Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

SOFIYANI BIRYANI

Adapted from Royal Hyderabadi Cooking

by S. Kapoor & H.S. Sokhi

Serves 6-8

2 lbs.  chicken on bones cut into 2-3 inch pieces (cut through bones), skinned

1-1/2 cups Basmati Rice, rinsed & soaked

12 Green Cardamoms

12 Cloves

4 one-inch stick cinnamon

1 ½  Cup Yogurt , whisked

2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbs Almond Paste

1 Tbs Ginger paste

1-Tbs Garlic Paste

2 Tbs Grated Khoya/mawa (find this refrigerated or frozen in Indian Market)

4 Green chillies cut into thin strips

   Salt to taste

1 tsp lemon Juice

6 Tbs. ghee

1 Tbs ginger & garlic Paste

1 Cup Milk

I  tsp green cardamom powder

2 Tbs Cream

Directions

Put 6 cardamom, 6 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, the yogurt, almond paste, 1 Tablespoon Ginger paste & 1 Tablespoon garlic paste, Khoya, green chillies, salt, lemon juice and 2 Tbs of ghee in a large bowl. Mix well until well combined.  Add the chicken pieces.  Mix to coat the chicken.  Add onions and mix.  Let marinade at least 4 hours, up to 5. 

After marinading, add chicken marinade to a large, heavy bottomed pot. Cover and cook  over low heat till the chicken is just tender, stirring every 10 minutes. (if you want to be fancy, and are using chicken breasts in addition to chicken with bones, remove the breast meat after marinading, then add to pot ten minutes into cooking so as to not overcook the breast meat.) Do not overcook.

In a separate pan, add 5 cups of water, salt, remaining ginger & garlic paste, remaining green cardamoms,

remaining cloves and remaining cinnamons and bring to boil. Add the rice and milk and cook till rice is three-fourths done (still slightly firm, kind of like al dente pasta).  Strain rice, reserving 1 cup of milk mixture. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 Spread a layer of chicken in a heavy bottomed, oven-proof pan with a tight fitting lid. Layer half the rice over the chicken.

Sprinkle half the cardamoms powder eand spread half the cream over the rice. Repeat th layers. Drizzle the remaining ghee around the edges of th pan. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a hole in the center of the layers.  Pour in reserved milk mixture.  Cover tightly with foil then the lid and bake for 30 minutes until rice is done.  

Serve hot.

Biryani is accompanied with Churri, a relish made with yogurt containing chopped fresh coriander, mint, green chilies and salt.

Moguli Chicken Curry (Moguli Murgh): A Graduation Feast

This weekend was graduation at the University.  Darren received his M.F.A. and his mother, two lovely sisters, and brother-in-law came to celebrate with him and proudly watch him walk across the stage. I was told his sister's liked Indian food, so I decided to make the chicken dish I grew up eating.  The benefit was two-fold for me.  I would get to eat a dish that would bring me back to my childhood table, which I am forever want to do, and, most importantly, I would have an excuse to engage my 81 year old father in a discussion about something other than his health.
Armed with his wisdom and years of memories, I set about making this delicious dish, only altering his recipe slightly.  One alteration I made was to use boneless chicken thighs rather than bone in, and the other was to add a small amount of red chile powder, to heat up the dish a bit, but not too much.  The Moguls were not fond of hot spice, and, as my father suggested, this heat was not available when recipes such as this were first made.
If you like Indian spices, but are afraid of the heat in Indian foods, this dish is for you.  It is relatively easy to make (if you can get the spices pre-made) and delicious.  I served this with basmati rice, saag paneer (spinach with cheese curds), tomato chutney, and naan.  This amount fed 6 with leftovers for two meals for 2, so I guess it would feed around 10.

Moguli Chicken Curry
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in half
6 cloves garlic
1 T. ginger
1 t. tumeric
1 t. red chile powder (cayenne will work)
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. saffron threads
1/4 c. milk
vegetable oil (for frying the onions)
2-3 large onions (about 4 cups), very thinly sliced (use a mandoline, if you have one)
3 T. ghee (clarified browned butter, or just oil) Ghee directions follow this recipe
1 T. hot garam masala
2 t. sweet garam masala
2 t. salt (kosher or 1 t. table)
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. sour cream (low fat is ok)
1 c. yogurt (low fat is ok)
2 T. cilantro, chopped

Directions
Several hours before you are ready to cook, put the garlic and ginger in a mini food processor along with the 1 T. vegetable oil, tumeric and red chile powder, and process into a paste (this can be done by hand too).   Rub the chicken with the paste and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

While the chicken marinades, deal with the onions.  Cut the onions in half and slice paper thin.  Place them on a clean tea towel or paper towels and place another on top and press it down to remove some of the water from the onions.  Let the onions sit for 1 hour on the towels.  After this rest, heat a large, heavy bottomed dutch oven to medium heat.  Add 1/2 inch of oil and heat.  Add the onions and slowly brown the onions to a medium brown crisp, stirring every few minutes.  Some of the onions will still have some white.  Do not bring to a dark brown.  Using a slotted spoon, put the onions onto several layers of paper towel and spread them out.  They will crisp up as they cool.   Heat the milk in a glass measuring cup for 30 seconds in the microwave and add the saffron.  Let this steep while you do the next step.

