Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

It was the last working day at office here in Oman a day before the generous 9-days Eid-Ul-Adha holidays could start. Productivity was sure to be less because the holiday mood had set in and you could see people excitedly chattering in groups obviously about their holiday plans and so many other things other than work. Some also left office early so that they could finish their packing since most were travelling. I waited with bated breadth for the clock to tick 4 p.m. I was home in 30 minutes. So 9 full days of fun and laziness   --- Oh the Joy !!!!

Day 1 and Day 2 of the hols were spent in Eid preps and Eid celebrations. For Eid, I did spread out a lavish lunch on the table comprising of Chicken Soup, Mutton Biryani, Deep fried Chicken, Curds Raita, Vegetable Salad and a baked Dessert. Too tired to do anything for dinner, we tried our best to eat the leftovers and then spent the evening packing for our exciting 5-day UAE trip scheduled for the next day.

Day 3 was a very exciting day. It was a pleasure waking up very early that day.We woke up well before the day light and left home early to the airport. Boarded the 7:50 am flight and reached Dubai 45 minutes later. At 10 a.m. we were at our friend's place having sandwiches for breakfast and discussing our touring plans and etc etc. We were meeting up with his family that afternoon in one of Dubai's largest parks at the seaside and spending the rest of the day with them.

So after some rest, we got ready and left to the park- Mamzar Beach  park is the name which was so huge, that residents of Dubai themselves found it difficult to track down what is where in it. It was boiling hot that day with high humidity levels and we did find it terribly uncomfortable being outdoors in the afternoon. But mingling with their family and having a hearty Hyderabadi meal that they had cooked, made us forget everything except for enjoying ourselves at the place. We spent the rest of the evening with them, had a lot of fun and then accompanied them to Al Awir Road where the huge Dragon Mart is located for some shopping.

Dragon Mart is such a huge place which sells all China made products - from textiles to home commodities, from fashion accessories to hardware,furniture products, electrical & machinery gadgets and carpets, building materials to books, footwear, handbags etc. etc. It stretches to about 3 kilometres in total and it is impossible to cover in an evening. It had thousands of shops inside and looked more like a mega mall . Bargaining with the Chinese vendors was an amazing experience.

We entered the GB section only and were taken aback with the huge number of tiny shops selling almost similar stuff with varying rates and a large range to choose from. Nevertheless, the experience was awesome and we did end up buying some stuff and returned home almost at midnight with a large number of shopping bags.

Too tired for the day, we fell asleep after deciding on our next day's tour plans. The rest of the days spent in the UAE will be shared in my next posts.

Now coming to the recipe .... Since we enjoyed a lip smacking Hyderabadi meal prepared by our dear Hyderabadi friends, I did borrow the recipe so that I could try out the delicious Biryani when I come back to Muscat. And I tried it out for a very satisfactory result( not as tasty as the one they had made, but something worth sharing). Savour the delight of this royal dish with a play of Hyderabadi spices.. So here goes the recipe for it.

 

INGREDIENTS:

For the Marinade:

 

1/2 kg Mutton
1/2 kg Onion sliced and fried to golden brown in some oil
3 Lemons juice
Salt to taste(Salt used for the mutton and the rice should be mixed together in the mutton marinade only)
1 tsp Ginger +Garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
5 green chillies
1/4 litres curds
1 tsp Hyderabadi Biryani powder

For the Hyderabadi Biryani powder:

1 full packet Cinnamon (200 gms)
1 handful Cloves
1 handful cardamoms
2 handfuls black pepper
1 star anise
1/2 handful black cumin

Dry grind the above ingredients into a fine powder and store it for future use.

Other Ingredients:

6-7 spoons Oil/Clarified Butter(Ghee)
1/2 Kg Rice
4-5 whole black peppers
1-2 cinnamons
1 handful finely chopped coriander leaves
8-10 mint leaves
1 pinch Biryani Color dissolved in 1 tsp water/ a pinch Saffron strands dissolved in 1 tsp water


HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Marinate the mutton with the ingredients of the marinade and set aside for 2-3 hours.

2) Cook Rice - Heat water and when it comes to boil, add the black peppers and cinnamon sticks & raw rice to it. When the rice-water comes to the first boil, drain the rice. Rice is still hard at this stage. This is the correct stage for you to drain the rice.

