long, the process may seem difficult but actually they are not. Cooking in a pressure cooker is so easy. 

This recipe is a keeper of my mom's. Do try and enjoy! 

You Will Need:

1 tsp Fennel Seeds

3 Bay leaves

4 Kalpasi / Black Stone Flower

2 Star Anise

1 kg or 5 Cups of Seeraga Samba Rice

1 Kg Mutton, Large Cuts

5 Medium Sized Onions, Sliced

1/2 Kg Tomato, Chopped

10 Green Chillies

1 Handful Mint, Chopped

1 Handful Coriander Leaves, Chopped

100 ml Yogurt

Salt to Taste

100 ml Ghee

100 ml Vegetable Oil

 7 1/2 Cups of Water ( 1:1.5 Rice Water ratio)

Spice Powder:

3 Cinnamon Sticks

12 Cardamom Pods

12 Cloves

Masala Paste:

10 Green Chillies

100g Shallots

100g Ginger

100g Garlic Cloves

1 Handful Mint Leaves

1 Handful Coriander Leaves

Mutton Marination:

100 ml yogurt

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

Little Salt

Juice of 1 Lemon

The Cooking:

Step 1:

Wash the mutton and marinate the mutton with all the ingredients for marination for at least 30 mins. 

Step 2:

Heat a kadai with a tbsp of oil and fry the spices for spice powder and grind into a fine powder.

 

Step 3:

Grind all the ingredients for masala paste into a smooth paste. 

Step 4:

Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker and crackle fennel seeds, bay leaves, kalpasi and star anise. Add the sliced onions and green chillies. Saute till the onions turn golden brown. 

Step 5: 

Add the masala paste and mix well. Cook for 2 - 3 mins with the lid on.

Step 6:

Now add the mint, coriander leaves, tomatoes and curd. Give a good mix and cook for 5 - 7 mins on high. 

Step 7:

Add the marinated mutton and mix until everything is well incorporated. Then add salt and spice powder and cook for 10 10 mins on medium flame. Stirring continuously to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. 

Step 8:

Pour required water and cook with the pressure cooker lid on until 2 whistles /sounds. Meanwhile wash and soak the rice for 15 - 20 mins. Once the mutton is cooked take off heat and wait till the pressure is released. 

Step 9:

Bring the biryani gravy to boil and add the soaked rice. Let the rice boil and soak up half of the water. Give a good mix and cook for 20 mins on low heat with the pressure cooker lid on. 

Step 10:

Take off heat after 20 mins and wait for the pressure to release. Then run a flap metal spatula around the biryani and invert into a large serving dish and gently mix so that the masala and the rice are uniform. 

Serve hot with any accomplishments you like! 

Like ShobsKitchen On FaceBook! 

Happy Cooking!

South Indian

1

Mutton Dum Biryani

#2 Amma's Recipe

I know you will kick me if I speak anymore about Biryani. I already said too much in my previous post on Madrasi Chicken Dum Biryani, Dindigul Mutton Biryani & The Royal Biryani! And now my lips are sealed. 

But I want to insist on two things again and again. Use good quality mutton and good quality basmati rice. The flavour to the biryani is basically from the rice and mutton. 

There is also a video demonstration for this recipe, you can find the video on YouTube HERE. It was a casually shot video by me but later I decided to put it up so that you can see exactly at what stages the ingredients go in. 

Serves 7

You Will Need

For Mutton Marination:

1.5 Kg of Mutton, Big Cuts

1/2 Cup of Thick Yogurt

Juice of a Lemon

For The Gravy:

Oil - 150 ml

Ghee - 2 Tbsp (If you wish you can increase or decrease the proportion of both)

6 Cardamom Pods

4 Cinnamon Sticks

3 Bay leaves

6 Cloves

1/2 kg of Onions, Sliced

1/2 Kg of Tomatoes, Chopped

20 Green Chilies, Pricked (You don't want it bursting on your face)

2 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste

Handful of Roughly Chopped Coriander Leaves

Handful of Roughly Chopped Mint Leaves

1.5 tsp of Red Chili Powder

1/2 Cup of Thick Yogurt

Salt to Taste

For The Rice:

1 kg Basmati Rice, Soaked for 20 - 25 mins

Ample Water to Cook the Rice

Required Salt for the Rice

A tbsp of Oil

3 Cardamom Pods

2 Bay leaves

2 Cinnamon Sticks

5 Cloves

Other Ingredients:

Few Strands of Saffron Soaked in 1/4 Cup of Warm Milk 

OR

Mix Little Orange Food Color in 1/4 Cup of Milk

Dough to Seal the Dum / Foil

The Cooking:

Step 1:

Mix all the ingredients for marination together and let it rest for atleast an hour or overnight.

