1,000 Indian Recipes (290 page)

4 cups water

1
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⁄
₂
cups (
¹
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recipe)
Crispy Fried Onions

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted ghee

4 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

6 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon

2 whole bay leaves

2 teaspoons black cumin seeds

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

¹
⁄
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teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

1.
In a food processor or a blender, process together the garlic, ginger, and green chile peppers until minced. Add the tomatoes, coarsely chopped cilantro, and lime juice and process again to make a smooth purée. Transfer to a large non-reactive bowl and mix in the yogurt, garam masala, and salt. Add the chicken and mix well, making sure all the pieces are well-coated with the marinade. Cover and marinate at least 8 and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

2.
In a small bowl, soak the saffron in the milk, 30 minutes or longer. In a medium bowl, soak the rice in the water, 30 minutes or longer. Prepare the fried onions.

3.
Put the rice and water in a large nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, until the most of the water has been absorbed but the rice is not yet fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain the rice and discard the water (or use it for soups).

4.
Heat the ghee (or oil) in a large nonstick, oven-safe saucepan (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the black and green cardamom pods, cinnamon, bay leaves, and cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the marinated chicken, plus all the marinade, and stir well. Remove from the heat.

5.
Spread the fried onions (save some for garnish), chopped cilantro, and mint on top of the chicken, then cover everything well with the partially cooked rice. Top the rice with the saffron milk, seal the pan well with aluminum foil and place the lid over the foil. Cook over medium-high heat about 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook about 15 minutes. Lower the heat further to low, and continue to cook until the chicken literally falls off the bone, the rice grains are soft, and the flavors are well-blended, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, fluff the top of the rice lightly with a fork, sprinkle the cardamom seeds and the reserved fried onions on top, and serve.

Layered Rice with Lamb and Apricots

Gosht aur Khubani ki Biryani

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Apricots, called
khubani
in Hindi, are often added to lamb and chicken dishes. Here is one such authentic dish. Daunting though the promise of authenticity may seem, don't let that deter you from trying out this relatively easy recipe. Its fragrance alone sets the stage for celebration.

1
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to 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, all visible fat trimmed, cut into 1
¹
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-inch pieces

¹
⁄
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cup coarsely chopped raw cashews

4 to 5 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

6 to 8 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

20 to 25 fresh curry leaves

3 to 5 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon garam masala

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons salt, or to taste

1
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⁄
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cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

8 to 10 dried apricots, coarsely chopped

2 large potatoes (any kind), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1
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⁄
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cups basmati rice, sorted and washed in 3 to 4 changes of water

2
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⁄
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cups water

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teaspoon saffron threads

¹
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cup milk (any kind)

2 tablespoons melted ghee or peanut oil

2 (1-inch) sticks cinnamon

6 to 8 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1.
Place the meat on a clean cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, then, with the flat side of a meat mallet, lightly pound each piece of lamb a few times to break the fibers.

2.
In a food processor or a blender, process together the cashews, garlic, ginger, cilantro, curry leaves, green chile peppers, tomatoes, lime juice, garam masala, and salt to make a smooth paste. Transfer to a large non-reactive bowl, add the yogurt, and mix well. Add the lamb, potatoes, and apricots and mix well, making sure everything is well-coated with the marinade. Cover and marinate at least 4 and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

3.
In a medium bowl, soak the rice in the water at least 30 minutes. Soak the saffron in the milk at least 30 minutes or longer. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the rice in a large nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until most of the water is absorbed but the rice is not yet fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

4.
Lightly grease the bottom of large oven-safe covered dish. Spread half the rice in the dish, spread all the marinated meat, plus the marinade, over the rice, then cover the meat with the remaining rice.

5.
Heat the ghee (or oil) in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cinnamon, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Remove from the heat, add the saffron milk, then drizzle everything over the rice. Cover well with aluminum foil, and then with the lid of the dish. Bake the rice about 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and continue to bake until the lamb is very soft and the flavors are well-blended, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, fluff the top of the rice lightly with a fork, and serve.

Layered Rice with Fragrant Lamb Chops

Chaamp ki Biryani

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This lamb
biryani
is made with bone-in lamb chops (called
chaampein
in Hindi), and is fragrant with rosewater and saffron, both of which add an incredible flavor and aroma to the
biryani
.

¹
⁄
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teaspoon saffron threads

¹
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cup milk (any kind)

1
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tablespoons
Basic Ginger-Garlic Paste
(or store-bought)

4 cups (1 recipe)
Simple Cumin Basmati Rice

2 tablespoons melted ghee or peanut oil

2 pounds lamb rib chops with bone, all visible fat trimmed

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, minced with seeds

1 teaspoon garam masala

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⁄
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teaspoon ground asafoetida

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¹
⁄
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teaspoon ground black cardamom seeds

¹
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teaspoon ground cloves

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teaspoon ground cinnamon

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground nutmeg

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teaspoon ground mace

1 teaspoon rosewater or 2 drops rose essence

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

1.
Soak the saffron in the milk at least 30 minutes or longer. Meanwhile, prepare the ginger-garlic paste and the rice.

2.
Heat the ghee (or oil) in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the lamb chops, ginger-garlic paste, green chile peppers, garam masala, asafoetida, and salt and cook, turning once or twice, until the chops are golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3.
Add the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, until all the yogurt is absorbed, about 7 minutes. Then add the cumin, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace and continue to cook over medium heat the first 2 to 3 minutes, then over medium heat until the lamb is very tender, about 30 minutes.

4.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the biryani, spread half the rice in a large ovenproof covered dish, spread the lamb chops and all the sauce evenly over the rice, then cover the chops well with the remaining half of the rice.

5.
Mix the rosewater into the saffron milk and drizzle over the rice. Cover well with aluminum foil and then with the lid of the dish. Bake the rice about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, fluff the top of the rice lightly with a fork, sprinkle the mint leaves on top, and serve.

Variation:
This biryani can also be made in the pan in which the lamb is cooked. Remove the cooked lamb from the pan, put half the rice on the bottom, cover with the cooked lamb, then with the rest of the rice. Drizzle the saffron milk and rosewater over the rice, cover the pan well with aluminum foil, and cook over low heat 45 to 50 minutes. Stir, garnish, and serve.