KING FISH DUM BIRYANI

Ingredients:

King fish – 900 gms
Rice – 600 gms
Onion – 1 big, chopped
Garlic – 6-7
Ginger – 1”
Tomato – 1 can, 14 oz petit diced
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Asafetida – a pinch
Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Shahijeera – 1 tsp
Red chili paste – 1 tsp (optional)
Garam masala* – 2 tsp
Salt
Chopped mint – 2 tbsp
Chopped coriander leaves – 3-4 tbsp
For Ground masala:
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Black pepper corns – 10-15
Cinnamon stick – 2”
Cloves – 4-5
Cardamom – 3-4

Cooking procedure:
I bought king fish steaks about 1.5 inch thick and cut them into half. Wash the fish; drain them in colander for 5-10 minutes. Then transfer the fish to a bowl and rub them with turmeric powder, salt and keep aside. Grind all the ingredients for masala powder, using a coffee blender. Make ginger garlic paste. Take 5-6 cups of water in a big pot and bring it to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat 3-4 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the bay leaf and chopped onions. Sauté the onions till they become translucent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the chopped tomato, salt and mix everything well. Cover the pan and let cook for 10-15 mins. Then add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, garam masala and sauté till the oil seperates. Then add the masala powder, shahijeera and mix well. After adding the masala powder, don’t cook it too long. Then remove the pan and keep aside. As fish takes less time to cook, the onion tomato masala should be cooked completely. After like 5 minutes add the fish and completely cover it with the masala. Top it with half of the chopped mint and coriander leaves.
Then add salt to the boiling water and then the rice. Cook the rice on medium high heat, till the rice gets more than half cooked. Then drain the excess water and transfer the rice in the pan, above the fish and masala. Level the rice and sprinkle remaining chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onions. Pour 3-4 tbsp of ghee over the rice and tightly cover the pan and let it steam on medium low heat for 30 mins. This was the first time I made fish biryani and we loved it a lot. The fish was very moist.

* I have red chilies in my garam masala powder so I did not add red chili paste. If you wish you can add red chili powder.

TOOR DAL WITH BEET GREENS

Ingredients:
Toor dal – ½ cup
Beet greens – 2 cups finely chopped
Garlic – 2-3, chopped
Green chilies – 2-3 chopped
Tomato – 1 small, chopped
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt

Cooking Procedure:
Wash the toor dal till the water runs clear. Add double the amount of water to the dal, salt and 1 tsp of oil and pressure cook the dal till it becomes tender. I use the presto pressure cooker in which I cook the dal for 15 mins and let it rest till the cooker is cooled completely.
In medium pot, heat 2-3 tsp of oil and add the mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds start to crackle add the cumin seeds, then the garlic and green chilies. Fry for a minute and then add the beet greens. Mix well and then add the turmeric powder, asafetida and salt. Mix well and cover the pot and let the greens cook till they become tender. Now add the cooked dal and mix well. The consistency of the dal should not be too thick or too watery. Adjust the water as required. Let the dal simmer for 7-8 mins. Serve the dal with 1 tsp of ghee. This dal taste very good with naan and amazing with rice.

SHRIMP PULAV

Ingredients:
Rice – 1 ½ cup
Shrimp – 1 lb
Ghee – 2-3 tbsp
Onion – 1 big, sliced
Ginger – 1”
Garlic – 4-5 cloves
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Red chili powder – ½ tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Black cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
Freshly chopped coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
For masala:
Black pepper corns – 10-12
Cloves – 3-4
Cardamom – 2-3
Cinnamon – 1” stick
Bay leaf – 1
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp

Cooking procedure:
Wash the rice till the water runs clear. Drain the water using colander and let the rice sit in colander till you prepare the other ingredients. Wash the shrimp, drain the water and add ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp salt and keep aside. Grind ginger, garlic and coriander leaves to a fine paste. Grind all the ingredients for masala into a fine powder. I use coffee grinder to grind the spices. Boil 3-4 cups of water.
Heat the ghee in a big skillet. I use deep skillets to cook rice so that they get even heat and rice is also fluffy. Then add the onion and fry on medium heat till they become golden brown. Then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Then add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, sugar and sauté till the oil separates. Then add the shrimp, lemon juice and mix well. Let it cook for a minute. Then add the rice, black cumin seeds and masala powder. Mix everything and add the boiling water. Let the rice boil for 5 minutes and then cover it, reduce the flame to medium or low and let cook till the rice becomes tender. Half way through the cooking of rice, sprinkle some cold water over the pulav, again cover it and continue cooking. Do this for aleast two times and you will see the rice puff. Finally garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves and lemon. Serve with radish salad.

RADISH KOSHIMBIR (SALAD)

Ingredients:
Onion – 1 medium, chopped
Tomato – 1 medium, chopped
Radish (daikon) – 1 cup, grated
Green chilies – 2-3
Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, chopped
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt

Cooking Procedure:
Mix all the above ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep aside for the flavors to combine. On hot days, I prefer to keep the salad in refrigerator.