Air Fryer Chicken Biryani - Healthy and Delicious

Air Fryer Biryani is an innovative way of preparing healthy and less oil rice / food.  This is excellent for diet and health conscious people.  They need not avoid have this delicious biryani now. 

Ingredients

200 Grams Chicken boneless - cubed
1 Teaspoon Chilly powder
1 Teaspoon Biryani Masala
1/4 Teaspoon Garam masala
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Mint leaves - chopped
2 Tablespoons Coriander leaves - chopped 

2 Green chillies - slit
1 Teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
1 Large Tomato - sliced
1/4 Teaspoon Shahjeera
1 Teaspoon Ghee
1 Tablespoons Lime juice
Salt to taste
1 Cup Yogurt
1/2 Cup Fried onions
A Pinch of Saffron or Tandoori color

For the Rice
1.1/2 Cups Basmati Rice
2 Cloves
1 Stick Cinnamon
1 Cardamon
1 Brown Cardamon
3 Peppercorns
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin seeds

Method

A Pinch of Saffron or Tandoori colour mixed in a tablespoon of water, keep aside.

Boil the rice with salt and spices and cook it till 70% done. Drain add a teaspoon of oil or ghee to it and keep aside to cool.

Preheat the air fryer at 180 degree C for 5 minutes.

Take a bowl and add boneless chicken, chilli powder,biryani garam masala and  turmeric  powder, chopped mint, chopped coriander, slit green chilly, ginger garlic paste, shahjeera, ghee, lime juice & salt then mix it, add half of the curd and mix it well again. Keep it aside for a hour. 

Then take the pieces of chicken with little of the marinade in a another bowl. 

Add rest of the curd to the remaining marinade and mix it well. 

In a tiffin box or a pyrex dish spread half of cooked rice, sprinkle little fried onions, half of curd mixture and arrange 2 to 3 slices of tomato repeat the process again add a layer of rice, sprinkle fired onions and arrange the slices of tomato to form layer 

add marinated chicken pieces again add fried onions also add saffron water on top of it. 

Dot it  a teaspoon butter , if you are not very diet conscious.

 Place the lid tiffin box/Pyrex dish,  keep it in the air fryer basket . 

Cook at 180 degree C for the first 10 to 12 minutes.  Then at 200 degree C for 15 to 20 minutes ( this time will vary according to the quantity  and size of the dish). After 15 minutes switch off the air fryer and let it rest in the air fryer for 5 minutes. 

Serve this hot. This biryani is slightly dry since it has less oil,ghee or butter and a healthy one with less fat and calories. Have this with raita and enjoy this healthy air fryer biryani.

Check this recipe that I made from this Biryani - 

Iraqi Parda Plau - Phyllo Pastry Wrapped Biryani

Labels : Air Fryer, Chicken, Rice, Healthy, Biryani

Chicken Biryani

It’s the 10th of February and its time for to reveal what special savory, I made for Mena's Cooking Club, its a Chicken Biryani.

This month in Mena's Cooking Club, I am travelling to Kuwait. Kuwait /kuːˈweɪt/ (Arabic: دولة الكويت‎), officially the State of Kuwait, is an Arab country in Western Asia. Situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, it shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As of 2014, Kuwait has a population of 4.1 million people; 1.2 million are Kuwaitis and 2.8 million are expatriates.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Kuwait was a prosperous center of trade and commerce. Starting in the early 20th century, its regional economic importance declined, and by 1934 Kuwait had lost its prominence in long-distance trade.Kuwait's economy was devastated by several trade blockades. During World War I, the British Empire imposed a blockade against Kuwait because its ruler supported the Ottoman Empire. Following the Kuwait–Najd War of 1919–1920, Saudi Arabia maintained a trade blockade against the country from 1923 until 1937. In 1990, Kuwait was invaded by Iraq. The Iraqi occupation came to an end after military intervention by United States-led forces.

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliamentary system. The country ranks highly in regional comparisons of national performance, including protection of civil liberties, press freedom and judicial independence. Kuwait is frequently ranked as having the freest press in the Arab world.

