Chicken Dum Biryani- to brighten up an otherwise dull weekend

The weekend that went by was a nice loooong one. Most of the people I know be it family or friends made the most of it by heading out for a small getaway or a refreshing minication or Mini Vacation :) My health didn't permit me to travel so I didn't have much of an option. I knew motherhood would change a lot of things for me but didn't anticipate the changes to step in so soon (even before the baby arrives).  

Under regular circumstances I would have sulked through the long weekend with an equally long face but these days I find myself a little more happy & cheerful than usual. I guess just the mere thought of the little one brings a smile to my face and makes it all worth it. So honestly I didn't mind chilling at home with hubby dear. 

In fact I decided to make the most of it by continuing with some of my cooking experiments. Now Hubby and I spent the first year of our careers in Andhra Pradesh. And a lot of that time was spent eating out, I would be busy gorging on the awesome Hyderabadi Biryani and hubby was busy wooing me :) So just the thought of Biryani transports us back in time. I thought why not try my hand at it.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I like cooking stuff that is quick to prep and easy to make. Hence the thought of making Biryani never really crossed my mind earlier because it felt like too tedious a process. But given the long weekend, I had a lot of time on my hands so Biryani it was.

Now here is the link that I referred to for my inspiration.

http://www.manusmenu.com/hyderabadi-chicken-biryani

As always, I did make a few tweaks to the Biryani I cooked. And I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that cooking Biryani wasn't all that difficult. Time consuming- YES, Difficult- NO. In fact its only the preparation which is a little time consuming so if you prep for it a day in advance the next day its only half an hour’s job.

So here’s my version of the Chicken Dum Biryani

Chicken Dum Biryani served with Raita and a salad of finely chopped onions & tomatoes on the side

Ingredients

Marinade 1

800 gms – chicken (I used the Zorabian Pre cut Skinless chicken with Bones)

1 small raw Papaya 

Marinade 2

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

2-3 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tsp cumin powder

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

2-3  green chilli (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

1 tsp red chilli powder (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 onions chopped fine & long and then fried golden brown

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 pepper corns

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 ½ cup yoghurt

Salt to taste

For the Biryani

300 gms – 2 ½ cup basmati rice (make sure you get the best rice because this can really change the whole dish)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Layers

3 fried onions (preparation similar to the marinade)

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

2 pinch saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water

2-3 tsp of ghee

Instructions

Marinade 1

The first marinade is simply to tenderise the meat. Cut the raw papaya and puree it. Now add the pureed papaya to the chicken pieces and set aside for 30-45 minutes. 

Then rinse the papaya off the chicken.

Marinade 2

To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl, add the chicken pieces to it, mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight).

Note: For the fried onions, simply chop the onions fine and long. Heat 2-3  tsp of oil in a wok and fry the onions till golden brown. Then drain them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. 

Assembling the Biryani

When you are ready to cook your biryani, prepare the rice. Wash it and soak it in cool water for 30 minutes. Fill a big pot with water (take more than the required quantity of water like in the case of pasta),  add salt and oil and bring it to a boil. Cook the rice in it for 4 or 5 minutes. The rice should be about 3/4th Cooked. Now drain the excess water and set aside the rice.

Now take a heavy bottomed pot (a heavy bottomed pot prevents the chicken from burning), spray it with some oil and add the chicken and its marinade to the bottom. Make sure to spread it all around. Now spread the rice on top of the chicken.

Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves, the fried onions and the saffron water. Now pour the ghee over the rice.

Put a tight lid on & seal it with the help of some atta (wheat flour dough). Then put the pot on the fire, on top of a tawa or flat pan (this will help the heat to spread uniformly).

I cooked the Biryani in two batches since I wasn't too sure of the cooking time and was afraid to spoil the whole thing. So in case you are an amateur like me, I suggest you do the same.

