Ambur Chicken Biryani Recipe |How to make authentic Star Ambur Biryani

Ambur Biryani is one of the famous food recipes of South India which emerged during the Nawab of Arcot's regime. This was served for the army of Carnatic as it was difficult to prepare Rotis or Parathas to cater to the need of lakhs of jawans. Today, it is served in all Muslim weddings along with Chicken Kebabs & sweet dishes.

This biriyani gets its name from Ambur - located in the Vellore distric tof Tamil Nadu  also known as the leather district of South India. 





I had tasted this biryani when I was in bangalore .Googled for this recipe & found an authentic version followed the same with few minor changes.

Its taste is distinct than the usual hyderabadi dum biryani which I make often.
Pls refer the tips given at the end of the post



Few points I would like to mention:

1.It has an unique appetizing taste and the rich spicy taste lies in the preparation method & mixing of the ingredients at right proportion. 
2.This biriyani can be made in a pressure cooker/stove top  so it saves a lot of time. 
3.The key ingredient is dried chilli paste and few whole spices. 
4.Unlike other biryanis it doesnt have lots of spice powders 
5.Preferably use jeera rice or small grain rice for this biryani 



Follow the recipe with exact measurements to relish the authentic ambur taste & delight your family with yet another wonderful biryani..:)

Ingredients:

Chicken - 300 gram (I had used boneless)
Oil - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Curd / Yogurt - 1/2 cup + 1 tblspn
Onions - 2 large sliced thinly (reserve a handful of onions)
Garlic Paste - 2 tblspn
Coriander Leaves - a small handful chopped finely
Mint Leaves - a small handful chopped finely
Ginger Paste - 2 tblspn
Tomatoes - 2 large sliced thinly
Dry Red Chillies - 4
Kashmiri Red Chillies - 5

Whole spices

Cinnamom - 1 large stick
Cardamom Pods - 5
Cloves  - 5
Saunf - 1 Teaspoon

Rice:
Seeraga Samba Rice/ jeera rice - 2.5 cups
Salt to taste
Water lots of it to cook rice




Method:

1.Wash seeraga samba /jeera rice very well. Set aside. Soak both types of dry red chillies in hot water for 5 mins. Drain and make it into a smooth puree. keep aside.



2.In a cooker /kadhai heat oil & ghee Saute the whole spices mentioned above nicely on the hot oil and ghee,

3.Add a drop of curd and stir it then add a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste and stir a little.Add in coriander leaves and mint leaves. Saute for a min.

 

4.Now add in the chicken and toss well on high heat for 5 to 7 mins till it is golden.Add in onions and tomatoes. Saute for 3 to 4 mins. They will cook down and leach out some water.



Now add in the dry red chilli paste and mix well.Add in 1/2 cup of curd and salt. Mix well. Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 10 mins.

5.Meanwhile bring about 8 7-8 cups of water to boil. Add in salt to it and when it boils add in rice. Mix well. Cook it for 7 to 8 mins. When you taste it the rice should have a bite in it. 
Once it is 80 percent cooked, drain it & keep aside.



6.Simultaneously add 1/4 Cup of hot water and mix the chicken well then close lid for some time.Now add half cooked rice to the chicken when the chicken gravy becomes little thick and stir them well without breaking the rice grains.Add the Half Cooked Salted Rice.



FINAL STAGE OF DUM

7.Cover lid by sticking it with some big foil or placing a weight on top of it to restrict the steam from escaping and place it on a very slow flame.
Next place this vessel on top of another flat pan or tawa, so that the bottom of the pan doesn’t come in direct contact with the heat source. And cook it for 15 mins then add fried onions on top.



The Taste Rich Ambur Chicken Biryani is ready now, so serve it with brinjal masala and raita.



Tips :

Don’t add too much of spices.
Marinate the chicken with curd for 30 minutes to make it soft.
Don’t add the rice when there is lots of water in the chicken.
No Green Chillies, Turmeric Powder and Basmati / Long Grain Rice.
The amount of tomatoes should always be lesser than that of the onions.

White sauce paste recipe |Penne Pasta in white sauce

I love italian cuisine .I normally have pasta or macaroni at home when i want something easy and not too time consuming. this recipe of vegetable pasta in white sauce get made at home often and is liked by everyone.



you can use your choice of veggies in the pasta like  baby corn, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms and potatoes .I have not added the veegies as i was not in a mood to chop the same

I have used penne pasta but you can use any variety of your liking.

Ingredients

Pasta - 1 cup (I used penne pasta variety)
Milk - 1 and 1/2 cups
Maida(All Purpose Flour) - 1 tbsp heaped
Carrot - 1 small chopped finely
Sweet Corn - 1/4 cup boiled (i had not used )
Capsicum - 2 tbsp finely chopped (i had not used )
carrots cubed - 1/4 cup (i had not used )
Cheese - 2 tbsp grated
Butter - 1 tbsp
Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp (adjust as per your taste)
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Oregano/mixed herbs - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste


Method:
1.Cook pasta with enough water along with a tsp of olive oil and salt.Follow instructions on the pasta cover.Drain and Set aside.you can sprinkle a few drops of oil and gently toss them.

 drain the pasta



2.In a pan - heat a tsp of oil saute the veggies for 2mins,Set aside.
3.Heat butter in a pan when it starts to melt add maida.With a hand whisk,Whisk it well.Now add milk and keep stirring. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes slight thick and creamy.

