(Air) Fried chicken biriyani and cucumber-tomato raita

If anyone were to ask me which dish would be the perfect introduction to Indian cuisine, the reply would, undoubtedly, be biriyani.

Interject here, that it could/should/ would be my absolute last meal on earth, if circumstance allows me the privilege.

From distant Persian beginnings, biriyani/biryani/biriani- till the day I really don't know how it's written,- bears a variety of flavor allegiances to the regions, communities, people, even chefs that have touched and tweaked upon its blueprint. Essentially, there are as many interpretations of biriyani in India as there are cities on the country's map.

It's a celebration of all that is desi food. To the deep colors, layers of curried masala and perfumed specifics of rice, this could be the poster child for the all-in-one meal, transcending borders, perhaps the answer to world peace.

However,  in most cases construction of the slow cooked rice and protein platter has many constants, factors which remain consistent, despite the innumerable styles in which it is made.
These would be-
Whole spices, such as cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, mace
Immense amounts of ginger and garlic
Fragrant long grain rice
Onions

Typically,  biriyani includes a protein slow cooked in a substantial gravy, which in turn is layered with par-cooked rice. This is further simmered in a cooking form/art called "dum"- where ingredients are sealed in vessel, with a dough around the lid to create foolproof flavor penetration.

A dish usually slow cooked in a flour covered pot is hard to make shortcuts with, but because I aim to make life easy, mine/yours, and my air fryer needed to be put to a much better use than heating tortillas, it came to this.

The Le Creuset is paramount in doing high capacity meals such as this one. It does justice to pounds of meat that require tenderizing and juice oozing in one go. If I really need the dum effect, aluminum foil-lined under the lid does the trick.

The chicken, being fried, adds a whole new dimension to texture. It lends bite as well as flavor to biriyani's base foundation. The composition of browned onions and numerous aromatics working in unison, brilliantly execute a perfect chicken and rice combo. If you don't know already, frying makes things addictively delicious, another reason you can't deny eating right out of the pot.

The learning curve for biriyani isn't all that steep. Once you get it, you literally have the magic wand of A-class, fit-for-royalty casserole making at your disposal.

In finale, opening the lid, and inhaling what lies within will be the best" wait for it" scenario you've ever experienced. A glorious production that makes you look like you've slaved over it all day.

Eat it warm. It's excellent with hard boiled eggs as a finisher on top and improves in leftover quality. 
Serve it with yoghurt raita( below).

But by all means, try it... and eat it in the way that makes you happiest.

Biriyani~
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 mint sprigs
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 3-5 serrano peppers, depending on level of heat desired (seeds out if preferred)
• 4 tbsp roughly chopped garlic
• 1 inch ginger, roughly chopped 
• 1-2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ginger power
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup cashews
• water
• 1 pound skinless split chicken thighs, cut into 3 inch pieces
• 1 ½ cups basmati rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 whole yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 piece mace
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 star anise
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ cup plain nonfat yoghurt
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 4 tbsp ghee
• ¼ cup raisins

Directions:

