Biryani Bloopers

Biryani – the word immediately tickles the senses with the tantalising aroma of various Indian spices & basmati rice. This intricate and flavorful preparation is quite popular across the Indian subcontinent and is a mixed rice dish with layers of spicy masala using either meat, eggs or vegetables. Ingredients vary according to the region and the types of meat used. I’ve tried the Kolkata Biryani, the Hyderabad Biryani & the Dindigul Biryani – all varied and supremely delicious!

One memory that the word ‘Biryani’ never fails to resurrect is of a time when I had just begun experimenting in the kitchen. During the summer holidays, my Goan cousins and I would make it a point to go for a picnic somewhere – sometimes it was Colva Beach with its silvery, white sand, very often it was Old Goa (don’t ask me how often we went there), and once, it was a day at Kullem, or what we called Kolem.  Here, there is a little waterfall and lake/stream that is quite popular with tourists today. At the time of when I am writing, the place was not as well-known and so, made for a blessed retreat from the scorching Indian sun.

Now, coming back to my story, my cousins had planned a day trip to this place in Kolem and, as we were wont to do, we decided to prepare a meal to take along with us. So, we settled on the usual sandwiches and chorisio-pav and, in a moment of over-confidence, decided to prepare some Biryani. That, I must shame-facedly admit, was my idea.

Assisted by my cousin, I set about preparing the meal. We marinated the chicken, ground the spices, steamed the rice etc. etc. and after a little over an hour, our biryani was ready.

Buzo, our dog, had been hovering around our ankles ever since he smelt the meat in the kitchen, so we spooned a little of the biryani into his plate so he could enjoy it as well. Strangely, he gave it a few sniffs and refused to touch it at all. It just lay there on his plate all day.

The morning was spent frolicking in the cool waters at Kolem and all the excitement had us starving well before noon. Everyone dried off and grabbed a plate, all set to feast on biryani. However, with every morsel, the enthusiasm was visible dropping. Something wasn’t right, and you could see it on our faces…and in the fact that everyone was making grabs at the sandwiches and chorisio-pav. Only Xavier (God bless him) mustered up the courage to ask for second helpings of what is now famously remembered as Kawwa Biryani – that’s Crow Biryani. You never make it. You most certainly never eat it.

I don’t think anyone who was present at that picnic has ever forgotten the Kawwa Biryani. What a fiasco that was! Even though I have gotten much, much better at preparing the dish over the years, I always remember the Kawwa Biryani and smile at the memory.

Here now is my new & improved version of the Kawwa Biryani. And to set your mind at ease, let me assure you that it’s not made with Crow. I use Chicken or Mutton.

INGREDIENTS

Spices (group 01): 1.2 tbsp fennel seeds, ½ tbsp coriander seeds, 3 bay leaves, 1 small onion, sliced, 5 cloves of garlic, 1” cinnamon stick, a small piece of mace, 4 cloves, ½ big cardamom, a small piece of nutmeg & salt to taste.

Spices (group 02): 1 large onion, sliced fine, ½ tsp cumin, 6 peppercorns, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms, 1 big cardamom.

Spice powders: 1 tbsp biryani powder (I prepare this at home, but you can always buy it from the nearest grocery store), ½ tsp red chillie powder.

Other ingredients: ½ kg basmati rice (washed & soaked), ½ kg mutton, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 4-5 green chillies, ½ cup yogurt and 4 tbsp oil. 6-7 baby potatoes, par-boiled & peeled. 

METHOD

Marinate the mutton for at least two hours with the ginger-garlic paste, curds and salt to taste.

In a pressure cooker, heat 1 cup of water. Add all the spices in group 01 to the water and pressure cook for up to 2 whistles on medium flame. Add the mutton and allow it to cook for one more whistle. Release pressure immediately. Separate the meat from the stock, strain the stock & keep it aside.

In another vessel, cook the rice till ¾ cooked, drain and spread in a plate.