Ingredients

750 Grams Basmati Rice
4 Peppercorns
6 Cloves
2 Pieces of Cinnamon
4 Green Cardamom
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Kg Chicken - cut into 12 pieces
2.1/2 Cups Yogurt
2 Tablespoons heaped Biryani masala
2 Tablespoons Red Chili powder
1 Teaspoon leveled Turmeric
1 Teaspoons heaped Cumin powder
1/2 Teaspoon Orange red color
1/2 Cup Fried Onions / Birista
1 + 1 Teaspoon Ginger - Garlic paste
1.1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 Larges Tomatoes - sliced
4 Potatoes - cut into quaters (I used baby potatoes)
6 Cloves
6 Black pepper whole
2 Black cardamom (Badi Elachie)
6 Green chilies - finely chopped
1 Cup Coriander leaves - chopped
1/2 Mint leaves
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Teaspoon Kewra water.

Method

Marinate chicken with yogurt, biryani masala, chilly, turmeric, cumin powder,1 teaspoon ginger- garlic paste, salt, color, fried onions ( reserve 1/2 of it for the layering ), 1/2 the quantity of mint and coriander leaves, mix it well and keep it overnight in the refrigerator or for minimum 30 minutes.

Wash the rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes boil rice with 2 Tablespoons salt and the whole spices (peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamon, cumin), cook the rice till just 3/4th done. Drain and keep aside.

In a cooking pan, heat the oil, fry the potatoes till light brown, keep aside. 

In the same oil add cloves, peppercorns, badi elachie the sliced tomatoes, green chilies and cook till soft , then add the 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and fry till oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Then add the marinated chicken and fry well, cover and cook till done and the gravy is thick and saucy.

Take 2 tablespoons Oil a another heavy bottom pan, add 1/4 cup water and spread 1/2 the rice.

Pour the chicken with the gravy.

Arrange the potatoes, then sprinkle little fried onions, coriander and mint leaves.

Then again cover it with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the remaining onions, coriander and mints leaves, kewra water.

Cover and cook on high flame for 10 minutes, then keep on low flame for 20 minutes only.  After 20 minutes switch off flame. 

Serve hot with raita or curds.

Labels :  Asian Cuisine, Mena Cooking Club, Rice, Biryani

Kacche Mutton Dum Biryani - Bangalore Style

This biryani does not have much spices, just chopprized green masala and rest is prepared in a breeze. My guest were surprised to know that this does not have spices which is a must for biryani. This biryani has an awesome taste and is ready in flat 30 minutes.

Ingredients

750 Grams Mutton - biryani cut
1 Tablespoon Papaya paste or Meat Tenderizer
1 Tablespoon + 2 Tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Cup Coriander leaves - chopprized
8-10 Green chilies - chopprized
Mint leaves / Podina a handful - chopprized
500 Grams Yogurt
1 Cup Milk
¼ Teaspoon Saffron
½ Cup Oil
1 Cup Fried Onions
4 Nos Potatoes - Chopped into fours
A pinch Turmeric
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg powder
1 Tablespoon Roasted Cumin powder

Juice of a lemon
500 Grams Basmati Rice - washed and soaked
Whole Spices:

6 Cloves
2 sticks Cinnamon
2 Badi Elachie / Brown Cardamon
2 Green Cardamon
8 Peppercorns

Method

Marinate mutton with a tablespoon ginger garlic, 2 tablespoons curd, salt and papaya, mix well,  leave it over night in fridge.

Soak rice for 30 minutes, then boil rice with salt, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamons and badi elachie till half (50%) done and keep aside.
Heat oil,  fry potatoes and keep aside.

Heat oil in thick bottomed vessel and add marinated mutton, chopprized  green masala and garam masala, remaining ginger garlic and yogurt with haldi and cumin powder, and bring it to a slight boil, stir lightly. Sprinkle on top, ½ fried onions and arrange the fried potatoes ( see that this point you to do stir the mixture ).  Cover with a lid and leave it on high flame for 5 minutes.  Then without stirring gently place on the top boiled rice.   Sprinkle milk with saffron, juice of lemon, nutmeg powder and the remaining fried onions, chopped coriander and mint leaves on top.

Seal with aluminium foil and keep it on a heated griddle / tawa.  Leave it on high flame for 10 minutes and then put it on dum / low flame for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes your biryani is ready.

This is my entry for the BM #48, theme Biryani.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48


Labels: Biryani, Blogging Marathon, Rice

Making Crispy Deep-Fried Onions / Birista

If you are familiar with Indian food, you have eaten their birista (bah-REES-tah): thinly-sliced crispy, golden, deep-fried onions. They are eaten as a snack and used as an additive to, or a topper for, delectable dishes like biryani, curries, steamed rice, mashed potato filling, soups, salads, sandwiches, grilled meats, meat patties and savory breads.
These onions are full of flavor and enhance the dish to a great extent.   So lets make it ......

