Hot & Sweet Prawn

Embarrassingly simple, yet very satisfying!

Ingredients:

1. Jumbo Prawn (shell on or off) 250g
2. BBQ Sauce 1/4 cup
3. Chilli Sauce (to taste, depending on how hot you want) 1/4 cup
4. Tomato Ketchup 1/4 cup

Process: 

• Mix equal amount of all three sauces 
• Mix the prawn with the sauce
• Cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes

Serving:

• Garnish with some greens, tomatoes and shallots. Goes better with Jasmine Rice.  

Kachchi Biryani in Rice-Cooker

This is the Biryani for busy (or lazy) Biryani lovers. It does not get any easier than this. Usually to make Biryani you have to put the sealed Biriyani pot on high heat for about 10 minutes and then lower the heat and cook for hours in very low heat called DUM. Here the Rice-Cooker will do all of this for you. You just need to plan ahead, turn the Rice-Cooker on and go watch a movie or do what you need to do. Your dinner will be ready in 4 hours, trust me!

Serves: 4

• Meat or Chicken 1 kg
• Rice ½ kg. 

Marinade Meat/Chicken in the Rice Cooker pot for 1 hour in:

• My Biryani Masala 1 tbsp (CLIK HERE)
• Yoghurt 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice of 1 lemon
• Ginger paste. 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste 1 tbsp
• Oil. ¼ c
• Ghee. 1 tbsp
• Salt. 1 tbsp
• Chilli powder 1 tsp. 
• Vegetable Stock cube 1 (optional)

Traditional Method

• Boil 2 litres of water
• Add 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• Add Rice in boiling water and boil for 6 mins (half-cooked)
• Drain
• Spread the half-cooked rice over the Meat/Chicken
• Add Sultanas, Cashew nuts and Fried Onion (1 cup )
• Mix 1/4 cup of milk + 1/4 cup water + 2 tbsp Rose Water + 1 tsp Saffron and sprinkle over the rice.
• Seal the top of the rice cooker pot with aluminium foil and place the lid over it.
• Turn the Rice Cooker on and forget about it for 3 hours
• After 3 hours open the lid give the rice a mix so that the rice gets evenly cooked.
• Seal again and leave for another hour.> Done!

Shortcut  Method

• Wash the rice and strain and let them dry (1 h)
• Spread the uncooked rice over the meat
• Add sultanas, cashew nuts and fried onion (1 cup )
• Mix ½ cup of milk + ½ cup water + 2 tbsp Rose Water + 1 tsp Saffron and sprinkle over the rice. Add more water and milk to bring the liquid level just over the rice.
• Sprinkle 1 tsp salt over it (adjust the quantity of salt to your liking)
• Seal the top of the rice cooker pot with aluminium foil and place the lid over it.
• Turn the Rice Cooker on and forget about it for 3 hours
• After 3 hours open the lid and mix the rice so that the rice gets evenly cooked.
• Seal again and leave for another hour. > Done!

Spicy Mini Pizza

This is a mini version of the Italian classic Margherita Pizza with an Asian twist. Making pizza is very simple, Its basically a bread baked together with essential toppings i.e. tomato sauce and cheese, everything else is optional. You can add meat, chicken fish, vegetables, olives, peppers, pineapples - list is endless.

Ingredients:

1. Crumpets 6
2. Ketchup 1/4 cup
3. Chilli Sauce 1/4 cup (to taste)
4. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
5. Basil paste (supermarket)

Process:

• Toast the crumpets
• Make the sauce:  mix ketchup and chilli sauce
• Spread the sauce over the crumpets
• sprinkle shredded Mozzarella over
• Add few drops of Basil paste (or chilli sauce!) over the cheese
• Bake at 180c for 15 minutes > enjoy

Layered Paratha Pie

Courtesy: Monira Chowdhury

3 frozen parathas (defrosted)

Bottom Layer Filling: 

• 1 can drained tuna (160 g)
• 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp Thai fish sauce
• 1 tsp chilli sauce (which ever flavour preferred, additional amount to taste)
• 3-4 chopped spring/green onions
• 1 cut red chilli

Upper layer filling:

• 60g grated cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
• 2-3 Red onion ring slices  (whole width)
  
  

1 beaten egg 

Pre-heat oven to 220c 

• Line baking tray with greaseproof paper & oil bottom of 1 paratha then place on tray
• Layer tuna filling 
• Layer 2nd paratha 
• Layer onion & then grated cheese 
• Finally layer 3rd paratha and press close all 3 parathas and then fold over bottom paratha edge onto top paratha, brush over with beaten egg;

Bake 30 mins, if top not golden brown then bake additional 5 minutes until fully golden;

Alternative lower level fillings:

• 150-200 g Mince cooked with cut onions, garlic & ginger paste and seasoning to taste  (net cooked weight approx 100-150g ), drain excess oil and then mix with mayonnaise (flavoured to taste ie garlic or chilli or mustard mayo), add spring onions and cut  chilli (optional);

• Or Beat 4 eggs, scramble as usual with seasoning, add mayo (flavoured to taste) and mix with spring onions and cut chilli to taste (optional) 

Enchilada

It's one of the most popular Mexican dishes. Enchilada is a corn or flour tortilla (chapati) rolled around a filling and covered with a chilli pepper sauce, topped with cheese and baked. Sauce can be red, green or white. Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables or combinations. I made this one with canned tuna and my own blend of red sauce.

