An Easy Veal Biriyani

Easter has passed and a good time has gone by, and I just couldn't find the time to post this one on account of my health being really low in the recent past! Well, if not my friend constantly peppping me on my blog this post on the biriyani would have been lost. My cooking hardly involves any effort, I resolve to this time of cooking owing to many reasons, my child, my work, and other commitments. So when time beats you to the game, you got to beat time, yet I wouldn't like to compromise on the food that is being put on the table! So for this easter, as simple as it got was the Veal Biriyani and this is how it goes.....

Ingredients:
Veal Cubes - 500gms
Rice - 2 cups
Onions - 3, sliced finely
Green Chilies - 4, finely chopped
Ginger - 4 inch piece, julienned
Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves
Cloves - 5
Cardamom - 5
Peppercorns - 10
Cinnamon Sticks - 4, 2 inch pieces
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch, finely chopped
Mint Leaves - 1 bunch, finely chopped
Tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
A pinch of Saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon of warm milk
Salt to taste
Fried Cashew nuts - 50 gms
Fried Raisins and Sultanas - 50gms
Fried Onions - 1 cup for garnish

Soak the rice in water, rinse well and drain. Cook the rice in salted water till soft and tender and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker, place the veal cubes along with some salt and pepper. Cook till the veal cubes are tender. Meanwhile into a pan, pour some oil, and splutter the whole spices - cardamon, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns. Then saute the onions till evenly browned. Add in the garlic and ginger. Saute till fragrant and then tip in the green chilies.Add in the chopped coriander and mint leaves, reserving a handful of coriander for the final garnish. Cook till the leaves are wilted and well mixed with the onion. Add the tomato paste and cooked veal and fry well. If the meat while cooking turns dry, add about a less than a 1/4 cup of of the veal stock from the pressure cooker or water to moisten the dish a little bit.

Into a large casserole, layer in the rice, and the cooked veal and add the saffron milk mixture and gently mix the rice and the veal in. Layer the top of the rice with fried cashew nuts, raisin and sultanas and some fried onion. Cover the casserole and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 140 C. Once out from the oven, add a handful of freshly chopped coriander and the biriyani is ready!

Ensure you have pappads, a raita, pickle, and a good malayalam movie to watch!:P

Fruit 'n' Nut Pulao ~ Veal Stir Fry with Cold Cucumber in Yogurt

My brother loves home cooked food, and he looks forward to his weekends with me only because I'd always have something cooked keeping in mind that he'd be over. Veal is his favourite be it veal chops, a biriyani or stir fry.

Fruit and Nut Pulao

Ingredients:

Long grain Basmati Rice - 500gm cooked
Dates - 100gm de-seeded and chopped
Raisins -50gm soaked in warm water
Almonds - 100gm
Onion - 2 large finely sliced
Salt to taste

Fry the alomnds in butter till golden brown. Remove and keep aside. Add the sliced onione to butter and fry till just turning brown. Add raisins and dates and gently stir fry over the flame for about 2-3mins. Add 3/4cup water and simmer gently till the dates are tender and the water is absorbed. Melt 11/2tbs butter in a large heavy saucepan. Add half the cooked rice and spread almonds, raisins, onions and dates over it. Add the remaining rice and dot with butter. Cover with the lid, steam for about 20-30minutes. Serve warm

Veal Stir fry

Ingredients:

Veal cubes - 1kg
Coriander Powder - 2tbs
Chilly Powder - 1tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
Ginger garlic Paste - 1tbs
Coriander Leaves - 4tbs chopped
Mint Leaves - 1tbs chopped
Onion - 2 large finely sliced
Cumin Powder - 14tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp
Salt to taste
Black Peppercorns -  10-12 crushed

Saute the onions till evenly browned. Add in the ginger garlic paste and then sauté for a minute. Then add in all the powders, and saute till the fat separation happens. Then add in the veal and fry till the veal is cooked. You could spoon in some warm water time to time to allow the veal to cook. Then add in the chopped coriander and mint leaves leaves and continue sauteing for 2-3minutes till the flavors are imparted. Add salt to taste, sprinkle in the crushed peppercorns. Serve with pulao and enjoy!


Cucumber Raita


Ingredients:

Lebanese Cucumber - peeled and cubed into small pieces
Yogurt - 4cups
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste

Whisk the yoghurt well. Add the chopped up cucumber and add salt and sugar to taste (depending on either of the salt or/sugar to be empowering~ personally we prefer the sweetness over the saltiness). Serve with pulao.