Onion Pakoda / Pakodi

It is true you take little things in life for granted. I never thought about how I'd miss eating hot Pakodas straight off the fire while absent mindedly digging into a bowl of it in front of the TV at home. (MommMYyYyyYy !!! *sniff* :o( )

It is heavenly when you can get someone else make this for you while you are enjoying a nice lazy autumn afternoon on a couch playing Wii. (That is EXACTLY what Anoop is doing right at this moment while I am sweating in the kitchen ! grrrr... )

Here is the recipe for all those who are in a more genial mood than I am...(serves a greedy three)

What you need:

• Besan (Gram Flour)
• Onions (atleast 8 medium sized)
• Oma (or Omum or Ajwain) powder : 3 generous pinches.(you can substitute this by using freshly chopped thyme or coriander.... but it really adds the extra whoomph..)
• Freshly chopped spinach leaves (not necessary.. but if you would like a bit of veg in the pakoda) : atleast two cups.
• Green chili : 4-5(chop them up fine -DO NOT EVER forget NOT to use your fingers to scratch your eyes after this ! )
• Red chili powder-2 tea spoons
• Coriander powder: 2 tea spoons
• Salt: to taste (or if you trust me,.. four tea spoons )
• Fresh Coriander : a bunch(chopped)
• Fresh Ginger paste : 1 tea spoon.
• Oil : to deep fry the Pakodi.
  

Preparation:

• FINELY cut the onions length wise and keep them in a wide bowl.
• Add the chopped green chili, coriander/thyme, omum powder, coriander powder , chili powder, ginger paste and salt to the onions and mix well. (it is better to your hands to do this as this also separates the onion flakes)
• Allow it to rest for a while .(the onions start bleeding and become a little wet since you've added the salt)
• Now, carefully start sprinkling the besan over the onions and keep mixing till you are satisfied that the onions have been coated with the flour.
• If need be, add very little water to the mixture to make sure the flour is distributed evenly. (do not worry if the onions are visible through the batter. they mostly will be :o) . )
• (you can taste a little of the batter here to ensure it is to your satisfaction.)

• Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan(..very hot. you can test if it is hot enough by adding a little pakoda mixture to it. it should sizzle and rise to the top almost immediately).
• Take a fist full of the batter mixture and drop it around in the oil. (do not make balls of it or press it. It wont be crispy otherwise)

* Please, be careful not to burn your fingers. it IS hot oil.. and your fingers are definitely NOT heat-proof.*

If you do not have much experience at this, try using a couple of forks to drop the batter in.This works just as fine.

• Keep frying the pakoda till they become a golden brown.
• Lift the pakoda from the oil using a sieve and drain on a paper towel.
• Keep repeating this process till there is not batter left (er... i guess it IS obvious..but i needed closure :o) )
• Plate it up and eat it hot with Ketchup(I would recommend Maggi tomato hot and sweet sauce) or Tamarind Sauce.

Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

OK.. so you couldn't do anything much other than salivating miserably at the thought of this indian-holiday-MUST-HAVE-dish ... I think I have the answer to this.

So, for all the poor old souls that can't help reminiscing about those wonderful drives to Bawarchi /Paradise (*sigh* .. i even miss the traffic! ) anytime during day or night to tuck into that YUMMY BOMB of a Biryani.. tho, miya.. pesh hai recipe..

thoda sa sabar.. thoda sa paseena.. aur BAHUT maja !!

What you need : (At the end of this.. you will have made Biryani for atleast four people)

Utensils:

• A nice deep and thick bottomed aluminum (preferably) bartan with a good leak proof Dhakkan.
• A huge sieve to drain the rice. (why? i'll get that to it in a minute.. :o) - if you have a Microwave, you will not need this)
  
• A frying pan.
• A grinder or a decent pestle and mortar.

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice : 1 kg.
• Chicken : 1 Kg-- a whole chicken cut into 8 -10 pieces (it's no fun if the chicken is boneless.. so do the Biryani a favour and keep the poor bird's bones.)
• Oil
• Ghee (clarified Indian butter)
• Onions - 4 medium sized.(preferably Indian red onions)
  
• Green chillies - 4
• Pudina (fresh mint leaves) - a medium bunch
• One fresh lime.
• Saffron -pinch soaked in a quarter cup of lukewarm milk.
• Cloves -8 to 10(if you want extra zing.. add a few more)
• Cardamoms (elaichi) - 8-10
• Cinnamon stick -atleast an inch wide and three inches long (if you have shorter ones, then do the math )
• Bay Leaves - 6 medium sized
• Black Stone Flower (commonly known as Biryani Phool/Flower or Kalpasi)
• Coriander Powder - 1 table spoon.
• Red Chilli powder - 2 table spoons
• Turmeric powder - half a tea spoon.
• Fresh Ginger- 50 gm.
• Fresh Garlic - 5 cloves.
• Thick Curd (Yogurt) - 250 ml.