Put the fire on high for the 3-4 minutes, then keep cooking the biryani on a medium fire for 15 minutes and on low for the remaining 5 minutes (it did not take more than 25 minutes for my Biryani to cook).

Serve warm with some raita & a salad of finely chopped onions and tomatoes on the side!

All cooked and ready to be devoured

These days I avoid heavily spiced food to avoid acidity & heartburn. The above recipe as it is would give you a mildly spiced, well flavoured Biryani.  In case you are one of those who love their spices you may want to increase the green chilli and red chill powder content in the Biryani. Happy cooking :)

Aah! the aromas of freshly cooked Biryani
( I had to hold my hubby back to get this shot because he couldn't wait to dig into the Biryani ) 

Preparing your pet cats for the Baby

As soon as I broke the happy news to my family & friends, I was quite surprised and amused when almost all of them asked me about what I intend to do with my cats now that I was expecting. 

The question sounded silly & absurd to me. Do you ask existing family members to leave to make way for new members? No, you accomodate and learn to live with each other. Then why should it be any different for pets be it cats or dogs.

And as always ADVISE & SUGGESTIONS poured in

Cats are jealous creatures they may harm the baby, leave the cats at your parents place for sometime

Put the cats up for adoption, you won’t be able to manage the cats with the baby

Babies need a clean environment & Pets are messy hence I should give up on my cats

Every second day one comes across posts of abandoned animals on facebook. People choose to abandon their pets because they believe that pets and babies can’t co- exist. My simple request to everyone, please do your research before you take such a drastic step. You mean the world to your pet and they are absolutely lost without you.

Babies and pets can get along beautifully, it is only a matter of time and effort we choose to invest in that relationship. 

I am a pet parent to two cats, both with very different personalities. Maya is the lady of the house, all prim and proper, she absolutely loves to socialise. She loves to be in the company of humans.

Chintoo on the other hand is more of a recluse and very skittish, easy startled by new sounds and chooses to hide in a corner till our guests are gone.

I think it would be quite evident from my description that the one on top is the social Ms Maya and the gentlemen below is Chintoo :)

So how have I started preparing my cats for the baby?

Cats love consistency and detest change. Anything new needs to be introduced to them gradually. You cant thrust a baby in their face and expect them to love it from day one. Keeping this fact in mind, I made a few changes already and intend to make a few in the future

• I intend to keep my babies crib in my room next to the bed. Currently my cat, Maya’s sleeping bed was also kept in the same room. The first thing I did was to move my cat’s bed to the second bedroom and gradually got her in the habit of sleeping in the other room. Any changes in habit need to be introduced gradually and before the baby comes. Too many new things and too many changes for the pet are likely stress them out and also add to your stress in turn.
• Now for all those who claim that pets are not clean, all I can say is pets are as clean or as dirty as you choose to keep them. Its the habit you inculcate. I have got my cats in the routine of having a bath every 7-10 days and also clip their nails often so that they don’t scratch us and the furniture. This habit would ensure cleanliness and protect the baby from any scratches in the future. I have also installed a scratching post in my house which allows them to indulge in their natural instinct without harming us or the house.
• One things I read in almost all articles is that the biggest mistake pet parents make is to shower their cats with a lot of attention before the baby arrives. Thats because they are aware of the fact that the attention would shift to the toddler once he/ she arrives. Thats the worst thing one can do. Schedule your playtime with your cats and avoid giving them excessive attention now because thats not something you will be able to continue in the future.
• Also as I mentioned, cats are creatures of habit so be it there playtime, food or litter clean up time, have a fixed schedule that you will be able to follow even once the baby arrives. The last thing you want is a cranky cat while you are still trying to adjust to the baby
• I would highly recommend you spay/ neuter your cats a few months before the baby arrives. Cats tend to be noisy & more aggressive when on heat and that could disturb your baby. 
• Now babies can be loud & cranky and such loud noises could startle or make your cats uncomfortable. I have begun to play baby noises for a few minutes every day before my cats to get them used to the idea of those sounds
• Another thing I intend to do is get them comfortable with the smell of the baby, use the baby powder & cream on myself a little before the baby arrives so that baby smell seems familiar to them later
• I also intend to ask a family member to bring home a piece of baby’s clothing to the house a day before I actually bring the baby so that the cats can be comfortable with the smell
• Now one thing that most parents are concerned about is what if the cat accidentally jumps and hurts the baby. I intend to keep the baby crib off limits for the cat. I shall keep a few cans with coins around the crib to startle the cat in case they do choose to play around the crib. That should be enough to drive them away. I also intend to do some more research about the crib tent like the one shown in the picture. If I find it suitable I may invest in one to keep my cats away from the baby initially.

