Veg Handi Biryani

Wishing everyone a Belated Happy New Year!!!
Got this awesome recipe book set as a gift from my mom. "Tasty Eating for Healthy Living" by Sanjeev Kapoor. It is a set of five books. I made Veg Handi Biryani from Volume Four.  I just made one change to the original recipe. I added paneer and capsicum as well.The dish turned out very good. My boys ate it happily which means that it was good. :) It is a very good dish for fussy eaters.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice: 1 1/2 cups
Carrot: 1 cut in cubes
Cauliflower: 1/4 medium separated into florets
French beans: 10-15
Green Peas: 1/2 cup
Capsicum: 1 medium
Paneer: 200 gms
Onions: 4 medium
Saffron: a few threads
Kewra: a few drops
Salt to taste
Green Cardamoms: 2-3
Black Cardamom: 1
Cloves: 2-3
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Bay leaf: 1
Oil: 3 tsp
Caraway seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Yogurt: 3/4 cup
Tomatoes: 2 chopped
Coriander leaves: for garnishing
Mint leaves: for garnishing
Ghee: 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Chop one onion and slice the others.
2. Soak the saffron in kewra water.
3. Boil the rice in four cups of salted water with the green cardamon, black cardamon, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves, until 3/4th done. Drain and spread the rice on a cotton cloth. This way all the grains of rice will be separate from each other. 
4. Boil the carrot, cauliflower, french beans and green peas together in three cups of salted water till 3/4th done. Drain and refresh under running water.
5. Heat half the oil and saute the sliced onions till golden brown. Drain on a kitchen towel.
6. Heat the remaining oil. Add the caraway seeds, and when they change colour, add the chopped onion and saute till golden.
7. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir well. 
8. Next add the coriander and turmeric powder, and the yogurt, and mix well.
9. Then add the tomatoes and cook on medium heat till the oil separates from the masala.
10. Add the boiled vegetables, capsicum and paneer and mix well.
11. Arrange alternate layers of the vegetables and rice in a handi. Sprinkle saffron flavoured kewra water, coriander leaves, mint leaves, sauteed onion slices and ghee over every rice layer. Make sure you end with the rice layer topped with the garnishes.
12. Cover and seal with aluminium foil or roti dough. 
13. Keep the handi on a tawa and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
14. Serve hot with raita or dal and papad.

Chicken Bread

I simply love baking. Its been a really long time since I actually baked anything. I got this amazing bread recipe from Shab's Cuisine. It is so amazing and simple to make, that I have already made two loaves, with requests for more. I just halved the ingredients. Also, for the filling, I used leftover minced chicken which I cooked for dinner the previous night.  And the filling can be made with anything...not just chicken.

Ingredients:
For the Dough
Plain Flour or Maida: 2 cups
Yeast: 1/2 tbsp
Milk Powder: 1 tbsp
Salt: a pinch
Oil: 2 tbsp
Egg: 2 (1 is for the eggwash)
Castor Sugar: 1tsp
Lukewarm water: 1 cup
Sesame seed: 1 tsp for sprinkling

For the Chicken Filling:
Minced Chicken: 200gms
Green Peas: 50gms
Onion finely chopped: 1
Tomato finely chopped: 1
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2tsp
Corriander Powder: 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder: 1/2tsp
Garam Masala:1/2tsp
Corriander leaves: for garnishing

Method:
For the Dough

• In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, caster sugar, milk powder and yeast. Mix well
• Make a well in the center of this and add a beaten egg and oil. 
• Knead it to make a medium soft dough using the lukewarm water.
• Leave it to rise, for 2 hours or till it rises to double the size.
• Punch it back and divide the dough into two parts.

For the Filling

• In hot oil, saute the onion. 
• Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook a bit.
• Add the dry masalas and salt and cook covered on a medium flame.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.

The assembling

• Dust the working surface with flour. I did this on the baking tray because it is a bit difficult to move the bread once the assembling is done.
• Roll the dough into a rectangular shape.
• Place the filling in the center of the dough horizontally, leaving some space on both ends.
• Cut the edges with scissors, and fold each cut part from each side, so they overlap each other.
• Tuck in the ends.
• Brush the top of the bread with a beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds.
• Leave it to let it rise, for around 20 mins.
• Bake the bread at 200 degree C for 25 mins, or it turns golden.
• Take it out of the oven, and brush butter all over it while it is hot. 
• Enjoy it hot!!

I was really surprised and delighted to receive these awards from my new blogging friend Teenz' Yummy Delights.

 I pass these awards to
Julie
Tina
Mama's World
The Kitchen On the 28th floor

Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Who does not love paneer? Ever since I returned home, I have been making a lot of paneer dishes, because back in Jeddah, the paneer that was available in stores or in resturaunts, was very tough. Once I found an Indian brand of frozen paneer and I stocked up for the whole month!! Inspite of me making so many paneer dishes, I realize that I have not posted any here. Let me start with this one....Paneer Do-Pyaaza

Ingredients:
Paneer cubes (Cottage Cheese): 200 gms
Oil
Green Cardamom: 2
Cumin Seeds (jeera): 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder (haldi): a pinch
Red Chilli powder: a pinch
Capsicum diced: 2
Onions diced: 2 large
Tomatoes diced: 2
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Corriander leaves
Lemon Juice: of half a lemon

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add cardamoms and cumin seeds.
• When they crackle, add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Saute for about 30 secs.
• Add the capsicum and onion, and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Then add the tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium flame till tomatoes are a bit cooked. 
• Next, add the paneer and mix well.
• Add the garam masala and the salt and cook well.
• Garnish with lemon juice and Corriander leaves.