4.Cook in low medium flame and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Add required salt.Add oregano and pepper powder.keep stirring till  the white sauce becomes thick, creamy and coats the laddle.

5.Next add the sauted vegetables, grated cheese, cooked pasta and give a quick mix.Switch off


6.Garnish with some cheese ,Sprinkle oregano  & Serve hot ....Enjoy!!

Tips :
1.Use veggies & pasta of your choice.
2.Make sure to stir continuously to avoid lumps.After maida is added whisk it well and use a whisk to mix after milk is added.
3.White sauce pasta gets dried up quickly so serve it as soon as you cook.If its gets thick and dry then add few tbsp milk and heat it up.
4.While serving add little grated cheese for extra richness and yumminess :) 

Rava toast|Sooji toast recipe, how to make rava toast recipe

This is my second toast recipe first being delicious cheese chilli toast.

Rava also known as Samolina in english is a healthy purified wheat middling of durum wheat. Rava is used to make so many different dishes in India. For example rava sheera, rava dosa, rava idli, etc. Today I made a simple dish of Rava toast in breakfast.

Rava or sooji toast is my second toast recipe first being delicious cheese chilli toast.No need to feel guilty or care about diet after eating sooji toast.



It is a simple breakfast dish which uses  simple ingredients like onion, tomatoes and rava/sooji  (semolina/cream of wheat). Along with these ingredients, cream is also added. you can also add malai instead of cream.Alternatively you can also use yogurt / curd instead of cream.


Rava also known as Semolina in english  & sooji in hindi is a healthy purified wheat middling of durum wheat. Rava is used indian kitchens to make various dishes like rava sheera, rava dosa, rava idli,upma ,rava uttapam etc. 

Ingredients:

 White Bread/Whole wheat bread- 8 slices
 Rava / Sooji- 3 tbsp
 Cream/yoghurt - 2 tbsp
 Onion - 1 chopped
 Tomato 1 diced
 Capsicum - 1 diced
 Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp
 Black pepper- 1/2 tsp
 Lemon juice - 1 tsp
 Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
 Oil -2 tbsp
 Green chilli - 1 chopped 



Method :

1.Roast rava / sooji in a pan for a while just so it becomes slightly pink.

2.Take the roasted rawa in a bowl and add onion, tomato, capsicum and coriander leaves in it.

3.Add cream , salt, black pepper in it and mix well to make a thick paste.



4.Take bread slices and using a spoon spread vegetable mixture on each of them.



5.Heat a tava and spread some oil. Once the tava is hot place the bread slices with vegetable mixture on tava with bread side down.Let the bread gets roasted for 2 minutes on medium flame.




6.Flip the bread slices and cook the vegetable mixture side on tawa. Cook until the rava toast turns golden brown in color.




7 Cut rava toast into halves or triangles and serve warm with tomato ketchup or coriander chutney.



Tips 

If you are health conscious you can even add curd or yogurt to this toast.

Soya Chunks Pulao| Meal Maker Pulao in Pressure Cooker

I try to include soya chunks because they are so healthy. soya chunks Pulao or meal maker pulao is one of the protein enriched easy pulao that one can make. 


They have the same texture of meat so they make a great substitute for chicken or any meat..They are high in protein too..I make a whole lots of stuff out of it like korma, briyani or cutlets.
This is one of the simple pulao which is made out of that. This taste so good, now I am making this more often..It can be served without any side dish, however a simple onion raita or a mint raita also goes well with this pulao


soya chunks pulao can be made in a pressure cooker or in a pot.YOu can add veggies like carrots,peas,french beans,capsicum cauliflower along with soya chunks

I have added potatoes & cooked pulao in pressure cooker.
You can check other rice varieties here

Ingredients:

Soya Chunks – 1/2 to 3/4 cup 
Basmati Rice – 1 cup
Onion – 2 large sliced thinly ( Reserve some for deep frying)
Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tblspn
Tomatoes – 3 large chopped finely
Green Chilli – 2 slit
Mint Leaves – ½  cup
Coriander leaves / Cilantro – ½  cup
Curd – 1 cup ( Thick )
Chilli powder – 2 tsp
Coriander powder / Malli Podi – 1 tblspn
Turmeric Powder / Manjal Podi – 1 tsp
Garam masala /biryani masala – 1 tblspn
Salt to taste
Oil- 1 tblspn
Butter or Ghee – 2 tblspn
Lemon Juice- 1 tblsp
potat0 - 2 Cut in wedges

Whole Spices:
Cinnamon  – 1 small stick
Cumin Seed  – 1 tsp
Star Anise – 1 small piece
Cardamom  – 4
Cloves  – 4
Bay Leaf  – 1
Cashews –
Raisan / Kishmish – 1 tblspn




Method:

Wash basmati rice in lots of water. Soak it for 30 mins. Drain and set aside till use.