After marinating, scrape as much of the paste off of the chicken as possible, reserving the marinade.  Remove the oil from the pan you made the onions in.  You can reuse this oil for any other dish, it will have a wonderful onion flavor.  Heat your heavy bottomed dutch oven and add the ghee.  When hot, add as much chicken as will fit in one layer.  Brown the chicken on both sides.  Remove the chicken and repeat with remaining chicken.  When done, add the leftover marinade and saute for 1 minute (do not let it brown-  you may need to lower the temperature).  Add the masalas and saute for another minute.  Add the saffron milk and use this to help you scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan.  Add the chicken, 1/2 of the onions, salt, and the chicken broth.  Bring this to a simmer.  Cover and simmer this until the chicken is very tender (30 minutes to an hour depending on how tender you want the chicken).

Whip together the sour cream and yogurt until very smooth.  Turn off the heat of the pan and add the sour cream mixture.  Mix well.  Return to heat on low and keep this on a low simmer for 15 minutes.  Serve with cilantro and the rest of the onions on top.  Enjoy!

Ghee
Place one pound of unsalted butter in a heavy bottomed small pot.  Turn the heat onto medium low.  As the butter melts, you'll see it will begin to foam.  Skim the foam off the top of the butter.  Continue to cook the butter, skimming as needed, until you see brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and strain into a jar.  To store your ghee, cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.  This clarified butter will not burn at high temperatures as butter does, and has a delicious, nutty flavor.

Chicken Tetrazinni Redux: Rethinking Comfort Food

It's a Friday afternoon--work done for the day.  It's cold.  Snow fell sideways all night long, leaving a clouded feeling of fogginess in my mind.  Yesterday, I had made chicken stock, which I love to have available.   To do this, I simmered a whole chicken in water with salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, onions, garlic, celery and carrots until the chicken was just done.  Then I removed the chicken from the bones and returned the skin and bones to the pot, reserving the chicken.  I simmered this overnight leaving me with a luscious stock.  With that, and all the other fixings in my overly stocked pantry and freezer, I decided to go ahead and make Bridget's family this dish of comfort.

In my childhood, my mother would make turkey tetrazinni. A cream based sauce, enveloping linguine, with leftover turkey and pimentos.  Topped lovingly with Parmesan cheese and almonds.  I remember loving it.
For Bridget, I like to mix things up a bit, and always try to make the dishes I make for her family as healthy as possible.  I've used a recipe by Emeril Lagasse for a tuna tetrazinni before, and her family has loved it.  So decided to use that recipe as a base for today's feast.

This makes a large portion, enough for 10-12.  It is a nice use for leftover chicken, but goes well with an equivalent amount of albacore tuna packed in oil as well.  I hope you enjoy it.

Chicken Tetrazinni

1 ½ c. onions, ¼ inch dice

1 red bell pepper, ¼ inch dice

6 T. Butter (or combination butter and chicken fat from stock)

1 T. garlic, minced

10 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 ½ t. creole seasoning (such as Tony Carchere’s)

1 ½ t. thyme leaves

¼ c. flour

½ c. brandy (or dry white wine)

2 c. chicken broth

1 c. cream

14 oz. linguine (I used whole grain)

2 ½ c. cooked chicken, shredded

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and pressed dry

1 T. fresh parsley leaves

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/3 c. parmesan (don’t necessarily need the good stuff here)

1 ½ c. fresh breadcrumbs

¼ c. parmesan

3 T. olive oil

½ c. slivered almonds

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to the boil while you proceed with making the sauce.
Saute the onions and red pepper in the butter (or use some of the chicken fat from the skimmed stock plus butter to equal 6 T.) until they are starting to soften.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are softened.  Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes.  Add the brandy and the stock a little at a time, stirring continuously to make a smooth sauce.  Add the whipping cream and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  

While the sauce is thickening, cook the pasta to al dente (do not cook all the way), drain it, and cool down with cold water.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  When the sauce is thickened, add the thyme, parsley, and Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Off heat, add the chicken and spinach.  Stir well.