Heat oil and fry the baby potatoes till golden brown. Keep aside. In the same oil sauté the onions till golden brown. Drain & set aside. To the same oil, add the spices of group 02, the green chillies and the ginger garlic paste. Next add the mutton, the potatoes and the spice powders. Stir well. Pour in the stock. When it simmers gently, add in the rice ans spread evenly to cover the meat & gravy.

 Cover and cook until done.

Note: I refrain from using food colour, but you may use some if you so choose. Just blend in with some milk and sprinkle over the rice before final step of the cooking process.

*tip: at this point, I usually place on old pan between the vessel & the burner. Have found that this prevents the rice from burning and sticking to the bottom of the vessel.

Delicious, fragrant biryani is ready to eat. 

Bon Appetit!

A Pita by any name.......

For as long as I can remember, every summer vacation was spent at our hometown in Goa. As the school term came to a close, my mind would fill up with fancy plans of long days spent ambling in the sun, picking Bengal Berries / Christ’s Thorns, sweet little berries we knew as karondas.

These sweet berries weren’t all I looked forward to during the holidays. On my way home from Sunday mass, I also enjoyed stealing guavas from the tree that stood outside the village baker’s house (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa).

Now, this baker, commonly called podair, would make his rounds of the village on a bicycle laden with freshly baked bread of all sorts. There were the regular loaves of bread called pav. Then, the kankonn, or the bangle, a hard, crunchy bread that looked like a bangle or bagel. What I liked best was the poi, also known by many as bhakri. A round flatbread that was hollow in the middle and could be pulled apart, eaten with curries or simply paired with hot, black tea. When in Goa, these bhakris were something I looked forward to. Especially those sold by Auntie Elsa, whose husband owned the grocery store in my mum’s village.

For Rs.20 (or was it 25?) she’d stuff a warm poi with shredded roast beef & some basic salad – that was it. Beef Bhakri. Delectable! Every summer vacation was incomplete without at least one of these super yummy treats. What made it even more desirable was the fact that Auntie Elsa prepared just a limited quantity each day & more often than not, they were sold out well before noon.

Sadly, this treat is no longer available as the little village shop has long undergone a face lift and is now a supermarket. But I still dream of the many times we walked home munching on these stuffed bhakris, savouring the flavours of the roast meat & veggies married together so beautifully. 

A couple of week ago, I decided to teach myself to make Pita Bread. Had been hearing it mentioned in a couple of cookbooks and travel channels, so purchased the ingredients and set about making the bread. By the time I was done and transferred the first, soft, puffed pita bread onto my plate, I was thrilled! Here on my plate was my very first, homemade bhakri. Pita Bread, Poi and Bhakri, I realised then, are one and the same. Oh great joy!

What do you think I did next? Yes, of course – the Beef Bhakri, although I used chicken instead. So, here it is then, my take on Auntie Elsa’s super delicious Beef Bhakri.

INGREDIENTS

For the bhakri:

1 cup warm water, ½ tsp yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 ¾ cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp oil.

For the chicken:

(I had only one drumstick at hand)

½ tsp ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp lime juice, ¼ tsp chillie powder, 1 tbsp oil  & salt, to taste. ½ finely sliced onion, ½ tbsp oil, 1 dry red chillie & a pinch of sugar.

For the salad:

A small piece of cabbage, ¼ onion, ¼ tsp sugar, 1 tsp lime juice & salt & pepper, to taste.

METHOD

The bhakri:

First, to the lightly warm water, add the sugar and yeast. Stir & set aside for about a minute or two. Now add it to the rest of the ingredients and knead well till the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide into about 8 portions and roll out each of them into flat discs of a little less than ½ cm thickness. (These will be stuffed later, so I kept them thick enough to hold the stuffing without making a mess). Cover with a damp cloth and allow to proof for about an hour.

Heat a pan and dry roast each bhakri disc until it puffs up. This takes about 2 minutes.

Here’s how I check on it….

Plop the disc on the hot pan

When the colour changes lightly, flip it.

When little puff pockets appear, flip it again.

Now the whole disc puffs up & it’s done!

Keep the prepared bhakri wrapped in a clean kitchen towel. This will ensure they remain soft.