Boil water with 1/4 tsp salt and add the soya chunks. Cook in medium flame for 10 minutes. 
Rise with cold water and squeeze it till dry and again repeat it. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tblspn of butter and 1 tblspn of oil in a pressure cooker. Add all wholes spices in the list and sauté for 1 mins.

Add onions and green chilli and sauté till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a min.add potato wedges



Add in tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy. .Add in coriander leaves and mint leaves and mix well.Add curd, soya sauce, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.

Add in cooked soya chunks and mix well. Add in soaked drained rice and mix well.
Pour in 2 cups of water and bring this to a boil. Simmer the flame and cook covered for 15-20 mins until the rice is cooked and absorbed all the water.



Cook rice in  till very little water is left. Lower the flame, cover and cook till the rice is done.



 If using pressure cooker, after boil in water close the lid and pressure cook it for 1 whistle . after 1 whistle remove from flame ,release extra pressure from cooker .open cooker lid & fluff rice with fork & allow it to cool.do not keep cooker lid closed or your biryani will become soft & mushy

Fry onions in a tblspn of ghee or butter and fry till golden brown. Pour this onions over the rice and mix gently.

Garnish with coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice and serve.

Tips:

1. Washing and squeezing the cooked soya chunks completely, ensures to get rid of the smell.
2. You can add vegetables along this too.

Strawberry cheese cake |Eggless no bake strawberry cheesecake

This was one of the recipes on my to do list.Made a resolution to make it finally in year 2015.But cream cheese was something which I couldnt find here.

This is an easy yummy no bake version of strawberry cheese cake using fresh cream & hung curd.

Then I stumbled on this recipe on sharmis passion which uses hung curd .So without wasting a minute I ran to the kitchen to set out cheese cake.



Another thing I didnt had spring pan form which is needed to make this cheese cake .

So I DECIDED TO SET THIS CAKE IN INDIVIDUAL SHOT GLASSES.



So no excuses for delaying cheese cake .I have followed exact recipe without any changes



I have used china grass as the setting agent in this cake

China grass

Ingredients:

Recipe Reference : SHARMIS PASSION

Biscuits (Digestive Marie/Plain marie) - 4
Fresh Strawberries - 1/2 cup packed (about 10-12 depending on size)
Melted butter - 2 to 3 tsp
Hung curd - 1/2 cup
Fresh cream - 1/2 cup (i used amul cream)
Sugar - 3 tbsp (adjust according to the  taste of strawberry)
China Grass (Agar agar) - 1/2 tbsp
Water - 2 tbsp



Method :
1.Hang curd in a muslin cloth for an hour to drain water completely to get  hung curd. Set aside. Then crush biscuits roughly and powder to a semi fine mixture.


2.Next add the melted butter to the powdered biscuits and mix well such that the mixture becomes moist. With a spoon  fill it up as a base layer in each glass and press firmly with the back of a spoon or fingertips. Keep  this in the refrigerator as we make other layers.

3. Chop strawberries roughly and puree it in a mixer with sugar. Heat the puree in a pan until a single boil, (This boiling step is purely optional you can use normal puree also). Set aside.(see tip 2)

4. In a mixing bowl, mix hung curd and cream well.Now pour strawberry puree(reserve 1/4 cup for the top layer) and mix well. Check for sugar and adjust according to your preference. 
If adding sugar, beat well until sugar is dissolved completely. 

5.In a pan add water allow it to boil, keep a small heat resistant cup containing china grass(agar agar) with water. Allow it to boil until you see a clear liquid when the china grass is dissolved completely.

6. Now add the china grass water mixture to the hung curd cream mixture, give a quick stir. Pour this immediately in cups as a second layer . Chill it for 4-5 hrs or even overnight for best results. 

7.Then add the remaining strawberry puree as a third layer and serve chilled.If you add china grass while making strawberry sauce(refer tip 2) then after pouring the 3rd strawberry layer, set it for an hour and serve chilled. 


Easy yummy no bake version of strawberry cheese is ready.

Tips:

1.Tie around 1.5 cups of curd for an hour in a muslin cloth to get 1/2 cup. Add more quantity of curd if its watery to get the desired 1/2 cup.
2.You can even add  1/2 tsp of china grass with 2 tsp of water for the 3rd strawberry puree layer.
The quantity in each layer is purely your choice. If you like the sauce more then top it up more.
3.You can use any digestive biscuits  or evn plain marie biscuits
4.For best results it is recommended to set cake overnight.
5.Pour the strawberry sauce,Only after setting second layer or else  it will get blended with the 2nd layer.