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

Kolkata Style Egg Roll / Wrap

When m daughter use to go for her drawing class to a Bengali teacher she would very often prepare Egg Rolls and give the children. My daughter loved them so much that one day she told me to ask her the recipe. This recipe is so simple and quick. We often have this for our dinner. So here's the recipe.
Makes: 4 rolls
Ingredients
4 Plain Whole Wheat Chapatti
4 Eggs
Onion - thinly sliced
1 Capsicum - thinly sliced
2 Green chilies - finely chopped
A juice from 1 lemon or White vinegar to taste
Salt to taste
Tomato ketchup as  required
Mustard sauce as required
Method 

Combine the sliced onions, capsicum, green chillies along with salt, mustard sauce and lemon juice, keep aside.

Beat one egg with salt and pepper in a small bowl (we will beat them one at a time and not all four eggs together)

Heat a skillet, add a teaspoon of oil; pour in the whisked egg into the skillet. Swirl it around so it spreads to the entire skillet surface.
Before the egg starts cooking, place the paratha on the egg and press it gently. Flip the paratha when the egg is done and cook for a few seconds.
Remove the egg paratha from the skillet and place it on a board with the egg side facing up.  

Dot it with ketchup 

Then place the onion, capsicum mixture in the center.  

Wrap up the roll into aluminum foil or grease proof paper to hold it together. Repeat the same procedure for the remaining eggs, parathas and onion mixture. Enjoy !!! 

This is my entry for the BM #48, theme Roll and Wraps.
Labels: Wraps, Blogging Marathon, Sandwiches, Rolls, Kolkata

Mutton Kebabs Wraps

Wraps are a delicious and healthy alternative to standard sandwiches and meal. They’re also neat and compact, making them perfect to pack for a lunch in the office or a healthy lunch on the go. These healthy wraps, are also great for a light dinner.

Tortilla Recipe
Ingredients
1 Cup All-purpose flour
1 Cup Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Oil
1 1/4 cups warm water (approximate)

In a large bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the water little at a time and mix the dough quickly with your hand until the dough forms a mass. Knead the dough to form soft dough that is no longer sticky. Cover the dough to let it rest for about 10 minutes. Allowing the dough to rest lets any of the liquid absorb into the flour, which will give you a softer tortilla after cooking.

Divide the dough in equal parts accordingly and on a lightly floured surface take one of the dough balls and begin to roll it out just like the thickness of chapatti. Heat a griddle, over medium to medium-high heat place a tortilla cook tortillas for a 1 minute on each side.

For the Filling
Ingredients
Mutton Kebabs
Capsicum sliced
Onion sliced
Tomato sliced
Green chilli finely chopped
salt to taste
1 Teaspoon Vinegar/Lemon juice
Mint Chutney

Method
In a plate place the capsicum, onions,tomato and green chilly, mix well, add salt and vinegar and mix again, keep it aside.

To assemble
Place the tortilla/ wrap on a place. Apply the mint chutney and place the kebab first.  Add the salad on the it. Roll it and serve it immediately.

We had these wraps for our lunch. There were yum and very filling. This was a welcomed change from our regular roti sabzi. You too try it and give your comments. To make it vegetarian you can add a veg kebab.

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

Labels: Wraps, Blogging Marathon, Sandwiches, Rolls