Serves: 6

Make Sauce (Red)

• Tomato sauce (3 cups) + Ketchup (1 cup)  + chopped Jalapeño  (2-3 tbsp) + 2 vegetable stock cubes > Blend

Make filling

• Fry 1 chopped onion and garlic (4 cloves)
• Add 4 cans (160g each) of Tuna (or Mince meat or chicken 500 g) > cook for 5 minutes
• Add chopped olives (½ cup)
• Add 1 cup of the sauce
• Mix 2 beaten eggs and 1 cup cheese
• Add to Tuna (or mince) cook for another 5 minutes 

Tortilla

• Microwave 6 tortillas for 1 minute to soften
• Coat both sides of the tortillas with sauce
• Fill with the fillings & roll

Bake

• Add some sauce at the bottom of the baking dish.
• Line the rolls, not too tightly to allow room to expand.
• Pour remaining sauce over 
• Sprinkle cheddar and mozarella cheese (1 cup) 
• Bake in the oven 180 c for 30 min

Garnish

• With green coriander, olives and sliced Jalapeño. 

Serve

• Serve with sour cream, creme fraiche or yogurt

Foolproof Pakki Biryani

Biryani is the ultimate challenge for a cook. You do everything exactly the same and it turns out different every time, either the rice is not fully cooked, too soggy, too dry and so on. It's because there are too many variables, i.e quality of rice and meat, size of the pot, amount of heat, cooking time etc. Of course sometime it will be perfect, but when you are having guests coming for dinner, you want to be sure. 

After many many failed attempt and hit & miss I came up with this foolproof version. Here chances are minimised, since meat and rice is fully cooked and layered. Then the pot is sealed and put on DUM or very low heat for for the rice to absorb all the flavour and moisture from the meat.This type of biryani is called Pakki Biryani.

Servings: 10 to 12 

Ingredients:

1. Meat 2 kg
2. My Biryani Masala 2 tbsp (Click here) 
3. Yogurt 2 tbsp
4. Lemon juice of 2 lemons
5. Garlic Ginger paste. 2 tbsp
6. Oil. 1 cup
7. Ghee. 2 tbsp
8. Salt. 2 tbsp
9. Milk.1 cup
10. Ghee 1 tbsp.
11. Raisins 1 cup
12. Cashew nuts 120g (1 cup)
13. Rose water 1/4 cup
14. Saffron 0.4g (1 tsp)
15. Rice 1 kg
16. Shallots (or onion) 400 gm
17. Green chilli 4-6

Marinade:

1. Meat 2 kg
2. My Biryani Masala 2 tbsp
3. Yogurt 2 tbsp
4. Lemon juice of 2 lemons
5. Garlic Ginger paste. 2 tbsp
6. Oil. 1 cup
7. Ghee. 2 tbsp
8. Salt. 2 tbsp

• Mix all the above and marinade for 2 hours
• After 2 hours, slow-cook the meat covered for 1 hour and uncovered for another 1 hour so that the gravy is reduced to a thick masala and the level is not above the meat.

Meanwhile:

• Blend Cashew nuts and Raisins and add to the already cooking meat and mix.
• Make fried onion (Beresta) 2 - 4 cups > set aside
• Add the Saffron in 1 cup of hot milk and stir > set aside

After meat is cooked for 2 hours

• Boil 4 litres water
• Add 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• Add Rice in boiling water and boil for 10 mins
• Drain

Layering: (in a wide and large enough Biryani pot)

• Layer meat and rice (3-4 layers)
• Between each layer sprinkle fried onions and saffron-milk
• On top layer also sprinkle rose water and place 4-6 green chillies
• Seal the pot with aluminium foil and place the lid over.
• Keep it on very low heat (Dum) for 1 hr. (use a Tawa or heat diffuser under the pot to prevent burning)

Serving: Since it's layered, no need to mix, just dig out the Biryani from one side and place on the serving dish with some fried onion and green coriander sprinkled over to garnish.  

Coconut Rice Pudding

This is a blend of rice pudding and yogurt with coconut flavour. Takes only 30 minutes to make and your guests will take much less time to finish it all.

Ingredients:

1. Coconut milk 1 can
2. Sweetened Condensed milk 1 can
3. Evaporated milk 1 can
4. Plain Yogurt 1 cup
5. Sticky Rice 1 cup

Process:

• Cook rice in 3 cups of water in rice cooker or on hob until all water is absorbed
• Mix 1+2+3+4
• Add the rice to the milk mixture and mix well
• Cook in the oven at 170c for 30 minutes
• Take it out > cool > chill