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.

Kolkata Mutton Biryani

Biryani is normally made with chicken, mutton(Goat/Lamb),seafood or any veggies.Coming to today's recipe it is a combination of vegetarian and non vegetarian food. Here's Presenting today's biryani  popularly known as " KOLKATTA ROYAL BIRYANI" with a Bengali Touch. Kolkotta biryani is incomplete without aloo and/or egg in it.I learnt this from my husband who is fond and familiar with Bengali food.I added raw onions on top just to satisfy my taste buds.Usually in kolkatta biryani you won't have any onions as topping.

On a regular basis we always cook mutton curry with aloo (Bengali and Orissa Cuisine). It always tastes yummy and this made attempt aloo mutton Biryani since Potato in the mutton curry adds a unique taste to the curry. Even in Veggie Biryani Potato has awesome taste so posting this recipe in BM#73 UNDER THE THEME "FLAVORS OF INDIA"

Ingredients:

• Potatoes 4 medium
• Mutton (Goat Preferably/Lamb) 3 lbs
• Onions2
• Green chilli5
• Ginger garlic paste 2tbspn
• Spice powder 1 tbspns
• Chilli powder 2 tbspns
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Coriander powder 1 tspn
• Ghee4 tbspns
• Curd2cups
• Mint leaves 1/2 cup
• Coriander leaves 1/2 cup
• Saffron strands few
• Milk 3 tbspsn or 1/2 cup
• Rose water 1 tspn
• Store bought biryani masala (Preferably Shan) 1 tspn
• Salt to taste

SPICE POWDER or BIRYANI MASLA

• Cinnamon sticks 3(finger length)
• Cloves 4
• Cardamom 4
• Black pepper 3
• Biryani leaf 1
• Biryani flower 1
• Mace or javitri1    

Blend all ingredients into fine powder.Keep aside.
                         
Procedure:

• Marinate Mutton with chilli powder, turmeric powder, curd, lemon juice,Spice powder for 1 hr in refrigerator.( I have not added salt during marination as it takes little slower to cook mutton, suggest add salt later while it depends on the quality of mutton since if it's not tender it takes longer time to cook if you add salt.
• Take a wide pan add 1 tbspn oil, when it is hot add potatoes ( chopped little bigger in size as shown in pic) fry until light brown on both sides and keep aside.
• In the same pan add 3 tbspn of ghee, when hot add chopped onions and green chilli. When onions turn brown add ginger garlic paste fry well, add turmeric coriander powder and then marinated mutton followed by  few coriander leaves, mint leaves and little bit of fried onions.
• Cook mutton with lid on until it is 90% done.It takes around 45 mins to 1hr, depends upon the quality of mutton.( optionally If the mutton is not tender transfer the curry after removing potatoes this time to a pressure cooker add very little water and cook until 2/3 whistles depending on the way you like it. Check if its cooked and add salt as per your taste.)
• Add potatoes when the mutton is almost done on stove top( in that way potatoes will not be mushy)After adding potatoes to the mutton keep it at-least 10 mins or until potatoes almost cooked.
• While mutton is cooking cook rice ( With spices, cinnamon 2, cardamom 2, bayleaves sahjeera 1 tspn)in a wide bowl at the same time. Cook rice until it is 80% done.
• If layering biryani on stove top, heat a deep wide non stick container with tight lid on ,add mutton in the bottom layer  followed by rice, biryani masala, saffron milk, mint and coriander leaves followed by fried onions.Cook on medium for 10 mins and low on 30 mins.
• If cooking in the oven,Preheat oven to 400F.
• Slowly arrange half of the mutton curry on a oven tray and layer the rice on top followed by coriander and mint leaves, fried onions ,rose water and milk 1/2cup soaked in saffron.Now repeat the process for another layer of mutton.Seal the tray with aluminum foil and bake around 20 to 25 mins.
• After 10 mins when cools down little bit, slowly mix the biryani and enjoy with salad of your choice.
• Note: FEW CHANGES IN THE BIRYANI OR MASALA IS ENTIRELY TO SATISFY OUR TASTE BUDS.

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Egg and prawn Dum biryani

Biryani is pretty popular dish in every region of India.I love to have Biryani any time especially prawn biryani. Prawn or shrimp biryani is one of our families favorite Biryani. Few months back inlaws visited us and they love to eat little spicy food.During that time my husband was little health concerned and avoided shrimp completely.To full fill his desire to eat dum biryani I supposed to add boiled eggs, atleast he would enjoy biryani.My mother in law and father in law loved to the core.Felt very happy as everyone liked it.Worth  the time and effort spent on this recipe.Posting this recipe in BM#65 under the theme Rice dishes in different forms.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice 4 cups( 200 ml cup)
• Prawns or shrimp 8 to 10 large
• Boiled Eggs4 to 5
• Tomatoes 2
• Ginger garlic paste 2 tbspn
• coconut milk 1/4cup
• Turmeric powder 1111/4 tspn
• cumin powder 1 tspn
• coriander powder1 tbspn
• Red chilli powder 2 tbspn
• store bought biryani masala 1 tspn( optional) I prefer shan biryani masala)
• Ghee 4 to 5 tbspns
• Green chilli 3
• lime juice 2 tbspns
• fried onions few or one big onion chopped.
• Mint leaves chopped 1/4 cup
• coriander leaves chopped 1/4 cup
• saffron strands soaked in hot milk( 3 tbspn of milk)

Garam masala (Spice powder)

• Cinnamon 2 small sticks
• cardamom 3 to 4
• cloves 4
• Bay leaf 2
• Biryani flower1
• Shahi jeera 1 tsnpn
• Mace 2
• Pepper corns1/2 tspn
• Blend all the above spices into fine powder in a blender.keep aside.

Marination:

Marinate prawns with spice powder mentioned above,chilli powder,gingergarlic paste, turmeric powder,salt coriander powder,cuminpowder,mint leaves,fried onions,green chillies,lime juice,little ghee.mix it well.Keep in a refrigerator for 30 mins or an hr outside.

Procedure:

• Heat 4 to 5 tbspn of ghee,when it is hot add chopped onions fry until little brown,take out few onions and keep aside.
  
• Add chopped tomatoes fry until oil oozes out of the tomatoes.Then add few chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves ( Keep few leaves to sprinkle while arranging dum)
  
• Now add marinated prawns to the pan and cook until prawns well cooked.
• When almost prawns fried in the masala add boiled eggs ,coconut milk ,cook few more mins.keep aside.(2 to 3 mins)
• Now take a deep vessel and cook rice until it is 80% done.
• Arrange oven tray,spread little bit ghee on the bottom layer add half the prawns egg gravy,then pour cooked rice on top of gravy.sprinkle fried onions,few mint and coriander leaves. little bit store bought biryani masala( for extra flavor)
• Next pour remaining gravy on top  followed by another layer of rice.
  
• Preheat oven400F.
• Bake 30 to 40 mins in the oven.After first 10 mins reduce the temperature to 375F and bake remaining mins.
• If you prefer on stove top arrange in same process and keep high for3 mins then slowly reduce to low flame for 15 to 20 mins.
  
• Yummy prawn shrimp dum biryani is ready.Enjoy any salad of your choice.
  

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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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