Sunday is time for celebration as everybody is at home.Getting up late and for breakfast having hot tea with bread and 'gateau piment'(fritters made with yellow peas), 'gateau pomme de terre'(potato fritters), samoosas and many other mauritian snacks.They are normally bought but sometimes I do make them at home, yes of course if I am in the mood of making them! And on rare occasions we have pancakes with jam etc. Reading our favourite newspaper, listening to the radio and dragging the breakfast time, and being lazy....This is how it is every Sunday morning in my home.All this while I would be pondering over what to cook for lunch.Sunday meal is always an elaborate one with the rich and delicious dishes I make to please everybody. Fortunately this Sunday the task was easy as it was unanimously decided by everybody that I prepare Bryani!....Hmmm. Bryani is the most delectable and popular dish in Mauritius.It is a family dish and is served on almost every special occasions like festivals, weddings, religious ceremonies etc.
It is a one pot meal,spicy and deliciously flavoursome, made with rice,potatoes, meat, fish or chicken or with mixed vegetables for the vegetarian. Do not get intimated by the lengthy preparations or the long list of ingredients.It is really worth the effort!!! Ha ha let's get started.
Serves about 4
WHAT WE NEED:
500 gm basmati rice washed and soak for 1 hour
1kg chicken cut into big pieces
3 med potatoes
7 med onions
8 cloves garlic
1 piece ginger
1tbs ginger garlic paste
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 bunch mint leaves
2 whole green chillies
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tbs milk powder or 3tbs milk
SPICE:
1 tbs whole cardamom
1tsp cloves
3 sticks cinnamon
a pinch of yellow food colouring
2 pinch saffron, infused in 3/4 cup of hot milk or water
11/2tsp red chilli powder
3/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
Salt to taste
oil as needed
Ghee -3tsp or as needed
3 tbs of readymade mix of good quality of bryani spice powder available in the supermarket or homemade(i used SHAN MALAY CHICKEN BIRYANI spice)
Homemade bryani spice:2tbs cumin seeds,2tsp whole cardamoms, 1/2 tsp cloves,1piece cinnamon broken into very small pieces,1/2 whole nutmeg.Roast in a pan on low heat until fragrant and lightly toasted,then grind to a fine powder in the grinder.
PROCEDURE:
Wash the chicken pieces, prick with a knife, drain. Add 1 tbs ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder,salt, 1tbs yogurt mix well. Marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.
Peel potatoes, cut into big pieces,prick on all sides with a knife put in a bowl of water,adding 1/2 tsp salt in it.Peel the onions, ginger ,garlic .Make a paste with the ginger, garlic and one and a half onion in the blender with very little water.Slice the remaining onions thinly to make onion rings.
Heat a pan with oil for deep frying, adding 1 tsp ghee in it. Meanwhile drain the potatoes well,add yellow of colouring. When the oil is well heated add the potatoes carefully. Fry until golden brown , well cooked and crispy.To attain this level you have to stir from time to time and fry on medium heat. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon draining the oil well. In the same oil add the sliced onion with a pinch of salt(for crispiness), reserving about one sliced raw onion . Keep stirring and cook until it starts to turn brown. Now you have to be very careful and keep stirring . When it is a little more brown remove quickly with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Spread the onions with a fork, allowing to cool and becoming crisp.
Heat a pan with very little oil, when very hot place a few chicken pieces at a time. Do not stir , just leave to brown on high heat, then turn over and brown the other side. Remove on a plate and continue with the other pieces. In the meantime place a pan with water to boil ,add salt,1tsp cumin seeds 1tsp whole cardamom, 4 cloves, 2 cinnamon stick broken into pieces. Wash and chop the mint and coriander leaves.
Now take a large based pan in which you will cook the bryani or a rice cooker if you have one. Add your ginger, garlic and onion paste, reserved sliced raw onion, bryani spice mix, 1tsp whole cardamom, 1stick cinnamon broken into pieces, 5cloves, green chillies, yogurt, 1tsp , chilli powder, 1tsp ghee,salt to taste and about 6 tbs of oil( from the oil in which you fried the onions if any was left) and a handful of the brown onion, crushing it with your hand if it is crisp. Mix all these well, then add the marinated chicken. Mix well again delicately so as not to break the chicken pieces. You could do it with your hand if like. Now add about 1 cup of water, half of the saffron milk, milk powder and mix, then add the fried potatoes, carefully by pushing them into the spices to coat them well with spices. Check for salt and cover.
Add the soaked rice to the boiling water. When the water starts to boil again, stir the rice. When it starts to cook, remove the rice with a slotted spoon or strainer and put on the chicken. Put about 4 to 5 times the rice with the slotted spoon. Sprinkle a little saffron milk on the rice, then scatter some brown onions. You have to be quick now, keep an eye on the rice and when 3/4 cooked drain well. Place the rice in the pan, sprinkle the saffron water again, remaining brown onion. Melt 1tsp of ghee with 4tbs of oil and sprinkle on top.