3) Set the Biryani Layers -  In a large bottomed vessel, pour in the mutton marinade. This is the 1st layer. Then top the first layer with the half cooked rice. Pour the Clarified butter/Oil on the Rice layer and top this with finely chopped coriander leaves, Mint leaves, fried onions and the Biryani Color.

4) Seal this vessel with a thick flour paste so that no steam comes out.

5) Switch on the stove to a full flame and keep this vessel for 10 full minutes. Reduce the flame to a minimum one and allow the contents to simmer for 30 minutes and switch off the stove.

6) Break open the seal only at the time of serving. Serve hot with curds and cucumber salad.

 

Mini chicken bowls

We had a lovely & long Eid week holiday here for 9 full days and you can imagine how each one of us would suddenly make use of these big number of days that come our way so generously. Well, most people headed back home to catch up with their families and some people decided to travel to nearby places and chill out - thus making the best use of the pleasant and magical  climate that Oman has offered  us this year.

However, we kind of thought out of the box this time and decided to fly somewhere to spend the week long break. And yes, we chose the nearest location - U.A.E and boy .... what a lovely place it turned out to be with breadth taking high rise buildings, luxurious palaces, fabulous mosques, captivating malls with endless number of brands being sold and not to forget the alluring waterfronts. Oh ... and the mesmerizing beaches, the amazing skyline, the enticing islands, the glamorous souks and the scrumptious food ... Have I missed something? I may have for sure... because there was so much I saw and so much that we did and if I continue to prattle this way, I will take ages to compile everything ..... but I will try my best to write down all that I can recollect and also post some lovely pictures that I shot.

I couldn't stop myself from clicking a whole lot of pictures to prattle on about the beauty of this place to the world. The days were terribly hectic because we kept rushing from one place to another so that we could cover as many places as we could in a day. After taking scads of photos of the lovely places that I visited - Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I am now able to sit back and feel contented to share with this creative virtual community where borders and time zones don't exisit. This’s a cultural melting pot, way beyond the scale of multicultural environments who would love everything about this place. 

Dubai especially is such a spectacular & festive place with its diverse population and it is amazing to see the whole world unified in a multitude of festivities here. Nonetheless, I am simply excited to have toured this enchanting country which actually is quite similar to Oman except for the high rise buildings and all the artificial stuff they have constructed to make it look so damn blissful. Sigh!!!

In my coming posts, you will find all about my trip with plenty of pictures and of course some recipes. I hope you will enjoy them.

And for now, I will leave you with this incredible recipe for the holiday season.

INGREDIENTS:

6  Puff Pastry Sheets (thawed)
1 egg white only(beaten)
200 gms grated Mozzarella Cheese
1 tsp oregano (optional)

For the Filling:

100 gms minced chicken (or else small chicken cubes)
1 tsp red chilli sauce
2 tsp of tomato Ketchup
2 onions finely chopped
2 tsp frozen peas/finely chopped carrots
A handful of coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp chicken stock powder
2 tsp Oil

HOW TO MAKE:

The Filling:

1)  Heat Oil in a shallow pan and add onions to eat and fry them till they are slightly soft.
2) Add the minced chicken, frozen peas and continue frying for another 2-3 minutes.
3) Add the red chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and the chicken stock powder, salt.
4) Sprinkle coriander leaves and switch off the heat.
5) Allow it to cool for sometime.

The Chicken Bowls:

1) Take each puff pastry sheet and shape it inside a muffin pan like a bowl shaped.
2) Brush some egg white inside each bowl.

3) Pre-heat an oven and bake these for 8 minutes in a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.
4) Remove the muffin tray exactly after 8 minutes and pour our a tablespoon of the filling into each bowl.
5) Sprinkle the grated Mozzarella Cheese on each bowl along with a dash of Oregano on top of the cheese.
6) Bake them in the oven for 5-10 minutes or till lightly golden in a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.
7) Serve them hot.

 

Bhel Puri

But Salalah did not end with only the visit to Darbat. Before we entered Salalah, we travelled more than 1000 kilometers from Muscat, covering almost 700 kilometers of desert area and witnessing sweltering heat because of the peak summer month. As we were nearing the Dhofar region, we were welcomed by cool breeze even though we were still driving on the highway surrounded by sand dunes and desert on both sides and an infinite sight of only brown land with dry vegetation scattered here and there.