• Blend together lemon juice,  mint,  3/4 cup cilantro, serranos, garlic and ginger into a smooth paste. A fews splashes water may be needed to create the desired level of smooth. Set aside.
• In a bowl coat chicken with the powdered spices, from chili to turmeric. Add salt and two tablespoons of oil. Cover pieces evenly with marinade.
• Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Soak 1/4 cup cashews in 1/2 cup water. Heat in microwave for 1- 1 1/2 minutes until softened. Blend to a paste and keep aside.
• Set temperature in air fryer at 390°F.
• Place chicken in wired tray or basket of air fryer. Spray with nonstick cooking oil. Set timer for 10 minutes.
• When browned on the sides, take out and flip pieces to the other side. Place tray back in and cook for 12-15 minutes until cooked and crisped brown. Keep pieces aside.
• Soak basmati in water sufficient to immerse grains.
• Separately, over high heat, add bay leaves, salt  to 4 quarts of water and bring water to a boil.
• Rinse out rice and add it to the simmering water.  Bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
• Drain immediately. It should be parboiled and about 75% done.
• In a heavy(preferably cast iron) 5 qt or larger dutch oven, heat remaining oil. 
• Add onions until translucent.
• Take out a quarter of the onions(1/4) and keep aside. 
• Lightly crush the cinnamon, mace, cloves, cardamom, star anise in a mortar and pestle, or even using the flat side of a knife against a cutting board.
• Add the spice mixture to the onions in the pan. Stir until the onions are translucent.
• Stir in the blended garlic- ginger paste. Saute until cooked all ingredients are cooked.
• Add tomatoes and chili powder. Saute.
• With heat at medium, pour in 1 cup of water and bring ingredients to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add in ground cashews and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Put about half of the chicken pieces in the gravy. Stir in garam masala. 
• Lightly whip yoghurt with a spoon and mix into the curry. Bring the heat down to medium low for this step.
• Add salt. Simmer for 6-8 minutes.
• Layer the parboiled rice on top of the simmering chicken curry.  Pour 3 three tablespoons ghee on top of the rice. Place lid on( it should be a heavy, tight fitted lid, if not cover the mouth of the pot with foil, then place lid over it. Allow curry to cook for 2-3 minutes at medium heat. 
• Reduce heat to low, keep pot covered and cook for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove from burner.
• In a saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of ghee.
• Fry the reserved partly cooked onions until brown and crisp. Take out and set aside. 
• Add remaining 1/4 cup cashews Fry until brown. Set aside. 
• Fry raisins until swollen. Set aside.
• Open the lid and either flip the dish carefully over a large platter. I fork it through so that you get nice pieces of curry stained rice and chicken throughout.
• Top biriyani with the remaining fried chicken pieces, fried onions, cashews and raisins.
• Garnish with the remaining cilantro.
• Serve with cucumber-tomato yoghurt raita.

Cucumber-tomato yoghurt raita~

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nonfat plain yoghurt
• salt
• ½ cup chopped English cucumber
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

• Whisk yoghurt with salt, until smooth and creamy
• Stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Serve as a side.

Notes:

I like bone-in chicken for deeper flavor. However, boneless will work perfectly well.

Rice recipes~

Fish and shrimp biriyani

Green rice

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“I came to Him because I did not know which way to turn. I remained with Him because there is no other way I wish to turn. I came to Him longing for something I did not have. I remain with Him because I have something I will not trade. I came to Him as a stranger. I remain with Him in the most intimate of friendships. I came to Him unsure about the future. I remain with Him certain about my destiny. I came amid the thunderous cries of a culture that has 330 million deities. I remain with Him knowing that truth cannot be all-inclusive.”

- Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020), quoted from his book, Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message 

"Teach us to number our days,  that we may have a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Rasgulla

When it comes to Indian sweets and confections, I am not as proficiently expertised as I'd like. Of course, we've had a few hits here and there, but the story of my misses is, in overview, a few many and profoundly undertold.

It was a year ago that I decided to give up, on what I consider all time tops of Indian confections. 

The last recipe I tried, from a source that will go unnamed, went on in a dedicated, numerous web page layout, and used up half my day, to postulate on the process of simple syrup. Long story short...some few attempts and a couple of gallons of wasted milk later, I abandoned the idea of making a homemade version of today's topic.

It's ardent I get my game on, for such a time as this. It'd been nearly two months since I've seen the doors of the local Indian store, that sold me tinned versions of what I'm about to talk about, and would never be as appealing as what I made hereafter. The idea of devoting a day, when the days are in plenty, recreate something that's not been far off my mind, and offer you a blueprint was what gave me quite the leap. 

Do I hear you yayyy?!

