Kolkota style Egg Dum Biryani

Calcutta or Kolkata Biryani is very different from regular Biryani's.Biryani is a classic dish which needs no introduction.There are many different types of Biryani's which we can cook with vegetables and meats.Personally My choice of Biryani is Hyderabad dum biryani.Coming to today's dish Kolkata Biryani is unique compared with all Biryani's.In kolkata Biryani we add potato which is very common in all their Biryani's which includes meats veggies.We always love to cook Mutton with potatoes which enhances taste to the curry.Similarly we add potatoes in kolkata Biryani when cooked with any meats or eggs.Somehow I liked the taste of potatoes in the biryani more than meat or egg in that Biryani.Kolkata Biryani is not very spicy like all Biryani's in southern side.This Biryani entirely cooked in my way.You can see my chicken Biryani to get more info about Dum style Biryani.

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice 5 cups( mine is 180 ml cup)
• Eggs 6
• potatoes 2 big size
• Ghee 3to 4 tbspns( home made ghee for best results)
• onion 1 small sliced vertically
• green chili 3
• Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsps
• Curd or yogurt 2 tbspns
• Redchilli powder 2 tsps
• Turmeric powder 1/4tspn
• chopped mint leaves few 10 to 20
• chopped coriander leaves fistful
• Fried onions 100gms or 1/4 cup
• saffron strands soaked in hot milk ( 3 tbsp of milk)
  

MASALA OR SPICES TO GRIND:

• Bay leaves1
• cinnamon sticks 2
• cardamom 2
• cloves 3
• peppercorns 5 to 6
• Mace 1
• Biryani flower one

Grind above spices and make fine powder.
Procedure:

• Cook eggs and potatoes in pressure cooker until 2 whistles or until done.Peel the skin of potatoes and remove egg shells keep aside.Soak Basmati rice in water for at least 30 mins.
• In a bowl add turmeric powder, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, salt ,spice powder( above grinder powder)fried onions, few mint and coriander leaves ,ghee ,curd, mix well.
• Marinate boiled eggs and  chopped potatoes in the above bowl for 15 to 30 mins.Make some slight marks in eggs so that masala goes well inside egg.
• Heat a  deep pan with 2 tbsp of ghee, once heated add marinated potatoes and eggs to the pan.Let is fry 10 to 15 mins in medium frame.Before arranging dum in the this deep pan,Keep some amount egg potato mix aside  to arrange dum in layers.
• During this process simultaneously boil 10 cups of water in another deep pan,add 1 tbsp oil, shah jeera,Biryani flower,Cinnamon,Bayleaves enough salt needed  for the entire Biryani.once water starts boiling add soaked Basmati rice in the boiling water.This process is to keep rice in dum Biryani style.
• Cook rice almost 90% done.
• Now to arrange Biryani in Dum style I prefer Oven is the safest method.But,normally we keep in stove stop in this way.
• Add layer of rice on top of marinated egg potato mixture.Sprinkle fried onions,mint leaves, coriander leaves, saffron strands soaked in milk.( add milk too)
• Next layer add remaining part egg potato mixture and and on top entire rice.Sprinkle few mint leaves ,fried onions.Any store bought Biryani masalas( I use shan Biryani masala for very nice smell, this is entirely optional)
• Close the lid of the pan and cook medium to high flame for 5 mins ,then reduce flame to low flame, cook for 20 to 30 mins.
• After it is done, cool down few mins and then enjoy with raita of your choice.

OVEN METHOD:

• Preheat oven 400f
• cook Biryani for 10 to 15 mins in oven safe tray in 400f.
• Then reduce to 375 after 15 mins and cook for 20 mins.

Traditional pulav

Pulav is a dish in which rice is completely cooked with masalas.It can be cooked with meats and vegetables also.But,coming to this recipe which  is completely different as it is only cooked with few spices.This is my mom's signature dish.Though I cooked several times,still i keep calling mom everytime I cook,because I don't want to miss  actual taste.Today morning again I called my mom and spoke with her.As I mentioned mom that am going to post this today.She told me estimated measurements,but I put in exact measurements to publish in my blog.Usually we have it with mutton curry or chicken curry and side dish of vada also. I born brought up coastal side of Andhra pradesh. we used to have this full meal during festival of kanuma which comes after Makara sankranthi.Finally got opportunity  to post this recipe.Posting this recipe in BM#65 under the theme rice dishes.