Still exploring the idea of getting a crib tent

• When the cat attempts to sniff and meet the baby please be calm. Be mindful thats animals can sense tension. Hence we need to work towards making the first interaction as pleasant as possible. Praise the cat if it gently sniffs the baby in your presence, making all associations with the baby positive for you cats

Now thats preparing your cats. One precaution that I have taken is to stay clear of the cat litter. I have domestic help who helps clean it regularly. The reason for the same being risk to the foetus from toxoplasmosis. While cats may be carriers of toxoplasmosis, you could also get this from handling raw meat and not washing your hands properly or using the same chopping board to cut raw meats & vegetables or from eating undercooked beef or pork. So throwing your cat out is not a solution, you just have to be careful. You may request a family member to help with this in case you don't have domestic help or simply wear gloves and wash your hands well after handling the litter. Also be more regular with cleaning the litter because oocysts are shed in the feces of the cat. The oocysts take 1-3 days before becoming infective once they are shed. 

So just as you start gearing up to welcome your tiny tot, make a few changes to make the transition easy for your pets also. I’ll be honest I am quite anxious about how my pets would react to the baby and hence am making all possible efforts to make this transition easy and smooth for all parties involved. I have done my research and am trying. Hope everything falls in place.

By the way on a lighter note, you guys have to watch tho video of cats with babies. Its hilarious :) Happy watching

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDd35Jxxzs

Image source: http://www.balancingmotherhood.com/2007/11/19/crib-tent/

Pepper Chicken in Coconut gravy- Cooking, cooking & some more cooking

These days my food cravings seem to be getting the better of me. Given my new found inability to stomach non- home cooked food (thats just a term I invented), my experiments in the kitchen have only increased.

Hubby and I had been planning a visit to visit to Konkan Cafe at Taj President for the longest time ever and for some strange reason that visit never materialised. Not even thinking about eating out at the moment so it boiled down to recreating the magic of Konkan Cafe in my own kitchen.

Now I am no Masterchef so I am not sure if this even qualifies as Konkan food. I was only craving some chicken in a mildly spiced coconut gravy which lead me to this experiment :)

Now don't ask me where do I get these weird cravings from :p

I am just happy that it pushes me to cook food thats fresh, tasty and healthy (it’s chicken, so yes its full of proteins :))

A dear friend of mine had dished out some yummy pepper chicken for us when we had last visited their place for dinner. That was the starting point for my dish. however I didn't really remember the recipe she told me quite well so I turned to the web for insipiration. Here is the link i referred to

http://pachakam.com/Recipes/Pepper-Chicken-in-Coconut-Gravy-503

With a few of my own additions managed to pull off quite a meal. Hubby absolutely loved it. Yaaaaaaaaaay :)

So here goes my recipe for Pepper Chicken in Coconut Gravy

Ingredients

Skinless chicken (I used Zorabian chicken with bones)- 1/2 kg

Onions 3 (medium sized, chopped coarsely)

Tomatos 2 (medium sized, chopped coarsely)

Ginger & Garlic paste 1tbsp

Cloves 2-3

Cardomom 2-3

Red chilli Powder 1tbsp

Coriander powder 1tbsp

Cumin seed powder 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon stick (about1/2 inch)

Fresh grated coconut 1/2 cup

Coconut Milk 1/2 cup

pepper 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

-Start by cleaning the chicken and make some incisions in the chicken for the marinade to penetrate.  Now marinate it in 2 tbsp of pepper and some salt. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

- Heat 2tbsp of oil to the wok and fry the chicken in the oil. The idea is to only seal the spices and not cook the chicken completely. This should not take more than 2 to 3 minutes. Now set aside the    chicken.