Step 2:

Heat a pressure cooker or any heavy bottom vessel, add oil and ghee. Once hot crackle the whole garam masala spices on high heat. Then add the sliced onions and saute till it turns pink and translucent. 

Step 3:

Add the pricked green chillies and saute till the onions turn to a light golden brown. Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a min followed by red chilli powder. Mix well and saute for couple of mins.

Step 4:

Add the yogurt and mix to incorporate. Then add the coriander and mint leaves, stirring well for a min. 

Step 5:

Tumble in the chopped tomatoes and saute well on high heat. The tomatoes need to go a little mushy. Add required salt for the gravy and cook covered for 5 - 7 mins.

Step 6:

Now, add the marinated mutton along with the marinade. Make sure you mix reaching all the way to the bottom of the cooker. Cover and cook for 10 mins giving time for the marinade and the gravy to come together and the mutton to soak up all the juices. Add water. Then lid on, and pressure cook it on high till 2 sounds.

Since, the mutton is marinated for a long time and its been cooking for 10 mins with the gravy 2 sounds is actually enough. But if you find if the mutton needs more cooking time then go for another one or two sounds. 

If not cooking in a pressure cooker, then cover and cook till the meat is tender. 

Once the mutton is done, check for salt, spice and sourness. The mutton gravy needs to be salty, spicy and sour enough for the gravy. If not, adjust accordingly and cook on medium heat for few mins. 

Step 7:

Meanwhile, bring ample water to boil. Make sure you really have loads of water, so that the rice do not stick with each other and break. Add required salt and oil to the water along with the whole garam masalas. You can add them directly or tie in a cheese cloth and throw it in. 

Step 8:

Once the water comes to a vigorous boil, carefully spoon in the rice. Once the last of rice goes it stir everything together once and bring the rice to a vigorous boil. 

They usually say the rice must be 70% cooked or 75% cooked. But I have no idea about it and this is how I always remember it. One vigorous boil after adding the rice, and THAT'S IT. 

Step 9:

By this time the mutton will be cooked perfectly. Scoop out the excess oil you see floating above the gravy. My mom usually adds it to the rice in the end or you can discard if you think its too much ;) 

So, anyway you can either use a different heavy bottom vessel to prepare the dum or just a pressure cooker. 

Now divide the gravy in half and add the first half of the gravy to the bottom of a pot or saucepan or vessel or whatever you are going to put the dum in. Then scoop out the rice carefully and layer half of the semi - cooked rice on top of the gravy. 

Then top it off with the remaining gravy and then finally the remaining rice. Sprinkle the saffron milk / food color over the rice evenly and pour the oil which you have scooped out earlier. 

Make sure your rice is evened out and you spread the saffron milk and the oil evenly, not pouring everything in one place. 

Step 10:

Place the dough around the edges  of the cooker and place a flat lid securing it tightly. My mom places a pot of boiling water over the lid it keep the steam in and also to provide source of heat from above. 

When putting on dum, place a heavy bottomed tava so that the heat is distributed evenly and the biryani does not stick to the bottom. 

If using foil, simply wrap the foil tightly around the cooker.

Cook for 25 - 30 mins on Medium low heat.

Step 11:

Carefully break the dum and with a flat metal spatula gently mix the rice from the edges. Be careful not to over mix. 

Serve Hot with Biryani Kathirikai, Onions Raita and Boiled Eggs ;)

IMPORTANT POINTERS:

• If using very fatty mutton, go less on the oil. 

Like ShobsKitchen On FaceBook! 

Happy Cooking!

South Indian

1