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Friday, May 31, 2013

MIR ALAM MANDI (Very old & Famous Grocery and Vegetable market in Hyderabad)

In the bustling streets of the Old city in Hyderabad, where you say goods and food items laiden trucks moving in with people moving to shop their daily needs from.  We are talking about one of the very oldest and most popular market where you get authentic Hyderabadi items and other grocery stuff from Masalas, meats, lentils, pulses, grains and vegetables to proprietary sauces be it chinese or tomato sauce, pastas and lots more its MIR ALAM MANDI* located at MIR CHOWK Junction.

* Mandi means Market

(Above: you could see the entrance gate called 'Mir Alam mandi Kamaan' which is on the main street that opens into a huge market)


Take a look of the market inside and you will see how big and vast it is with so much vendors selling good fresh produce (btw: a guy in red shirt is my Uncle with whose help I could see the market)

Monday, April 1, 2013

Main Course: Kachhe Akhni ki Dum Murg Biryani

Here you go!

So finally I made this Biryani with pictures (Sorry due to poor light the pictures are not refine, you may find the pictures little dull).
So there are three versions of Biryani in HYDERABADI STYLE.  This one is a huge hit and most loved one from all three versions.  Specially prepared for all sorts of function.  For making this Biryani the steps are simple but absolutely important. Each steps have to be timed in a manner and there shouldnt be delay, in short to make it more precise and effective you need a HELPING Hand.  I sincerely Thank my Mother Meher Sultana, my greatest help and my Cousin Sister Rukhsana Begum, who is greatest chef for sharing this recipe.

So here is what all you need:

For RICE:
1 kg - Good Quality Basmati Rice (I made this with Daawat and it will surely not let you down)
2 tbsp - Pure Ghee (Clarified Butter) 

1 seeds - Nutmeg (Javitri)
2-3  Mace (Jauth)


1 Stick - Dalchini (Cinnamon)

3-4 - Hari  Elachi (Green Cardamaom)
2-3 - Laung (Cloves)
1- Tejpatta (Small Bayleaf)

1 tsp heaped - Shah Zeera (Carraway Seeds )

3-4 sprigs - Pudina (Mint leaves)
2-3 sprigs - Hara Dhaniya (Corriander leaves)
1 tbsp - Salt
Water 3 times the quantity of rice (We will cook the Rice by Draining method until rice is 2/3rd cooked, Chawal mein 2 Kani honi Chahiye). 

NOTE: you will only start cooking rice when your marinated meat is kept for marination almost 1 hour before.

Method:
1] Wash and Soak rice for 30 minutes.
2] After the meat marination is done almost 1 hour and it is set for giving Dum, start cooking rice by adding all the above ingredients in water along with rice.

3] Cook it until you get '2 KANI' in Rice.

4] Immediately drain (you should not delay else rice will over cook). And add the layer of rice on top of Marinated meat in a broad vessel to be used for giving DUM.

NOTE: for cooking Rice always use Larger vessel 2 times the Quantity of Rice and water.

For Kacchi Akhni (Raw meat marinate):
3 - Kanda Pyaaz (Medium Onions) thinly Sliced
4 tbspl - Refined cooking oil

Fry the onions until golden brown in oil.

Spread it over a thali nicely ensuring they are not lumped together to make it crispier (Fired onions are called 'BRISTA'

for MARINATE

1 - Skinless Chicken (approx 1.250kgs in weight) medium cut
1tsp -Mace and Nutmeg powder (1 Nutmeg seeds and 2 mace) grinded in fine powder
1tsp - Hari elaichi powder (Green Cardamom Powder)
500 gms - Dahi (Curd)
3-4 - Hari Mirch ka paste (Green chillies paste)
2 tbspl - Ginger Garlic Paste
1/2 tsp - Haldi (Turmeric Powder)
1 1/2 tsp - Garam Masala Powder (made from 4 Green cardamoms, 2 cloves, 2 cinnamon, 2-3 Peppercorns)
2 tsp - Lal mirch powder (Red Chilli powder)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp - Asli Ghee (Clarified Butter)
1 tsp - Shah Zeera
1 tbsp - Akkha Garam Masala (1 Cinnamon, 3 green cardamom and 2 cloves)
3-4 sprigs - Pudina (Mint leaves)
2-3 sprigs - Hara Dhaniya (Corriander leaves)
1-2 sprigs - Soya, shepu (Dil leaves)

* The recipe adds Powdered Garam Masala and Whole garam masala in which Green cardamom is more)

METHOD:
1] Clean wash and drain chicken.
2] Mix all of the above masala in chicken except Ghee.  





3] Add the mint, corriander and Dil leaves in the marinated meat.