- Heat a tbsp of oil in a separate wok & fry the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste and the whole spices  i.e. cloves, cinnamon & cardamom. Cook till the onions are nice and brown. I chose to discard the  whole spices once onions were cooked and the oil had taken in the flavour of whole spices since I  don't like any whole spices in my food. You may choose to keep them or discard them as per your  preference

- Now add the tomatoes and the grated coconut to the onion mixture and cook till tomatoes are cooked.   Don't add any water at this stage

- Add the spices i.e. red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder & coriander powder along with salt while the tomatoes are being cooked.

- Now add coconut milk and the semi cooked chicken and simmer for a minute

- Transfer the whole mixture to a pressure cooker and give it two quick whistles.

- Once the contents of the cooker cool down a bit, remove the chicken pieces from the gravy. Transfer  the Gravy to mixer and blitz it. The result is a smooth and creamy gravy.

- Transfer the Gravy to a wok and bring to a boil and add the chicken. 

- Garnish with a fresh sprig of coriander

I served this dish with some lovely crisp mini dosa. Stumbled upon the dosa recipe on another blog. The instant dosa recipe is a keeper, shall share it in another post.

Till then keep smiling & be positive :)

My struggles with shopping for maternitywear in Mumbai

As I piled on kilos in the second trimester, I realized I was fighting a losing battle with maternity wear. For some strange reason I was unable to find good maternity wear that appealed to my fashion sense and was comfortable.

There are a host of wesbsites that offer maternity wear such as www.firstcry.com or www.ninematernitywear.com. Honestly I was a little wary to shop online given the changes my body has undergone in the last six months. Hence I decided to explore the tried and tested route of Retail therapy at Malls. I had little or no references or starting points so I went to the usual suspects.

I was very disappointed to see little or no collection barring track pants at Mothercare (I visited the one at Phoenix Market City, Kurla). Given that the brand is called Mothercare they should be taking care of needs of to be Moms but that is definitely not the case.

Mom & Me on the other hand has quite a variety when it comes to maternity wear, be it Indian or western wear (I checked out both the Bandra outlet & the one at Pheonix Market City, Kurla). At the Bandra store the attendant was both helpful and knowledgeable, making the whole experience really nice. I found some very comfortable churidars to go with my kurtas for office wear. The material of the churidaar is nice and soft and they have a comfortable belly pouch that snuggly holds the belly in place. Bought this in both black & white, mix and match these with kurtas from Fab India and Kilol and my office wardrobe was all set, resulting in attire which is both smart & comfortable (given the long hours we spend in office, it’s important to wear something comfortable). However I struggled to find good western wear. I ended up buying three pair of maternity jeans, all from Mom & Me however I was not happy with either one of them.

I first bought a good fitting basic blue with a belly pouch that sits firmly over the belly. However I wasn’t too comfortable since the jeans kept slipping and with no loops for a belt, there was no way to hold them up (Unless I choose to wear suspenders). Thinking that I may have bought one which wasn’t the right size, I bought another one in black (with a belly pouch). This time I picked one which was a little more snug; unfortunately the result was the same, they just kept slipping down.

The two types of maternity jeans I bought for myself; Unlike the ones shown in the picture, the ones I bought from mom & me, didn't have loops for a belt.

