Mutton Biryani (மட்டன் பிரியாணி )

Ingredients:

1.Basmathi rice - 3 cups
2.Canola Oil - 4 tbsp
3.Ghee - 2 tbsp
4.Ginger Garlic paste - 3 tsp
5.Sliced onions - 1 big
6.Sliced Tomatoes - 2 big
7.Green chillies - 3 slitted
8.Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
9.Mint leaves - 1/2 bunch
10.Curry leaves - few
11.Whole spices - ( cinnamon stick - 1", cloves - 4, cardamom pods - 4,bay leaves - 3, star anise - 1)

For Marination:

1.Mutton - 700 gms
2.Yoghurt - 1 cup
3.Salt for mutton as well for rice
4.Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
5.Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
6.Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
7.Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
8.Fried onions - 1/2 cup
9.Ginger Garlic paste - 3 tsp

Preparation:

1.Marinate the mutton pieces with all the ingredients and leave it to marinate for 2 hrs, keep it inside the fridge.
(i mix fried onions into the marination itself).
2.After marination, heat the oil and ghee in the pressure cooker. Season the whole spices till it gives nice aroma.
3.Then add the curry leaves, onions and green chilies. Fry the onions till it turns translucent and then add the ginger n garlic paste, fry again till the ginger n garlic paste turns golden brown.
4.Now add the chopped coriander and mint leaves, saute it for a while. It leaves nice aroma while sauting.
5.Mix the chopped tomatoes into the cooker. Put the fire to medium and close the lid to cook tomatoes.
6.After the tomatoes cooked well ( the oil should leaves around the edges).
7.It's time to add the marinated mutton , stir it well and close the cooker with lid ( don't put weight in the pressure cooker lid) to cook the mutton .
8.The mutton pieces and masalas should cook in the medium fire for 20 minutes. The raw smell of masala till  goes off and mutton pieces cooked well.
9.The oil will comes on the top of the mixture and you will get nice aroma of the mutton with masalas after 20 to 30 minutes.
10.Wash the basmathi rice and add it to the coooker. The water ratio for the basmathi rice is 1:1, but already we got masala water in the pressure cooker so adjust the water to that.
11.Mix the rice  and hot water with the mutton masalas. Leave it to boil for 5 mts and then again stir the rice well from the bottom.
12.Now close the pressure cooker with the lid ( don't put weight ), turn the fire to medium and allow it cook for 30 mts. ( i am using electric stove medium means in number 3, while cooking normal or before leaving to boil the rice in number 5).
13.After 30 mts open the lid and open it for 10 mts. After that try to turn the rice from the bottom gently.( if u try to turn the rice immediately after opening the lid means chance to rice get mash).
14.Now you can transfer the Yummy Mutton biriyani to your serving bowl.
15.Its time to fight between to your hands and to mouth, enjoy the yummy and tasty biriyani with onion raita or with mutton fry. We enjoyed the delicious biriyani with lamb fry.

Note:

Add most of the bone pieces in biriyani and flesh pieces in fry. For me, if i leave the pressure cooker to whistle means even in the medium fire it gets burn at the bottom. Thats why i am not using weight for biriyanis and also it will cook fluffy without burn at the bottom.Sometimes, lamb pieces also turns hard while leaving to whistle . but if you try to cook like this means the lamb turns soft and tender without the meat tenderiser.

Sandhagai/Idiyappam/ String Hoppers/Rice noodles

Ingredients:

1.Rice flour - 2 cups
2.Salt - to taste
3.Oil - 1 tbsp
4.Sufficient amount of hot water to cook rice flour.

Preparation:

1.Heat the hot water in the pot, add salt and oil.
2.Leave it to boil and then put the fire in medium add the rice flour to the hot water.
3.Immediately stir the rice flour with the spatula, if the water is running out means add little bit of hot water. 4.After the rice flour turns soft and  to right texture, turn off the fire and close the pot with the lid . Leave it to cool.
5.Grease the sandhagai mould with oil and fill the mould with the cooked rice flour mixture. Press it in the Idli plates .
6.Steam the sandhagai for 5 minutes in the idli pot and then put it in the separate dish.
7.Serve hot the sandhagai with sweet coconut milk or can also make lemon and tomato sandhagai. We had Aappam and sandhagai with coconut milk for our today's breakfast.

Aappam - 2 (ஆப்பம் )

Ingredients:

1.Raw rice - 1 cup
2.Par boiled rice - 1 cup
3.Urad dhal - 1 tsp
4.Fenugreek seeds - 2tsp ( to make aapam soft)
5.Coconut milk - 1 cup
6.Baking soda - a pinch
7.Salt - to taste

Preparation:

1.Soak 2 rices,urad dhal and fenugreek seeds for 7 hrs. After that grind the items nicely.
2.Add the coconut milk and salt  with the aappam batter, the consistency of the batter should be watery. Leave the batter to ferment for 12 hrs (overnight).
3.After fermentation add the baking soda in the batter and stir it well.
4.Now place the aapam chatti in the stove, pour one laddle of batter inside the chatti help with your two hands swirl the chatti in a circular direction. ( i dont have aapam chatti, so i tried the aapam in my non-stick pan).
5.Pour oil around the edges and close the chatti with a lid for few minutes, till you see the aappam got golden brown on the edges and in the center turns soft.
6.For aapam don't need to flip to other side, take out the aappam from the chatti .
7.Serve hot the aapam with Sweet coconut milk or with chicken or lamb kuruma.(I tried the aapam with coconut milk and coconut chutney).

For Sweet coconut milk:

1.Coconut milk - 1 tin
2.Sugar - for your taste
3.Crushed cardamom pods - 4

Preparation:

1.Warm the coconut milk in the pot with sugar ( i used brown sugar) and cardamom pods for few minutes. Don't allow the milk to boil, just warm it for 5 minutes in the medium fire.

Note:
Fresh coconut milk is tastes better than the tinned milk. So, try to taste the aapam with fresh coconut milk. Here, we don't get coconut usually in the shop. So, i used tinned milk.


This delicious Aappam is going to be a part of:
Jihva- Break fast  guest hosted by Veggie platter of suma started by Indira of Mahanandi