4] Leave it for marination for approximately 1 hour
5] from the fried onions remove half onions and crush them with hands. retain other half for later.
6] Mix the crushed onions in the marinate along with 4 tbsp oil in which you have fried onions

7] In a broad cooking vessel in which you will give dum.  Spread ghee evenly in the vessel and then pour the marinated meat in it. Meanwhile your Rice should be on stove for cooking.

8] Keep these 4 things ready
- 1 cup milk in which few Kesar strands (Saffron) is dissolved,




- Remaining fried onions,
- 1 lemon juice,
- 2-3 sprigs each of corriander and mint leaves chopped

9] In the vessel over marinated meat, add the rice and then sprinkle fried onions

10] Sprinkle chopped Corriander and Mint leaves, Sprinkle with fingers the saffron dissolved milk evenly along with lime juice.


11] Put some more Ghee on top of the rice.

12] Take the Lid and cover the vessel tightly, use kneaded dough to seal the sides of vessel and the lid.

13] On a high flame give dum for about 10 minutes.

14] Remove Vessel from flame, keep a griddle on flame and return back the vessel on griddle and on slow flame continue giving Dum for about 30 minutes. If you are using larger chunks of chicken then 40 minutes will be dum time.

15] After dum process cut the dough and remove lid from the vessel.  Mix well

16] Serve hot with Veg Raita and Mirchi Ka Saalan.




SHUKRIYA.....

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Main Course: CHICKEN KORMA

Best served with Tandoori Roti, Mumbai Pav or Double Roti (Bread).  In Hyderabad it is best served with 'Khuska' (Plain Rice) or Sheermal (Naan).

Unlike the North Indian Awadhi version of Korma which is thick in consistency and greenish brown in colour this one is Thin and reddish brown in colour.  Masala's used are similar with a difference of one or two masala.  You may enjoy this version of Korma as it is not restricted to only Roti's but can be had with Rice.

Serve:  7 people.

Here is what all you need.

For Wet Masala's you need:


100 gms - Dried Coconut (Sukkha Nariyal)
50 gms - Lotus Seeds (Kalonji or Charoli)
50 gms - Unprocessed dried Cashewnut (Kaju)
50 gms - Poppy seeds (Khus Khus)
5-6 - Unprocessed Almonds (Badam)
200 Gms - Curd (Dahi)

(Step: Dry Roast all the above masala's on a griddle one at a time and then with the help of curd grind them into thick fine paste.  Which will look like this see below)



For thickening you need two ingredients:

First Ingredient  -  75 gms - Chatni Daal (Phule chane ki daal)


(Step: Dry roast this chana daal and then make a fine powder out of it, see below)


Second Ingredient: 250 gms - Onions (Fried golden Brown onions slices which is crushed and added before the conclusion of the dish)


Fry these onions in 7 Tblsp of Refined groundnut oil




After frying the onions, remove and spread it on thali try seperating them with help of fork so that they dont form into lumps.  The whole process is to make them crisp inorder to crush them and use them after its cool.


So now when you have prepared the above masala's here is the rest of the ingredients and step to make the Korma.

750 gms - Curry cuts Chicken (Skin removed, washed and cleaned)
250 gms - Curd (other batch, first batch of 200 gms used while grinding masala above - so total you  need 500 gms)
1 Tbsp - Red Chilli Powder (Lal Mirch Powder)
1/2 tsp - Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
2 Tbsp - Ginger Garlic Paste
5 sprigs - Corriander leaves (Hara Dhaniya)
6-7 sprigs - Mint leaves (Pudina)
250 gms - large Potatoes (Peeled and quatered)
1 litre - water
Salt to taste

Spices you need
2 tsp - Carraway Seeds (Shah zeera)
2 tsp - Garam Masala powder which includes 4 Green Cardamom (Hari Elaichi), 1 long stick Cinnamon (Dalchini), 1-2 Cloves (Laung)
1 tsp - Corriander Powder (Dhania Powder)
1 tsp - Cumin Powder (Zeera powder)

Method:
1] In the oil in which you have fried the onions.  Add Carraway seeds (Shah Zeera).
2] Once seeds starts spluttering add ginger garlic paste and fry it until the paste turns brown.

3] Add chilli powder, turmeric, Corriander, cumin powder, salt and 1 tsp of Garam Masala powder. Fry it for a minute and then add your wet masala and bhuno fry it nicely till it starts oozing more oil.



4] Add Curd in the masala and stir fry contionously cooking it nicely till the curd is cooked and oil floats also add powdered Chana daal.


5] Now add chicken pieces and stir well till masala coats chicken.


6] Continue cooking till chicken is half cooked. And then add Potatoes and add water into it.


7] Now add crushed golden fried onions and sprinkle remaining 2 tsp of Garam Masala.  Add chopped corriander and mint leaves and cover and cook the korma until oil floats on top and it starts boiling.

8] Serve piping hot with Khushka (Plain rice) or Chapati, Paratha aur Pav.

Best served: with Pav, Achaar and Onion, tomatoes ka Kachhumber.