All through the journey, I was wondering how this heat is going to change into shivering cold as we approach Salalah. So we stopped at a famous farm called the Frankincense farm (which Salalah is famous for). This farm is huge and dry with the frankincense tress scattered here and there (hardly a farm's look it had), but it was so windy that we felt as if we will be blown away. A wonderful welcome to the paradise of Oman called Salalah.

Have a look of the pictures of the Frankincense farm. These pictures were shot at almost 4 p.m. The Frankincense is the beads like liquid found on the bark of these trees and it is in the solidified state. It is scrapped and removed and sold in the markets as it produces a beautiful odour when burned. It is widely used in Arabian homes, religious ceremonies etc.

It is more than a year since I toured this lovely place. Now we are almost at the end of the summer season here in Oman. So the heat isn't so bad .

Overall, this time summer really surprised us. We had bad days only in the month of June. The rest of the months was very tolerable and not as bad as the previous years. So we were able to spend a good amount of time outdoors watching sun sets and enjoying nature. Don’t you love the way the sky lights up with the orange-yellow glow while the sun disappears down the horizon? I thoroughly enjoyed the Friday sunsets especially because Friday is the day when the day is all yours and you enjoy the weekend idling away the time and relaxing.

To compliment this post, I should also say that the best way to spend a Friday evening is to have light street food - it can also be ridiculously easily prepared at home by throwing in a few chopped vegetables, spices and puffed rice. Put them in a paper cone and munch it to glory. We call this as the Bhel puri in India. It is a popular street food and we all love it so much. No rolling. No cut-outs. No scraping, No baking and No cooking. Whee! I can tell you this story with some carrots, onions and tomatoes with a dash of chilli - best enjoyed on a cold, rainy winter night. So walk the bar with this smashing appetizer.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups puffed rice
 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp. ground green chillis with a handful of coriander leaves(ground coarsely)

2 tbsp. sev

 

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Mix all the above ingredients and serve immediately.

 

Crispy Fish fingers

 

 

For the last one week, we have been witnessing overcast skies with a dull looking sun peeping out from behind the clouds. Yet the heat wave has been gripping us with humidity reaching the peak levels.

 

I have been hearing about great weather in my home country and no wonder I’m feeling so nostalgic about the cool monsoon rains back home.

 

But all this reminds me of a rainy day on our first day trip to the paradise of Oman called Salalah. Let me brief you about this tour.

 

Darbat was the name of the place we visited on our day one of Salalah trip. The scenery here was thrillingly beautiful - simply breathtaking.  Indeed, it made for a delightful experience and I bookmarked it to be a frenetic, pulsating hub of Dhofar region's old quarter which nestled above a cosy cave for one to relax and tiny streams of water silently making their way into the vegetation. 

 

Relaxing by the shallow waters of the streams surrounded by lush green plantations and steep mountain peaks, we captured spectacular shots of the country side engulfed in a hazy mist.

 

The view from the cave was awe-inspiring and offered us a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.

 

I couldn't help but share these lovely pictures with you all - taken from a blackberry smartphone.

 

To compliment my showery memories. I decided to post the fish fingers recipe today. This is an easy-to-make version of our favorite restaurant starter. Tender fish fillet fresh from the water are fried to crispy perfection—they'll melt in your mouth at the first bite! You can lighten this up with a marinade of few ingredients and fry them to a crispy perfection.

 

A word of warning: getting the fingers to hold shape while frying can be tricky. The key is to dredge them in corn flour before frying. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

2 slices fish fillets 

1 tbsp. red chilli sauce 

1/2 tsp Pepper powder 

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Salt – To taste
2 tbsp. corn flour
1 cup Bread crumbs (plain or panko) /crushed corn flakes

Oil – To deep fry

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Cut the fish fillets into long strips , the size of your forefingers.

 

2) Marinate fish pieces with the red chilli sauce, powders, salt and 1 tbsp. corn flour. Freeze this for an hour or so that the powders sink into the fish flesh.

 

3) Remove it out of the freezer half an hour before frying and heat the oil in a wok.

 

4)  Mix the other tablespoon of corn flour in a bowl with some water, dip each fish finger in it, roll into bread crumbs and drop in hot oil.

5) For a crispier crust, dip them again in the corn flour liquid and then in bread crumbsbefore frying.

 

6)  Deep fry the breaded fish pieces for about 5 – 6 minutes until they are browned on all sides. Enjoy with ketchup or hot sauce.
 

