Egg Biryani and Beetroot Raita

Today, I have no words to describe the super duper taste of Egg biryani. You must try at your kitchen as this egg biryani is a crowd pleaser and will be a hit on your dining table among your family members. The recipe was passed to my mother by an Indian Muslim friend who was an expert in making all kind of biryani. Give a try and let me know about your preference.

Egg Biryani and Beetroot Raita

Ingredients :

 

Basmati rice(used India Gate brand) : 1 cup
Coconut milk : 1 1/2 cup

Oil : 1 tsp

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Large red onions : 1

Garlic : 6 cloves

To Grind for 'Egg Masala': (grind into a smooth paste using coconut milk)

Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp 

Fennel seeds : 1/2 tsp

Black peppercorns : 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon : 1 (1 inch)

Chilli powder : 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp 

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp 

Coconut milk : 1/8 cup

Salt : as needed

To Temper for 'Egg Masala' :

Clarified butter : 1 tbsp
Cinnamon : 1 (2 inches)
Star anise : 1

Boiled eggs : 3

To Grind for 'Rice': (grind into a smooth paste)

Cooking oil : 1 tsp
White poppy seeds : 1 tbsp
Ginger : 2 1/2 inches piece

Method :

 

 

1. First, wash the basmati rice and soak in a sufficient water for at least 15 minutes. Drain it off after 15 minutes. Mix the rice with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, salt and 1 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Let it cook in rice cooker until 70 percent done with little water floating on top.

2.  Slice one large onion and cut garlic into fine flakes. Fry them in oil till golden brown and slightly crispy. Keep aside.

3. Add 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter to the hot pan and start frying all the ingredients mentioned under 'To Temper for Egg Masala' just for 1 minute and then followed by freshly ground paste under 'To Grind for Egg Masala' section. Fry the masala until oil from the coconut milk ooze out and slightly change to light brown colour. The masala should be slightly dry and thick. Switch off the flame and keep the egg masala on a separate container until it is ready for use.

4. In a hot pan, now add 1 tsp of oil and start frying the white poppy seeds till it becomes golden brown then followed by slices of ginger. Fry till raw smell of ginger has dissipated in the heat. This process should only take about 5 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Now, grind the fried poppy seeds and ginger with little water ( 2 to 3 tbsp water) to smooth watery paste. Keep this aside.

5. Now, drizzle haphazardly the ground poppy seed mixture to the 70 percent cooked rice in the rice cooker. Close the lid and further cook for 5 minutes. 

6. After 5 minutes, you can also incorporate the dry and thick egg masala into the rice by creating three mini holes here and there in the rice. Stuff those eggs and masala and close the surface with the turmeric infused rice. Lastly, coarsely chop 4 sprigs of mint or coriander leaves and scatter them on top of the rice along with fried onions and fried flaked garlic. Cook till the rice is done completely. Serve with beetroot or cucumber yoghurt dip or raita to cool the palate after a scrumptious feast.

-Abby

Sugarless No-Bake Granola bar

Following the success in making truffle dates, I'm pretty confident in venturing into another elevated dessert or energy snack which requires no sugar and no baking process. I'm always on a lookout for healthy options that exclude refined sugar or refined flour in dessert making. Several cooking sites were browsed with series of anticipation but none provided me the satisfying healthy and quick dessert recipe. So, I have to use every ingredient available in my pantry as I was lazy to shop for them and started on the experiment with 10 percent of doubt clouding my mind in whether the outcome would be great or vise verse. As I start frying the quick oats in a tbsp of butter, I couldn't sense the work of magic happening around but when more ingredients added with 1/8 cup of melted butter, delicious aroma wafted all over the kitchen. I tell you, this combination of cranberries, almonds, dates and oats are marriage made in heaven. The sweetness from the dates, tangy and tartness from the cranberries will be bursting with flavor in your mouth. The best part is that no sugar or honey required as the dried fruits are already rich in natural sugar. Well,a day of small square would sweeten up your whole hectic working day. Perfect indulgence for sweet tooth.

"Linking this to Dish it out event hosted by Hasna of Kachuss Delights ; originally hosted by Vardhini of Cooks Joy"

Sugarless No-Bake Granola Bar

Ingredients : 

Pitted dates: 1 cup

Dried cranberries :1 cup
Instant cooking oats: 1/4 cup 

Melted butter : 1/8 cup plus 1 tbsp
Roasted almonds : 1/2 cup  

Vanilla essence : 1 1/2 tsp 
Salt : a pinch

  

 

 

Method :

1. First, In a food processor, I have added finely chopped dates, 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, salt and vanilla essence. All of them were ground smoothly.

2. Next, fry the instant oats in a tbsp butter till golden brown. Keep aside.

3. Dry roast the almonds separately till golden brown. Cool them aside.

3. Then, pulverize 1/2 cup of roasted almonds till it becomes small nibs.

4. Heat a pan with 1/8 cup of melted butter, add in ground dried fruits along with another 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and start stirring continuously til they come together as a ball. Keep mixing for 10 minutes.

5. After that, add coarsely ground almond nibs and oats. Mix well by pressing the mixture hard by using the back of the stirring spoon. Only 5 minutes required to blend all the mixture together on flame.

6. Grease a baking tray with butter and pour the prepared mixture. Press it hard so it's well distributed and easy to cut into small squares. 

7. Store in an airtight container in a fridge for 1 week. 

-Abby