One Pot Dum Biryani in a French Cocotte

Ingredients:

2 lbs skinless, boneless Chicken thighs cut into medium size pieces
2 cups of long grain basmati rice
3 red onions sliced thin
¼ cup cold press sunflower oil
2 tbsp Ghee

Chicken Marinade
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp. Keralan Curry
½ tsp Kashmiri garam masala powder
1 tsp sea salt
½ lemon juiced
1/4 cup water

Biriyani Aromatics
2 Green chilies
5 cloves of garlic
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 bunch Cilantro leaves
1 bunch mint leaves minced fine
5 strands Saffron soaked in warm water

Whole Spices
1 bay leaf
3 green cardamom pods
3 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1 star anise (optional)

Garnish
10 Cashew nuts
2 tbsp raisins
2 medium onions thinly sliced, fried golden brown
1 tbsp Cilantro minced fine
1 tbsp Mint

Dough for Sealing
1 cup water
2 cup flour

Procedure:

1. Soak the brown basmati rice for ½hr – 1 hour. Wash and clean the basmati rice, till the water is clear and drain the water in a colander.

2. In a large bowl combine the marinade for the chicken and thechicken pieces and marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight.

3. Prepare the Biriyani Aromatics by chopping up the ingredients. Set aside.

4. Heat the ¼ cup oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat and sauté the cashew nuts, raisins and for about 2 minutes till the cashews get golden brown, and keep it aside for garnish.

5. Now add the 2 onions for the garnish to oil on medium high heat till crispy and golden brown, set aside.

6. Now add the whole spices sauté for 1 minute, ginger garlic paste,and the remaining onions, sauté for 2 minutes.

7. Add the marinated chicken, sauté for 2 – 3 minutes and add the Biriyani Aromatics.

8. Reduce heat to medium. Mix everything well. Cook for 2 minutes, add 1/4 cup water, close the lid, and set heat to medium low for about 20 minutes.

9. Open the lid, make sure sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked.Turn off the heat and set aside.

10. In a pot add 5 cups of water,once it boils add the basmati rice, cook until half done,about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, strain the rice, and keep aside.

11. To assemble the individual biriyani, add a dot of ghee,layer the rice, chicken, and minced herbs alternatively to each croquette dotting layers with ghee.

12. In the top, garnish each croquette with the garnish mix and drizzle of the saffron water.

13. Seal with dough and place in oven at pre-heated to 350F degrees for about 10 minutes. Take it out, open it up, garnish and serve.

Tahiri: A One Pot Dish

Serves 8

Procedure

1. Place the cilantro, spinach and 1 cup of cold water in a blender and blend until very smooth. Place the puree in a fine sieve and squeeze as much water out of it as you can. Keep in the sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator until needed.

2. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add the onions and saute' for 6 minutes or until transparent.

3. Add the ginger and garlic and saute' for 1 minute. Add the curry, star anise and the cinnamon. Saute' for 1 minute.

4. Add the rice and saute' for 2 more minutes. Add the water, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let the pan rest for 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the puree, the peas and the garam masala and Serve.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
12 ounce fresh baby spinach, washed
12 ounces frozen petite peas, cooked in boiling salted water for 5 minutes
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced onions
2 teaspoons garlic
2 teaspoons ginger
1 tablespoon Keralan Curry
2 pieces star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups white basmati rice
½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
3 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Kashmiri Garam Masala

Aromatic Roasted Turkey

Serves: 6 - 8

Procedure:

1. Heat all ingredients and bring to a boil.

2. Let the brine cool before adding to the turkey. Then stir in white wine.

3. Refrigerate in the brine for 4 days.

4. Once the turkey is ready to roast, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. dry turkey well then coat with ghee and paprika.

5. Roast the turkey in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about two hours. Take our the turkey and tent it with aluminum foil for an hour.

Ingredients:

1 20 pound whole turkey
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup honey
4 allspice berries
2 cinnamon sticks
3/4 cup celery
2 bay leaves
4 peppercorns
1 sprig thyme
2 tsp. Keralan curry powder
10 cups water or to cover turkey
1 cup dry white wine
Ghee
Paprika

If an alto sham is at your disposable, cook the turkey at 250 in the alto sham for 4 hours and let it cool for at least 6 hours.

Tandoori Style Cornish Game Hen

Serves 6 - 8

Procedure:

1. Transfer the chicken to a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and rub to coat thoroughly.

2. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of tandoori paprika and the black pepper over the chicken and rub the seasonings into the slashes. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Make the Tandoori masala by mixing all the remaining spices together with the yogurt. Then marinate the chicken in the masla and keep it for another 6 - 8 hours or overnight.

4. Combine the Ghee and the oil together and brush the chicken. Grill the chicken pieces in a barbecue or roast the chicken breast in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes and reduce to 350 degrees and bake it for another 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens, 2 lbs each
3 teaspoon Keralan Curry
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (Optional)
½ cup low fat organic yogurt
¼ cup low fat sour cream

For Brushing:

1 tablespoon Ghee (optional)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil

 Note: Ginger-garlic paste can be made with equal amount of fresh ginger and garlic ground to a fine paste in a food process. This will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Spiced Turkey Meatballs

Serves: 8 - 10

Procedure

1. Mince the onions, green chilies, ginger and the cilantro leaves in a food processor.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients with the minced vegetables and form them into medium size meat balls (smaller if for appetizers).

3. Steam the meat ballsin a bamboo basket or in a wide pan, till all the juices are absorbed.

4. Pan fry the meat balls, sautee, bake or grill the meatballs in a little oil suitable for grilling.

Ingredients

1 Pound Ground Turkey Meat
3 Medium Red Onions
1 or 2 Green Chilies
2 inches fresh ginger root
5 sprigs cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons Safflower oil or any grilling oil

Note: If you are grilling, spray the grilling basket with oil or brush them with oil.