 

 

Egg with veggies

Where do the weekends go? I can't imagine how soon the weekends just pass off. By the time you get the real feeling that you are going through the weekend, Saturday afternoons arrive. Overall, weekends are a much welcome slowdown from the normal frenzy of activities.

 Last week, I took an off on the last working day of the week (Thursday). Wednesday evening looked so heavenly that I felt that Sunday morning needs an eternity to reach us. Thursday at home with the little one was blissful and when you are happy, you are energetic also. And that means the hob will take up an extra load of cooking.

For me blissfulness means, it has to be celebrated with color, tranquility and elegance. So scanning through my written recipes bunch, I found a simple, rustic and delicious side dish that pairs beautifully with  rice and pickle.

Eggs were my first choice. They are the best super foods anyone can consume. They are the most versatile of all ingredients in the kitchen and are my first choice to bind, thicken or lighten a dish, and served to suit your individual taste.

To keep it all light and effortless, I dropped a few eggs in boiling water to harden them. Once done, I peeled them, separated the egg whites from the yolks and cut the egg whites in cubes. Chopped a few vegetables of different colors to bring in the splashy look of hue to the dish. The vibrant color shines from every angle of the dish bringing into your kitchen an inspiring combination of indulgent spices. So slathered with homemade condiments with a powerful combination of proteins and vegetables, this dish is surely a crowd pleaser.

Overall ,this is a side dish with a sophisticated twist for eggs comined with vegetables.I have been savouring this dish from quite recently. A good one to be served with a light meal like dal & rice.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup egg whites, boiled and cubed

1 cup veggies (carrot, beans and cabbage, yellow capsicum, ), chopped

I tomato chopped

1 teaspoon split black lentils (urad dal)

¼ cup onion, quartered and finely sliced

½ teaspoon ginger, shredded

2 small green chilies, sliced

10 curry leaves

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 ½ tablespoon oil

salt, to taste

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Boil eggs and cool them. Peel tham and separate the egg whites from the yolks.

2) Cube the egg whites and keep aside.

3) Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cook until they crackle, add lentils and fry till golden..

4) Stir in onion, curry leaves, slit green chili and ginger and cook for 2 minutes till onions are soft.

5) Add in the veggies, tomatoes with salt and chili powder and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until slightly tender.

6)  Add the egg and gently toss everything together for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve warm. 

Dates Halwa

The other day we had a kind Omani friend of ours drop in our house and hand us two full boxes of red dates grown in his garden. They tasted so good and were quite fleshy. But two full boxes of dates .... ??? I know we cant eat all of them. Scratching my head for a catchy jingle in vain, I toyed with ideas for milk shakes, sweets etc. It was only after a good scanning of the web that I thought that I should be more proactive and convert these sensational fruits into a dessert topped with more dry fruits and chill it so that it can be consumed any time of the day. Also,with the heat getting unbearable and the energies draining out, we love to chill our fruits and salads to refresh ourselves.The result was amazing.

Needless to say, Dates are the crowning glory at all Omani home. With sticky, ruby juices oozing out, they pair beautifully with anything from such choice of a hearty breakfast to start the day. I know that a healthy breakfast should always include some warm, bubbling fruit topped with sweet, crunchy crumble. But it is not many times in a week that we can have this for breakfast except for weekends when we have ample time to prepare a hearty meal.

I don't recommend Halwa for breakfast even though dates are loaded with soluble and insoluble fibres that can keep our bowels perfectly healthy. Because this halwa contains ingredients that are ideal for the Dessert table.




So this is how I made the dates halwa :


INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kg dates, washed and deseeded

1/2 cup ghee/clarified butter
250 gm khoya
1/2 cup semolina (sooji)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. rose water

 To Decorate:

50 gm almonds, chopped
50 gm pistachio, chopped
A handful of sliced dates

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)  Boil the deseeded dates in hot water for ten minutes or until soft.

 

2)  Blend them coarsely in a mixer.

 

3) Heat clarified butter in a vessel, add the semolina and roast it till it shows a light brownish color.

 

4) Add the dates puree and mix well. Cook this till it starts to thicken.

 

5) Add the sugar and the Khoya and combine till thick and ghee starts to leave the sides of the vessel.

 

6) At this stage add the rose water. Cook for 5 more minutes and transfer the same to a serving dish.

 

7) Decorate the Halwa with the chopped nuts and dates.