The Chicken:

Keeping aside the onion, dried red chillie & sugar, use the rest of the ingredients to marinate the chicken for at least an hour (a larger quantity is best kept overnight.)

Heat the oil and temper with the dried red chillie. Add the onion and the sugar. Sauté until the onion is almost caramelised. Keep it aside. 
Fry  the marinated chicken well until the chicken is crispy on the outside and cooked through.

Shred it & keep aside.

The salad:

Just very thinly slice/grate the veggies & toss in the salt, sugar, lime & pepper.

LET’S ASSEMBLE IT.

Tear open a bhakri pocket at one edge. Put about 2 tbsp of the roasted chicken. Roughly spread it around a bit. Next, toss in some of the caramelised onions & about a spoonful of the salad. Spread that around too.
Adding a little tomato ketchup enhances the flavour, sadly I have run out of ketchup. 

Done!

My version of Auntie Elsa’s Beef Bhakri ….the Chicken Bhakri!

Bon Appetit!

Pondering over Potatoes

Aalu Torkari & Luchi

Woke up last Sunday morning craving something hot & spicy for lunch....and the one meal that kept popping-up in my mind's eye was this -  Aalu Torkari. 

This simple preparation has now become one among my list of comfort foods that never fails to warm the cockles of my heart.  A plate of piping hot potato curry and puris transports me back to a pavement in the Bhavanipore area of Kolkata, where I had savoured my first taste of this hearty meal. 

A couple of years ago, I was visiting Kolkata with a friend and, as has been my practice whenever I travel, I began my day early enough to catch the city opening its eyes to a new day. You learn a lot about a place when it's just about getting out of bed all sleepy eyed and tousle-haired....just before it stretches and pastes on a smile for the world to see.

A group of rickshaw-wallas were standing at a  chaier dokan at the street corner, sipping steaming hot tea served in little clay pots. A few others were standing around a thelagari from behind which arose the aroma of something that got my mouth watering. Sharing space with some rickshaw-wallas seated on the pavement, I feasted on my very first plate of Aalu Torkari. Absolutely finger-licking good! The vendor was dishing out hot lucchis faster than we could eat them. He was also quite generous in ladling second helpings to the rickshaw-wallas who were in a hurry to begin their work day, ferrying people from one corner of the city to the other.

I licked my platter clean, ordered another serving and, having finished every last morsel off my plate, paid for my meal and left with my belly and heart completely satisfied. 

Since then, I have made various attempts to replicate the meal in my own kitchen back home. Last Sunday, I achieved a victory of sorts. So, without much further ado, here is my version of the humble, yet hearty Aalu Torkari.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium/large potatoes, boiled and roughly chopped.

2 tbsp mustard oil

2 dried red chillies

a pinch of asafoetida

1 tsp. panch phoron 

*(equal parts of fenugrek seeds, nigella seeds, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds & fennel seeds)

1/2" ginger, 2 cloves of garlic & 2 green chillies, ground to paste

1/2 tsp. spice mix

*(equal parts of cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chillie, aamchur and garam masala powders)

1/4 tsp. sugar

salt to taste

3/4 cup of boiled white peas. 

1 tsp kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves

water

METHOD

Heat mustard oil till the colour lightens a bit. Add the dried red chillies, asafoetida and panch phoron. When it crackles, add the chillie-ginger-garlic paste and stir lightly for a few seconds. Next, toss in the powdered spices and saute for a few seconds before adding in the boiled potatoes.  Add the salt and sugar. Stir well and cook for a minute or two. Add about 1.5 cups of water (more, if you want a thinner consistency) and allow it to simmer gently for a while before adding in the kasuri methi. 

-- Just for good measure I added in a green chillie, slit in half, just a minute before taking the dish off the stove-top --

Fried myself some fresh, puffy luchis (pooris) & lunch was served!

Note: The proportions for the panch phoron and spice mix are what I found most suitable in course of my experiments with this dish (and others). You could, however, find a more authentic measure for them or even buy some pre-mixed at your neighbourhood grocery store.