Unhappy with the belly pouch design, I thought I should try the one with the waist band that sits right below the belly. This led me to my third & final purchase, nice fitting blue denim. I wasn’t comfortable wearing this for long durations. The waist band that fit right below the belly made me feel uncomfortable after a while. So now I have three pair of maternity jeans but none of them that serve the purpose of smart, comfortable casual wear.

I even tried Debenhams at Phoenix Market City, Kurla, but they didn’t have too much variety on the occasion that I visited. I did stumble upon a pair that looked like it could be the elusive dream pair that I had been searching for, only to realize that it fit like the 70s style bell bottoms.

Honestly I was quite dejected since the only option left in my wardrobe was Indian wear. Then one of cousins asked me to go check out Marks & Spencer. I was a little apprehensive because I never really shopped at M&S. I discovered something known as Treggings at M&S. Now this is a cross between trousers and leggings and comes with a comfortable elastic waist band that sits at the waist comfortably accommodating the growing belly. And the large variety of sizes available at M&S ensured that I found the perfect fit (Yayyyyy :), the joys of finding a good trouser that fits).

Treggings from Marks & Spencers

I bought treggings in two basic shades, grey and black and picked up a few cotton & Linen shirts (a couple of sizes bigger to accommodate my growing belly) that looked smart and felt super comfortable. These treggings have now become my best friends and I can practically live in them apart from my track pants (from Jockey)
I am glad my maternity wear struggles finally came to an end with M&S (I shopped at the outlet at Phoenix Market city at Kurla). Would love to know how you coped with your maternity wear needs and suggestions of any new outlets that I may have missed would be most appreciated.

Image source: http://www.upscalejeans.com/designer-maternity-jeans/

Image source: http://www.queenbee.com.au/content.aspx?Dyn=true&pageID=66

Image source: http://m.marksandspencer.com/mt/www.marksandspencer.com/plus-pull-on-stretch-treggings/p/p22186685

Nachni Ladoos- Some more cravings & more cooking!

One thing that one gets in abundance when you are expecting is ADVICE. Lots of advice, good advice, bad advice, not so good advice and the completely ignore advise.

I have a sweet tooth and I crave for something sweet post my meals. I happened to mention the same to a colleague in office and she ADVISED me to try Nachni Ladoos. Nachni- I wasn’t too sure of, Ladoos- yes I am all for it. Now any advice that pertains to sweets has my interest. I decided to google it & it turned out that this was actually some good piece of advice :) Nachni ladoos is a good to have sweet when you are expecting.

In fact Tarla Dalal’s website http://www.tarladalal.com has a host of great Nachni recipes that are recommended for consumption during pregnancy. Nachni or Ragi is also known as finger millet and is a good source of Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A & Vitamin B. Since its high in fiber content it is also known to regulate the digestive system and prevent constipation.

So I decided to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised since this was not just easy to cook (not very time consuming) & the ladoos turned out very tasty.
I referred to this recipe by Tarla dalal.
http://www.tarladalal.com/Nachni-Ladoos-(-Nutritious-Recipe-For-Pregnancy)-22452r

As always tweaked this to suit my taste buds and to make the cooking process as simple as possible

Ingredients

1 cup ragi (nachni / red millet) flour
5-6 tbsp ghee
4-5 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder (2-3 elaichis should suffice)
2 tsp roasted poppy seeds (khus- khus)

Method

- Heat the ghee in a broad non-stick pan, add the ragi flour and cook on a slow flame for 4 to 5 minutes or till it turns golden brown in colour, while stirring continuously. This can be a little tricky, you don’t want to overcook it or undercook it. Look for change of colour and a nice fragrance of cooked flour.
- Remove from the flame, add the sugar and mix well. Be careful at this step since the mixture is very hot. Use a spoon for mixing this together. You may increase or decrease the quantity of sugar depending on how sweet you like the ladoos to be.
- Add the cardamom powder, and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture into a greased plate and spread it evenly and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes and keep at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Before making the ladoos you may want to grease your hand with a little ghee as it helps to shape the ladoos better. Then scrape the ladoo mixture & using your hands roll each portion into a round ball. I made small ones so the mixture yielded about 18 ladoos. The idea behind making small sized ladoos was to Control the portion of consumption. A small ladoo would satisfy sweet craving while  keeping the number of calories under check :)
- Roll each ladoo in lightly roasted poppy seeds till they are evenly coated from all the sides.
- Store in an airtight container.