Add the oil to a skillet.  Slowly toast the almonds in the olive oil until lightly golden brown.  Add the oil and almonds to breadcrumbs.  Stir in the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Add the pasta to the sauce and stir well to combine.  Pour pasta into a large baking dish that has been lightly oiled.  Top with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake, uncovered until browned and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup): Packing in the flavor

I had the most lovely weekend. I was blessed with a catering gig with my professor and his wife, Bob and Bernadine on Sunday.  I was to prepare a brunch for Sunday for 15 people.  As there is nothing I love more than to spend time with my dear friends Bob and Bernadine, I did the cooking on Saturday at their house. I prepared four different quiches--Quiche Lorraine, Spinach and Chevre with Leeks, Wild Mushroom and shallots  with Gruyere, and Spinach and Mushroom with Gruyere.  I also made sharp cheddar, thyme and chive scones, a salad with homemade ranch dressing, and a fruit salad with a side dressing of homemade yogurt, lemon zest, ginger and honey.  A full day indeed.  The brunch was well received and appreciated.

Lucky for me, Saturday evening led to even more cooking.  My friend Peter, who is also a foodie like me, invited me over to make a meal for Chinese New Year.  He taught me how to make this amazing dish. It was kind of like a Chinese tamale.  Sticky rice cooked much like a risotto with pork, then rolled in eucalyptus leaves and steamed.  In turn taught Peter how to make pasta, so we had this interesting combination of homemade pasta with a ragu and these lovely Chinese rice bundles.  While enjoying our feast, we talked about Pho.  Peter is passionate about Pho.

Now, if you've never had Pho, I strongly encourage you to try it.  Now the thing about Pho is that it is all about the broth, so finding a good Pho can be a challenge. You may need to go to several Vietnamese restaurants before finding one that rocks your boat.  But be careful, once you find it, you'll want it often.  Pho is a lovely, complex beef or chicken based soup.

Since our conversation, I've not been able to get Pho off my mind.  So, I decided to make some this week.  My efforts began with an earnest internet search.  I found hundreds of recipes.  I did some comparing and found many similarities.  Bones, meat, star anise, cloves, ginger, fish sauce, and onions all at the base of the broth.  It is all about the broth.

As the idea of cooking up ten pounds of beef bones for a serving for four seemed a bit overzealous for a weeknight meal for one, I decided to make a chicken pho to start my learning process.  The following recipe is a compilation of several I found on the web.  It is amazingly rich and complex in flavor.

This recipe makes 4 quarts of broth.  The toppings are enough for 4-6 servings, which will leave you broth for another time.  It freezes well.  You may also just have more toppings (and more chicken breasts) available and serve a crowd of 10-12.
Pho Broth

4 lbs. skinless chicken thighs

2 chicken breasts, bone in, skinless
1 whole onion, peeled and cut in half
3-inch chunk of ginger, unpeeled

2 T. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
3 whole star anise
2 T rock sugar (found at Asian markets)

3 T.  fish sauce

small hand full of cilantro stems

Directions

Place ginger and onion on a baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4″ from the oven’s heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. Slice ginger into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Fill a large stock pot with water and boil. While the water is boiling, use a cleaver or heavy knife to break the bones of the thighs in at least 3 places (just give them a real good whack--but watch your fingers.  They should be nowhere near that chicken--yes, this is gross, but the more marrow you expose, the more rich your broth will be).

When the water boils,  boil the thighs on high for 5 minutes. You’ll see lots of foam come up to the surface. Drain, rinse your chicken of the scum and wash your pot thoroughly. Refill with 4 quarts of clean, cold water.

Add chicken, chicken breast, onion, ginger, cloves, anise, coriander, sugar, fish sauce and cilantro in the pot and cover. Turn heat to high – let it come to boil, then immediately turn heat to low. Prop lid up so that steam can escape. After 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts, shred with your fingers when cooled and reserve for serving (you’ll serve shredded chicken breast with the finished soup). With a large spoon, skim the surface of any impurities in the broth. Skimming every once in a while ensures a clear broth. Simmer a total of 6-8 hours (yes, that long.  You can do it over night if you wish). Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and or sugar.

Strain the broth through cheesecloth and discard the solids (if you have a dog, he or she will love you for the meat from those thighs, but all the flavor has been sapped, so don't be tempted to eat it yourself--or do, but it won't taste too good.)

At this point, you can serve your soup, or you can cool the stock and remove any fat that coagulates on the surface.