Cover and place on high heat for 10 minutes, reduce heat to medium and cook again for 10 minutes. Open to check if it is not sticking with a long fork. If all the water has dried out , reduce heat to low and cook 5-8 minutes. Otherwise , continue cooking on medium 5 minutes more, then reduce heat to low. Check again if all the water has dried up. Leave in the pan about 10 minutes then dish out and enjoy. And all this while you have rotate the pan on the heat otherwise it will burn if cooked in the same place.
As for the rice cooker method, proceed as usual, and when the button goes off you just have to hold it with something only for 2 minutes. This is to dry up all the water and roast a little.
Serve with tomato salad , cucumber salad and mango pickles and a long glass of very chilled pepsi .
Feel free to leave a comment if you like it.
It is a one pot meal,spicy and deliciously flavoursome, made with rice,potatoes, meat, fish or chicken or with mixed vegetables for the vegetarian. Do not get intimated by the lengthy preparations or the long list of ingredients.It is really worth the effort!!! Ha ha let's get started.
Serves about 4
WHAT WE NEED:
500 gm basmati rice washed and soak for 1 hour
1kg chicken cut into big pieces
3 med potatoes
7 med onions
8 cloves garlic
1 piece ginger
1tbs ginger garlic paste
1 bunch coriander leaves
1 bunch mint leaves
2 whole green chillies
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tbs milk powder or 3tbs milk
SPICE:
1 tbs whole cardamom
1tsp cloves
3 sticks cinnamon
a pinch of yellow food colouring
2 pinch saffron, infused in 3/4 cup of hot milk or water
11/2tsp red chilli powder
3/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
Salt to taste
oil as needed
Ghee -3tsp or as needed
3 tbs of readymade mix of good quality of bryani spice powder available in the supermarket or homemade(i used SHAN MALAY CHICKEN BIRYANI spice)
Homemade bryani spice:2tbs cumin seeds,2tsp whole cardamoms, 1/2 tsp cloves,1piece cinnamon broken into very small pieces,1/2 whole nutmeg.Roast in a pan on low heat until fragrant and lightly toasted,then grind to a fine powder in the grinder.
PROCEDURE:
Wash the chicken pieces, prick with a knife, drain. Add 1 tbs ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder,salt, 1tbs yogurt mix well. Marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.
Peel potatoes, cut into big pieces,prick on all sides with a knife put in a bowl of water,adding 1/2 tsp salt in it.Peel the onions, ginger ,garlic .Make a paste with the ginger, garlic and one and a half onion in the blender with very little water.Slice the remaining onions thinly to make onion rings.
Heat a pan with oil for deep frying, adding 1 tsp ghee in it. Meanwhile drain the potatoes well,add yellow of colouring. When the oil is well heated add the potatoes carefully. Fry until golden brown , well cooked and crispy.To attain this level you have to stir from time to time and fry on medium heat. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon draining the oil well. In the same oil add the sliced onion with a pinch of salt(for crispiness), reserving about one sliced raw onion . Keep stirring and cook until it starts to turn brown. Now you have to be very careful and keep stirring . When it is a little more brown remove quickly with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Spread the onions with a fork, allowing to cool and becoming crisp.
Heat a pan with very little oil, when very hot place a few chicken pieces at a time. Do not stir , just leave to brown on high heat, then turn over and brown the other side. Remove on a plate and continue with the other pieces. In the meantime place a pan with water to boil ,add salt,1tsp cumin seeds 1tsp whole cardamom, 4 cloves, 2 cinnamon stick broken into pieces. Wash and chop the mint and coriander leaves.
Now take a large based pan in which you will cook the bryani or a rice cooker if you have one. Add your ginger, garlic and onion paste, reserved sliced raw onion, bryani spice mix, 1tsp whole cardamom, 1stick cinnamon broken into pieces, 5cloves, green chillies, yogurt, 1tsp , chilli powder, 1tsp ghee,salt to taste and about 6 tbs of oil( from the oil in which you fried the onions if any was left) and a handful of the brown onion, crushing it with your hand if it is crisp. Mix all these well, then add the marinated chicken. Mix well again delicately so as not to break the chicken pieces. You could do it with your hand if like. Now add about 1 cup of water, half of the saffron milk, milk powder and mix, then add the fried potatoes, carefully by pushing them into the spices to coat them well with spices. Check for salt and cover.
Cover and place on high heat for 10 minutes, reduce heat to medium and cook again for 10 minutes. Open to check if it is not sticking with a long fork. If all the water has dried out , reduce heat to low and cook 5-8 minutes. Otherwise , continue cooking on medium 5 minutes more, then reduce heat to low. Check again if all the water has dried up. Leave in the pan about 10 minutes then dish out and enjoy. And all this while you have rotate the pan on the heat otherwise it will burn if cooked in the same place.
As for the rice cooker method, proceed as usual, and when the button goes off you just have to hold it with something only for 2 minutes. This is to dry up all the water and roast a little.
Serve with tomato salad , cucumber salad and mango pickles and a long glass of very chilled pepsi .
Feel free to leave a comment if you like it.
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