Mrs Ayyers Vegetable Biryani With Tempered Onion Cucumber Raita Food

RAITA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Season with the salt and pepper, to taste.

CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Remove and discard the skin from the chicken legs and breasts. Cut each leg into drumstick and thigh, and quarter the breasts.
• To prepare the marinade paste, peel and coarsely chop the garlic, ginger, and 3 onions. Place in a blender with the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, poppy seeds, mace, 1 teaspoon salt, and the lemon juice. Blend to a smooth paste. Turn into a large bowl, add the yogurt, and mix well.
• Dry Roasting: Spices are often dry-roasted before use. It is best to do this over medium heat in a preheated small, heavy, cast-iron frying pan. No oil is used; the spices are just stirred around in the pan with a wooden spatula until they brown lightly. Roasted spices develop a heightened, nutty aroma. They can be stored for several months in an airtight jar.
• Peel the 3 remaining onions, halve lengthwise, and slice finely. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the bay leaves and cardamom pods. Fry for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the sliced onions and fry, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until brown and crisp, but not burned. Remove with a slotted spoon, squeezing out as much oil as possible. Reserve the oil, cardamoms, and bay leaves. Add 2/3 of the fried onions to the marinade paste and mix well. Drain the rest on paper towels and set aside for garnishing.
• Pierce the chicken pieces with a fork and add to the bowl of marinade paste; mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, turning the chicken occasionally.
• Transfer the chicken and marinade to a large heavy-based cooking pot or pan. Bring slowly to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Lift out the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and place them in a 6-quart casserole dish; cover and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Crumble the saffron into the warm milk and set aside to soak.
• Boil the marinade paste, stirring, over a medium heat, until reduced to 9 to 10 tablespoons. Spoon the paste over the chicken. Cover again.
• Pour about 3 quarts water into a large cooking pot or flameproof casserole. Add 3 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Add the rice, bring back to a boil, then simmer for precisely 5 minutes. Drain the rice in a colander, then place it on top of the chicken in the casserole.
• Pour the saffron-infused milk over the rice, streaking it with orange lines. Sprinkle the reserved cardamom, bay leaves, and oil over the rice (retaining 1 tablespoon oil, for frying the raisins, if using). Cover the casserole dish with foil, cut 2 inches wider than the rim of the dish. Now put the lid on and use the protruding foil edges to seal the dish as best you can by crinkling it and pushing it against the sides. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
• To prepare the garnishes, if including raisins fry them briefly in the reserved oil. Lightly toast the almonds if you wish. Quarter the hard-cooked eggs lengthwise, or cut into slice.
• Spoon the rice and chicken onto a large warm platter. Sprinkle with the fried onions, raisins, almonds and hard-cooked eggs. Serve hot.

MRS. AYYER'S VEGETABLE BIRYANI WITH TEMPERED ONION-CUCUMBER RAITA

Steps:

• Peel seed, and cut the cucumber into 1/2-inch dice. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the ghee in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and saute for about 3 minutes, or until the seeds begin to pop. Remove immediately from the heat. Combine yogurt and buttermilk in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the mustard seeds and ghee. Fold in 1/2 cup of the onion and the reserved cucumber. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Cover and refrigerate the raita until ready to use. Put the carrots and beans in a medium saucepan filled with rapidly boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain well and refresh under cold running water. Pat dry and set aside. Put the remaining 1/4 cup of ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cayenne chile, garlic, ginger, and the remaining onion and saute for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the lime juice. Stir in the peas and the reserved carrots and beans and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the saffron, cumin, garam masala, and turmeric and saute for 1 minute. Add the rice and continue to saute for an 5 additional minutes. Stir in the cashews and serve with a bowl of tempered onion-cucumber raita on the side.