Give it a shot & do let me know if you enjoyed making & eating it.

Creamy Spinach Fettuccine with mushrooms- a healthy twist to satiate my unhealthy food craving

My family thinks I am a big foodie because I simply love good food. And given an option, I love to experiment with different cuisines and also try out new restaurants. However I must confess that my stomach is not as fond of restaurant food as I am. I have a rather weak digestive system and a less enthusiastic stomach which makes me fall prey to illness if I eat out too often.

And during these nine months one can never be too careful because you have to take care of that lil one too. Hence my quest for some yummy recipes so that I can churn out healthy yet delicious meals for myself to satiate my cravings. 

I had been craving pasta in white sauce for a bit but i wasn't too keen to eat out (given the rains & high probability to fall ill this season). When all else fails one turns to Google these days & it sure did answer my prayers.

Stumbled upon this yummy, sort of healthy (can’t be totally healthy with all that cheese & cream) recipe for white sauce pasta with spinach. 

Here is the link

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2011/07/15/creamy-spinach-pasta/

What I really like about Manjula's blog is the easy to understand recipes cooked with easy to find ingredients. They have also shared a video link for the recipe on the blog which is quite helpful. I did make a few small tweaks to the recipe given. So here is the recipe with my tweaks

Ingredients:

For Pasta

6 0z fettuccine pasta approx. 2 cups uncooked pasta (I used fettuccine, you may use any pasta you like such as penne, fusili. This is a personal preference)

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon salt

For Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons all purpose flour (plain flour, maida)

1 teaspoon Italian herb mix (one can also use the oregano sachet you get with Domino's Pizza, i think it adds a great flavour to any pasta)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red chili flakes adjust to taste

1 cup heavy cream (I used Amul fresh cream)

1 cup milk (you may vary the quantity of milk depending upon how thick you want the sauce to be)

¼ cup Parmesan cheese (In case you dont have parmesan, you may also use a grated amul cheese cube instead)

½ teaspoon salt

6 0z chopped spinach without stem about 2 cups

In addition to spinach, I also used thinly sliced button mushrooms (4-5)

Chopped garlic (3 pods)

Method

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt and oil   After water boils add the pasta.

Cook the pasta until it is tender. Here I suggest you stick to the time & instructions mentioned on the pasta pack. For instance the fettuccine required only 5 minutes of cooking time to get it to al dente. If you over boil it, it becomes soggy and that ruins the dish. Drain the water and set pasta aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic (don't cook it too much) & then quickly add add all-purpose flour, then stir for a minute. Add Italian herb mix, black pepper, and chili flakes, and stir for another minute.

While stirring slowly add milk making sure there are no lumps. After it comes to a boil, add cream then bring it to a boil again.

Add spinach, mix it well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously, then turn off the heat (if you think the sauce is too thick, you may add some milk to lighten the consistency). Add cheese and stir.

In a separate pan saute the thinly sliced mushrooms lightly with some olive oil and added the same to the sauce.

Pour the sauce over pasta and toss. You may use a few mushrooms to garnish the dish

I would like to believe that this is sort of healthy since it has mushrooms & spinach along with the cream and cheese :)

My attempt at the Creamy Spinach Pasta with Mushrooms 

So the creamy spinach fettuccine allowed me to indulge in some semi healthy yet delicious food all in the comfort of my home. In the next post, I'll share the recipe of the yummy dessert I prepared for myself.