INGREDIENTS:

• Rice 4 cups( 250 ml cup)
• onions 2 medium or 1 big
• Garlic&garlic paste 2 tbpns
• coconut paste 2 tbspn
• Poppy seeds 1 tbspn
• Daniya 2 tbspn 
• cinnamon 2
• cloves 2
• cardamom 2
• Ghee 2 tbspns
• Bay leaf 1
• cashew nuts 4 to 5
• salt to taste

Preparation: 

• Blend onions into fine paste keep aside. Take fresh or frozen coconut, make fine coconut paste.(blend separately coconut and onion pastes)keep aside.
• Next blend all masalas(poppy seeds,daniya,cinnamon,cloves,cardamom) keep aside.

• Procedure:
• For pulav
• Heat ghee in a pan,once it is hot add  cashewnuts fry until little brown.Take out, keep aside.
• Add bay leaf followed by onion paste fry well in medium flame until oil oozes out of the paste.Then add ginger garlic paste fry few more mins.
• Now add coconut paste fry a min,add garam masala which was blended.saute few more mins.
• Time to add rice( soaked in water for an hr, soaking not compulsory) fry rice for 2 more mins in medium flame in the masala paste.
• Add cashew nuts, and 6 to 7 cups of water.Shift this to a rice cooker and cook it.( select white rice option)Traditionally mom used to cook this in open container with lid on.( you may add 8 cups of water )
• Yummy pulav is ready.This is very good with non vegetarian dishes..Vegetarians can try with any spicy curry.

For Goat curry recipe here

NOTE: The key taste depends on how the way you fry each ingredients..Fry in medium flame carefully..Don't burn the spices or else pulav will be pungent.

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Prawn (Shrimp)Biriyani

Biryani is the royal dish amongst all the exotic dishes of India,and remains the dish to serve on all best and auspicious occasions.Biryani is derived from persian word 'Birian'.In Farsi,Birian means Fried before cooking.There are diifferent variations in Biryani.We (our family)usually cook Non veg biryani, with different meats.As whole family love to eat sea food,prawns being our favorite among all seafoods what we eat,tried so many recipes with prawns.So, thought to prepare Prawns Biryani.Prawns Biryani is a traditional Indian dish prepared layering spices,shrimp/prawn,aromatic rice and cooked until done.I'm posting this recipe in BM#48 under the theme Biryani's of different style.Here goes my recipe.

Ingredients:

• Prawns 1 lb
• Onion 1  big size
• Green chilli 4 
• Ginger & Garlic paste 1 tbspn
• Red chilli powder 1tspn
• Whole garam masala(cinnamon,cloves,cardamom(each 3 to 4 count),
• Sahjeera(1 tspn
• Biryani leaves2  
• Curd 1 small cup
• Handful of mint and coriander leaves.
• Biryani masala for flavour(I use MDH or SHAN)
• Rice 3 cups
• Saffron very few 
• Oil 4 tbspns

For Prawns Marination:After cleaning prawns put aside in a bowl add chilli powder,ginger garlic paste, salt little corriander powder.

Procedure: 

•  For making Biryani I use wide non stick pan.Put some oil in a pan.( 1 to 2 tbspn)Add marinated prawns to the oil and fry slowly until the prawns well fried  both sides.
•  After few mins remove the prawns and keep aside.Add whole garam masala to the oil and fry few seconds, to this mixture add curd and stir fry slowly.
• Soon, add coriander leaves,mint leaves,Biryani masala .After few mins add fried prawns to the mix and cook  prawns  until 70% done.
• Mean while take a wide pan to cook rice separately.I soak rice for half an hr and I cook in a open pan.
• We can add few whole garam masala to the soaked rice to get nice aroma.Cook the rice until it is 80% done.Drain the rice and add this rice to the Prawn masala mix in the pan.
• On top of it add fried onions,I separately fry onions in small pan to get good taste.(We can add store bought fried onions).
• Add Saffron Soaked in 2 tbspns of milk.Close the lid and wait for 10 to 15 mins.First 5 mins in a medium flame next few mins in low flame.
• Then after few mins we can see the rice is almost cooked with prawns.Nice aroma comes from the mix.Our Biryani almost ready now.We can serve with raita.

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