Everyone loves fried rice! :). Especially in the country where I reside – Singapore – fried rice is a very popular dish enjoyed by the locals equally at breakfast lunch and dinner. There are various ways in which you can prepare fried rice. The way they do it here is the Chinese style of cooking.… Continue reading Fried Rice (Nasi goreng)
Dalia/Bulgur wheat Khichdi
Dalia, popularly known in North India, is basically called cracked wheat or bulgur in English. It is commonly prepared as porridge for breakfast and khichdi for lunch/dinner. It is very nutritious especially for someone who is diabetic or is suffering from high glucose levels in blood, like hyperglycemia. When I was 7 months pregnant with DD, I… Continue reading Dalia/Bulgur wheat Khichdi
Goan Prawn Masala
Having been married to a Goan, seafood is one of the most treasured food choices for my family. At my in-laws, fish/seafood is an everyday delicacy. It is enjoyed with steamed rice literally two times a day. Prawns can be cooked in several different ways. It is easy to make and absolutely delicious. It can… Continue reading Goan Prawn Masala
Jeera rice (using brown rice)
Jeera rice is a popular rice dish of Northern India, wherein this dish is cooked in almost every household as part of daily cooking. This rice dish also adorns the lunch or dinner tables at festive occasions, be it weddings or family/friends gatherings and parties. Jeera rice is super simple – no biggie about it! It… Continue reading Jeera rice (using brown rice)
Black Chana Curry (no garlic)
Black chana curry is my DH’s favourite. Serve it as a side dish with dal rice or as a main with rotis / jeera rice, this particular dish never fails to wow your family members and friends. Black chana can be also made complete dry as chaat (snack) to be enjoyed with your evening tea, with… Continue reading Black Chana Curry (no garlic)
Pasta with Meatballs (in homemade tomato sauce)
Pasta is my DD’s all time favorite. When she is not in a mood to eat anything and everything, this form of Italian cuisine blends inexplicably into my Indian household. 🙂 Usually I make pasta in various forms; this is one of them. I hardly use the store bought sauce; mostly I prefer to prepare… Continue reading Pasta with Meatballs (in homemade tomato sauce)
Cauliflower and Potato curry
Cauliflower is a winter vegetable in India, but here in Singapore, fresh cauliflower is available all round the year. What a relief! Cos it is indeed one of my favorite vegetables. DH does have a distinct frown on his face when I prepare cauliflower (he doesn’t like it too much), but when it comes to nutrition… Continue reading Cauliflower and Potato curry
Spinach and Lentil curry with coconut milk
Spinach! What a nutritious veggie!….Did you know that spinach is believed to be of Persian origin? It is rich in iron and excellent source for all forms of vitamins. All around the world it is well known for its nutritional qualities and is believed to be a vegetable with remarkable abilities to restore energy, increase… Continue reading Spinach and Lentil curry with coconut milk
Fish Biryani
Come Valentine’s day and its time to express love. :0 Not that we don’t do it all round the year, but it has to be something special on Vday. And the best thing about the day that it’s a Sunday! Yippee!!! DH is at home ;). He prepared a nice warm cup of tea in the morning to kick start the day. By lunch time we were in a fix whether to eat outside or at home. Had been planning for a movie for a very long time, but with most of the movies having a rating of NC16 we could not as DD is only 3.5 year old. So I thought I would whip up a quick yet delicious meal but at the same time it had to be special (because it’s the day of love!). And on such occasions in a typical Indian household if one can think of anything special, it has to be BIRYANI! 🙂
One of my personal favourites, a simple yet delicious biryani can touch anyone’s heart. And as the saying goes, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. So this had to be the bang on dish!
Fish biryani is the easiest of all forms of biryanis, as it is less time consuming yet delectable and highly pleasant to the taste buds. With myself hailing from the state of West Bengal and DH being a Goan, fish is a common source of protein for both of us and also helps in achieving instant gourmet gratification. The following recipe is mildly spiced, aromatic and delightful. I was glad my family sat down to a delicious lunch on the afternoon of Valentines day. Even DD enjoyed it to the core although she is not a die-hard fish fan 🙂
Ingredients:
2 cups of long grained basmati rice
3 fillets of boneless fish (I used basa; however you could take any fish)
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Whole coriander seeds – 2 tbsps
Whole cumin seeds – 2 tbsps
Whole black pepper seeds – 1 tbsp
Dried red chillies – 2-3 (you could take more if you want it more spicy)
Kasoori methi powder – 1 tbsp
Cloves – 8-10
Green cardamom pods – 2-3
Garlic cloves – 7-8
Crushed ginger – ½ tbsp
Lime juice – half a lemon
Onions – 2 medium sized (thinly sliced)
Tomatoes – 1 large
Plain Yougurt – 3-4 heaping tbsps
Coconut cream – 2-3 tbsps
Salt – as per taste
Green chillies – 3-4 / as per taste
Marinade for fish:
Grind the whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper seeds, dried red chillies, green cardamom, 4-5 cloves and kasoori methi into a finely ground powder. Marinade the fish with the ground spice powder, lime juice and turmeric powder. Keep the fish marinated for 10-15mins.
For the rice:
In a pot put 3 cups of water for boil. Well salt the water. Put the rice, 4-5 cloves and 1 tbsp oil/ghee into the boiling water. When the rice is 50% cooked, drain water. Keep the rice aside.
For the fish:
Put 5-6 tbsp of oil in a pan. Once the pan is hot, put in the sliced onions. Once the onions sweat and turn pink, put in the marinated fish. Let the fish cook for sometime then turn over. Be careful not to break the fish. Put in the chopped tomatoes. After 3-4mins, put in the yougurt , coconut cream, slit green chillies and salt. Very lightly give it a mix making sure the fish doesn’t break. Let the mixture cook till most of the liquid is absorebed and you can see few traces of oil floating.
Cooking the biryani in dum:
I usually use a rice cooker to give dum to my biryani. You can use any vessel for this. Put one layer of rice on to the base of rice cooker. Then put in the fish that you prepared earlier. Top it up with another layer of rice. Put some slit green chillies on top. Cover it up and cook it on dum for around 20-25 mins. Once it is done, turn off the gas. Let it stand for 10 more mins and then open the lid. Serve with sliced onions or raita.
Healthy Indian kitchen 