It wasn't easy. After a rather exhaustive search, and the motley of feeds and urls delivered by Pinterest and Google, combined, I reached some definitive conclusions regarding the subject at hand and my capabilities surrounding it.
In sum:
1.  Milk. Lemon juice. Pow! I can curdle milk, like a pro. You don't need a countless number of instructions to take you through the rancidizing process.
2. I understand sugar consistencies, how long it takes for syrup threads to form. Here, we need not go beyond thin and it doesn't require a candy thermometer, making the immersion and absorption prep effortless.
3. I can take a class on paneer. And it's kindred chena. The basics of splitting milk with acid, in a resulting moister, cheese curd, aka, Indian chena, is all you need to master.

Ready...to roll (yes, literally:))?

Ras, means juice and golla or gulla translates to ball. Rasgulla is a dessert made from kneading/forming separated whey-curds into marble shaped balls, and finally slow simmering them in sugar syrup. 

This classic Indian recipe claims origins from at least a few different parts of the subcontinent. Made with five ingredients, counting lemon juice, which gets washed out, and water, which really shouldn't be counted at all, the beauty in these mild cheese spheres, is their sponge-y texture. Deposited into bubbling hot, sweet liquid, each round guarantees that gush of nectar so common to Indian dessert culture. 

This is rightful mithai making in all its stupendous glory. An amrita-ish play of permeation- well meaning solids in flavorful liquid- leaving you longing for several successive servings.

The three leading ingredients would most likely count as kitchen essentials, add to that drinking water, and you're set. 

Likewise, as we try to do less with more, today's dessert has no rival. 

Till next time, I leave the ball in your court:-)

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of 2% or higher fat milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3-4 ice cubes

Syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• 3 cardamom pods, crushed(optional)

Directions to make the balls:

• Bring milk to a boil, stirring continuously, on a medium high flame.
• Once milk comes to a rolling boil, bring heat down, add lemon juice by tablespoons, until milk separates and large curds are floating in liquid.
• Take off heat and throw in the ice cubes, so curds no longer cook.
• Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Rinse the curds under running water.
• When it's cool enough to handle, gather the corners of the cheesecloth into a bundle and squeeze out as much of the excess liquid as you can.
• Press it into a bundle, with the cheesecloth intact, and set in the middle of a plate with a good lip to catch the liquid that will be squeezed out. Put another plate on top and press until the bundle has flattened into a 1 inch disk. Leave the plate on and weight it down with something heavy ( few vegetable cans will do), for about 30 minutes. It should be soft in texture, not as firm as paneer.
• Knead mixture into a smooth dough, about 4 minutes.
• Divide into marble sized portions. They will increase in size when immersed in syrup.

Directions for the syrup:

• In a deep set pan, boil water and sugar on  medium heat. If using cardamom, add pods into syrup.
• Stir occasionally until sugar dissolves and bubbles start to form. If desired, take out the cardamom leaves at this point.

Directions for making the rasgulla:

• With the flame on low-medium, transfer cheese/chenna balls to the syrup and tightly cover the pan with a lid.
• Switch flame to medium, allow the rasgullas to cook, covered, for 25- 30 minutes on medium heat. Do not open the lid while cooking.
• Switch off the flame. Leave rasgullas in the pan, covered for another 15 minutes. Allow them to reach room temperature, before transferring to the refrigerator. 
• Pour the contents into a large glass container. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Rasgullas taste best a day after.

Cardamom pods in sweet glory. It's all about balance. 

Notes :
The more lemon juice you add, the larger the curds. (I add near to the 1/4 cup)
Do not boil the milk after it has separated and curds start forming. This gives rasgulla balls  a rubbery, processed texture.
Rinse curd solids thoroughly to get rid of the acids/taste from lemon juice.
Use the heel of your palms to knead the your cheese dough, even the insides of you palm when you are rolling the pieces, to get balls as smooth as possible.
Prior to adding the balls, do not heat syrup to a thread consistency. It should be thin, with the sugar content not as concentrated.
Rasgullas need room to expand in syrup. Be sure to use a large and sufficiently deep pan. 

Pretty with a pinch of saffron

May:

2018: Chocolate fudge cake

2016: Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

2015: Steamed dumplings

2014: Caramel custard(flan)

2013: Citrus chiffon cake

2012: Breaded pork chops

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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all you ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6