(It will be a SERIOUS insult to Hyderabadi Dum Biryani if you add tomatoes or tamarind to it. )

Preparation:

Making the Masala:

• Grind the Mint, Green Chili, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms , Ginger, Garlic and 1 1/2 inch of Cinnamon stick together.(you can add a little yogurt to this if the blender refuses to grind it well)

Marinating the Chicken:

• Clean the chicken and drain it well. Transfer the chicken to the thick bottomed vessel (the Bartan I talked about earlier)
• Then, add the masala paste to the chicken along with turmeric ,chilli powder, coriander powder,salt(1 table spoon-flat) ,lime juice and the yogurt.(This mixture will be very wet. But don't worry about it.)
• Leave the chicken to marinate while you do the following.

(yogurt and the acidity of the lime tenderise the chicken and start the cooking process)

Preparing the rice:

• Add water to Basmati rice in the ratio of 1:1 (i.e.. if it is 4 cups of rice, then add 4 cups of water).
• Then, add the bayleaves, remaining cloves and cardamom, the rest of the cinnamon, biryani flower, salt (1 tablespoon or less),a pinch of turmeric and 2 table spoons of ghee.
• Cook in a Microwave at 800 watts for 15 minutes (at this stage.. the rice will be half cooked .. or almost cooked.)
• Separate and cool the rice in a huge bowl to prevent it from cooking further.

(if you prefer to par boil the rice in the conventional way, then drain it with the sieve.)

Frying the onions:

• Slice the onions thinly(no, you do not make it into little pieces. Leave them long).
• Heat a good amount of oil in the frying pan and fry the onions till they are caramelised (they become a crispy dark golden brown...er.. not black).
• (One tip here is to fry them in two batches. If you put all of it in at the first go, they do not become crispy)
• Separate the onions and drain them on a paper towel.

Now, the final bit...

• Take a cup full (about 150 ml) of the hot oil used to fry the onions and add it to the marinated chicken in the vessel.(the hot oil seals the chicken. This is important if you do not want pulpy broken chicken pieces)
  
• Mix well.
• Put the vessel with the chicken on a medium fire.
• Add half the par boiled rice as a LAYER on the chicken. (DO NOT MIX THE RICE WITH THE CHICKEN).
• Add the fried onions as the next layer.
• Add the remaining rice as the final layer.
• Take a very long handled spatula (or a spoon) gently dig into the layers of the biryani with the handle till you feel the bottom of the vessel and move it a little so that a little space is created. Repeat the process about five times in various places of the biryani layers (so the steam is able to rise through quickly).
• Pour the milk with the saffron through these spaces.
• You can also add some more ghee/oil at this stage.
• Sprinkle half a cup of water evenly on the rice.
• Now, put the lid on and make sure it is air-tight .(traditionally, the lid is sealed with dough. I prefer to put a huge weight on the lid -like a bowl of water- to keep it air-tight).
• Simmer the fire completely and leave the biryani on it for atleast 45 minutes.

After about half an hour through the cooking process,you can check if the Biryani is cooking by wetting your hand with water and sprinkling the water on the vessel's sides. The water droplets instantly evaporate with a sizzling sound.

In 45 minutes you should be able to smell the Biryani's spices .

To check if the Biryani is properly cooked at this stage, open the lid, dig a spoon in the Biryani at the sides and get a piece of the chicken out.
If the Biryani is ready, the chicken will be a little moist or mostly dry.

*follow links to Raita and Mirchi ka Salan if you want to know more*

Tips:

You can add hard boiled (AND peeled) eggs to chicken during marination.
While serving the Biryani , take care not to squoosh the eggs while plating up.

You can mix the layers of the Biryani gently if you prefer to have a uniform taste (but do not do this if you like surprises :o) )
Plate up with some raw sliced onions , Raita(spiced yogurt) or Mirchi ka Salan(Chili curry).

You can use lamb meat or venison as a an alternative to chicken.
(Ideally, the goat's meat is a lot more pleasanter. Make the lamb / venison into small pieces and saute the marinated pieces a little before layering the biryani.It takes a longer cooking time than chicken . Also, increase the amount of spices slightly )
Do not EVER mix meats .(chicken and lamb take different times to cook)

I have never used fish it is very delicate and it does not make any sense to make dum biryani with it. (I do not see the point ! it is definitely not hyderabadi).


* do not panic if you find the chicken stuck to the bottom. after gaining a little experience at this, you will be able to make the perfect Biryani without any burnt bits. Cook's honour ! :o) *

**** step by step pictures will be included soon. (I just have to kick Anoop off his bottom and get him to make it. :oD *huge grin*) ***