Ingredients

4 Large Onions - peeled

Oil for deep frying

Method

Cut onions into thin slices, and keep them to dry spread on a sheet for an hour at least.  Then using your fingertips just separate them.

After an hour,  heat oil  deep fry pan or kadai, heat it on medium flame, place a handful of them at a time in it.

Using your fingertips, sprinkle a little, don't dump all at once the sliced onions into the hot oil.

Using a long-handled fork,  give the onions a quick stir to make sure they are separated.

After three minutes, during the cooking process, they will look like this, just beginning to show signs of browning.

Give the onions another quick stir with the fork to, once again, make sure they are staying separated.

Continue to fry, another 3 minutes.  They will look like this photo: golden brown with white centers.

Stir onions one last time and when you find this light golden brown color remove them with a slotted spoon on to a absorbent paper ( do wait till they are very dark brown or else they will have a burnt taste). Repeat the process until all onions are deep-fried. 

Cool at least 1 hour before serving.

They stay good if kept in the deep freezer for months.

Labels : Rice, Vegetarian, Onion, Fried Onions, Biryani, Birista

Nauratan Biryani

This called Nauratan Biryani because there are nine vegetables and all full of nutrition. Even though in this Biryani there are leafy veggies, it taste awesome. My hubby and daughter do not like to eat leafy veggies, so I did not tell them any thing till they finished their lunch. When I, revealed that this has more of leafy veggies they were surprised and said that this taste really awesome. We had this for our dinner too and really enjoyed it.

Ingredients
1/2 Kg  Basmati Rice 

4 Cloves

4 Peppercorns

2 Sticks Cinnamon

2 Badi Elachie
1 Cup Spinach - finely chopped
1 Cup Methi - finely chopped
1/2 Cup Lal Math / Red Chawli leves - chopped
1/2 Cup Soya / Dill Leaves - finely chopped
1/2 Cup Barik Methi - finely chopped
1 Cup Peas
2 Carrots - cubed
12 French beans - cut in big bits
4 Large Tomatoes - sliced
2 Large Onion - Finely sliced
2 Teaspoons heaped Ginger - Garlic paste
3 Teaspoons Chilly powder
1.1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 Teaspoon heaped Roasted Cumin powder
2 Teaspoon heaped Coriander powder
1 Teaspoon Kewra water
1/2 Cup Milk
A pinch yellow color
1/2 Cup Oil

Method

Soak rice for 30 minutes, then boil rice with salt, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and badi elachie till 80% done and keep aside.

Mix the yellow color and kewra water in the milk, keep aside
In a vessel heat oil add the barik methi and fry for 2 minutes.  Then add the onions, fry till light brown.  Add the sliced tomatoes and when soft then add ginger-garlic paste and all powder masalas,  salt and little water and let it cook till oil leaves then add all the veggies and fry well.  Cover and cook till they are done. Switch off the flame.

Grease another thick bottom vessel add 1/2  the quantity of rice, then add the veggies,  then  the remaining rice, Sprinkle the milk, about 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee , seal this with an aluminium foil or a tight lid.  Place this on a heated girdle or tawa first 5 minutes on high flame, then reduce the flame to low and keep it for 15 minutes. The Biryani is ready, serve this Boondhi Raita.

This is my entry for the BM #48, theme Biryani.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48.

Labels: Biryani, Blogging Marathon, Rice

Veg Biryani

I prepared this Veg Biryani, for our Christmas Lunch and our guest enjoyed the biryani.  This is very easy and quick to prepare.  If you chop the veggies and keep  ready, the rest are all ingredients that at there in the kitchen. 

Ingredients

750 Grams Rice
3 Potatoes - cut into large pieces
1 Cup Yogurt
8 Nos. Alu Bukhara / Dried Apricots
1 Large Capsicum - cut in large cubes
1/2 Cup Soya / Dill Leaves - finely chopped
1/2 Cup Barik Methi - finely chopped
1 Cup Peas
2 Carrots - cubed
1 Cup French beans - cut in big bits
4 Large Tomatoes - sliced
1 Cup Onions brown - fried onions
1 Tablespoon Ginger - Garlic paste
3 Teaspoons Chilly powder
1.1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala powder
2 Teaspoon heaped Coriander powder
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Teaspoon Zaffron / Saffron
3/4 Cup Oil

For the Carrot Raita

2 Cups thick curds - slightly drained

2 Large Carrots - grated

1 Green chilly - finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Dill/ Soya 

1 Teaspoon Coriander - finely chopped

Method

Soak rice for 30 minutes,  then boil rice with salt till 80% done and keep aside.

Add chilly, turmeric,  and coriander powder in the yogurt and mix well, keep aside.

Mix saffron in milk ¾ cup.

Heat oil add barik methi and fry then add ginger- garlic paste fry well then add the tomatoes, stir fry for  a minutes, cover and cook till they are soft and mushy.  Then add the potatoes and fry,  then add masala mix yogurt and fry well.  Then add fried onions only half the quantity keep the other half for the rice. Then add the beans, carrots, peas and fry well, cover and cook till veggies are nearly done,  add alu bhukara, dill, the capsicum mix well, cover and cook till potatoes are done. Lastly add the garam masala stir and switch off the flame.

 In heavy bottom vessel add 2 tablespoons oil and ¼ cup water grease the pan well then add 1/2 the quantity of rice then all vegetable with gravy then again rice, sprinkle fried onions, the milk with saffron. Cover and keep on dum on griddle first on high flame for 10 minutes, then reduce the flame to medium low and cook for 15 minutes.  Serve hot with carrot raita.

For the Raita - Mix all the ingredients and serve chilled with the Biryani.

This is my entry for the BM #48, theme Biryani.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48

Labels: Biryani, Blogging Marathon, Rice, Vegetarian, Apricots, Dill, Barik Methi, French Beans, Carrot, Raita, Capsicum

Masoor Biryani

The recipe I am going to share today is Masoor Biryani. I had this at friends birthday party and from that time on wanted to try this recipe. I have made this recipe many times, it's tasty and is a keeper. You will not fail if you try this recipe that is assured. 
As you know biryani is a lengthy process, but let this not deter you from making it, because it taste awesome. So, lets prepare this awesome recipe.

Ingredients
2 Cups Whole Masoor Dal - (Soaked and boiled)
7 Onions - sliced
4 Potatoes  (cut into quarters and fried)
3 Tomatoes - finely chopped
1 Cup Yogurt
2 Tablespoon Biryani masala
1 Tablespoons Chilly powder

1 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1 Tablespoons Cumin
1 Bay Leaf
2 Big Brown Cardamons
1 Inch Cinnamon
3 Cloves
3 Peppercorns
3 Tablespoons Coriander powder
2 Tablespoons Ginger & garlic paste

Oil
A pinch of Kesar/Saffron strands soaked in milk
3 Tablespoons Lemon juice 

Method
Heat oil in a pan ,add cumin seeds and bay leaf, cardamons, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns, let then crackle. Then add half the onions fry till golden brown.  Add ginger- garlic paste, tomatoes, chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder, biryani masala and fry till oil separates . Add yogurt and fry for a few minutes till moisture evaporates. Then add the dal and fry well taking care that the dal is not mashed.

The Masoor dal is ready.
In a another pan had enough oil and deep fry  the remaining onions till brown and crisp.   This  Crispy Deep Fried Onions / Birista ,will be used for garnishing and layering of the biryani.
For the rice
Ingredients
2 Cups Basmati Rice ( I used sela basmati rice)
2 Tablespoon Ghee
1 Bay leaf
2 Small Green Cardamoms
1 Tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
Salt to taste
3 Cups Water
Method
In a pan heat ghee, add the bay leaf and cardamoms. Add the ginger garlic paste. Add water and salt and bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and cook on high till all water evaporates and then on slow for till rice is 3/4th done. Just sprinkle oil or ghee and spread it on a plate to cool.

For the layering
Grease a thick bottom vessel with oil or ghee. Then, first place a layer of the dal.

Sprinkle the lemon juice, garnish it with mint leaves and coriander leaves. Arrange the fried potatoes. Then sprinkle some fried onions.

Then cover this with a layer of cooked rice. Sprinkle kesar/saffron milk evenly on the rice. Then continue with the dal and the rest of layering process .

Lastly sprinkle the last of the kesar/saffron milk, garnish with fried onions.

Dot some butter or ghee on top cover with foil or a tight lid and cook on slow flame for 15 minutes.

My Notes: I arranged the layers in an oven proof dish and covered it with foil. Place this dish it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.  
I have also place tomato wedges as the sides. 

We enjoyed this dish with curds, papad cone and salad with sliced onions and cucumber sticks with a sprinkle of chat masala.

Sending this to Mireille's, challenge cooking with seeds.

Labels: Complete Meal, Masoor dal, Lentils, Rice, Healthy, Main course, Cooking with seeds,  Gluten free, Biryani, Birista