Pho Soup
1 lb dried rice noodles (about 1/4″ wide)
2 cups bean sprouts, washed
cilantro tops
1/2 cup shaved red onions
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges

1/2 cup basil, chiffonade (sliced into thin strips by rolling up and slicing)

1/4 cup mint, chiffonade
Sriracha hot sauce
sliced Thai chilies

 Directions

Prepare noodles as per the directions on package (do not overcook). Reheat stock, if cooled.  Ladle broth into the bowls, add shredded chicken breast and soft noodles in each bowl. Have the rest of the ingredients at the table for people to add to their bowl as they wish. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

A Joyous Day of Cooking: Stuffed Poblano Chiles

It has been a glorious day of cooking.  Each week, I am lucky enough to have a friend who actually pays me to learn more about cooking. This morning, upon waking, I thought to myself, "what can I do today that will bring me joy?"  The answer was clear.  I wanted to cook.  So I decided to make Bridget and her family something very special.  About a month ago, my friend Boone went to a local restaurant and had a poblano chile stuffed with vegetables and goat cheese.  We decided to work on the recipe and make it even better, which I think we have successfully done.  Now, I'm not going to suggest for even a second that this is an easy recipe.  For, truth be told, it is not.  It takes many steps, and a lot of time, but I think it is one of my new favorite recipes.  The roasted poblano is stuffed with a combination of onions, zucchini, red pepper, corn, chicken, and goat cheese (sorry Naseem).   The chiles are baked on a bed of red chile sauce, and are served with a cilantro cream sauce. The day of cooking also included making chicken stock, yogurt and Boone and I made our favorite tomatillo sauce by Rick Bayless, that we freeze for future loveliness.

I would suggest you make a lot of this lovely sauce.  It freezes well, and making a small batch is no easier than a large one.  I've included a recipe that makes enough for at least 3 sets of stuffed chiles.  It is also lovely when mixed with crema as an enchillada sauce.  This recipe can be made without the chicken and is wonderful as a vegetarian entree.  When planning amounts, I would plan 1-2 chiles per person depending how hungry folks are and any sides you make.  This goes lovely with a jicama salad with corn, red onions, cilantro,grape  tomatoes, avacado and lime.

Red Chile Sauce
8 oz. New Mexico Dried Chiles
1 t. oil
3 c. onions, roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 t. oil
1 28 oz. can tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 t. salt
Directions for Sauce #1
Break open and remove the seeds from the chiles.  Break them into small pieces (about 2 inches).  Toast the chiles in a heavy bottomed pan in 1 t. oil.  Stir often and make sure they do not burn.  As soon as you start to smell the chiles, remove them from the pan to a large bowl.  Cover the chiles with boiling water and place a plate on them to submerge them.  Let them soak until soft, about 1/2 hour.  Meanwhile, saute the onions in the oil until golden.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Puree the chiles in  a blender with about 1/2 cup of the chile water.  Pass through a sieve to remove any residual skin and seeds.  Add the chile puree, broth and the tomatoes to the pan with the onions and garlic.  Let this simmer for 1 hour.  Using a stick blender, puree this mixture and cook until the thickness of enchilada sauce (alternatively, you can use a blender, just be careful not to fill it more than half full at a time and place a cloth over the top of the blender when starting.)  Season with salt to taste.

Poblanoes
14 poblano chiles
Directions for Chiles
Place the chiles (or however many you can fit) on a cookie sheet.  Broil until blackened and bubbly, turning as needed (with my broiler on high, at 5 inches from the burner, I turned them after about 5 minutes and then gave them another 5).  Place the blackened chiles in a bowl and cover to steam.  Let them cool and then peel the skin from the chiles.  Remove the stems from the chiles and the seeds by splitting them down the center and using your fingers to remove any stray seeds.

Filling
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 can black beans, drained
1 zucchini, cut in 1 mm. dice
1 onion, cut in 1 mm. dice
1 red pepper, cut in 1 mm. dice
3 chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 inch dice (optional--I actually prefer them without the chicken)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 t. salt
1 t. oil
1/2 lb. chevre
1 cup corn kernels
salt to taste.

Directions for Filling
Bring 1 cup of water to the boil, 1 t. salt, and 1 T. oil. Add the rice, bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the rice is done, approximately 20 minutes.  Saute the peppers, onion, zucchini and garlic for 2 minutes until vegetables are slightly softened.  Remove from the heat, add corn, rice, beans,  and chevre.  Taste for salt and add if needed.

Directions for Chiles
Place about 3/4 cup red chile sauce in the bottom of 2 baking dishes (large ones).  Stuff about 1/4 cup of the filling in each of the chiles by placing the cleaned chiles in the palm of your non-dominant hand.  Cup your hand and add the filling.  Enclose the filling (not necessarily completely) with the chile.  Place stuffed poblano in the baking dish.  Repeat with remaining chiles.  14 should fit tightly into two baking dishes.  Top with another cup of the sauce.  Bake in a 375 degree oven until the sauce is bubbly.

Cilantro Cream
1 cup cilantro stems (yes, the stems, they have the most flavor)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream (or creme fraiche)
1 clove garlic
1/2 t. salt

Directions for Cilantro Cream
Place the cilantro, garlic,  and cream in the blender.  Blend until smooth (you can even go to the point of stiff peeks if you want a sauce that is more like whipped cream, which is a nice touch).  Add sour cream and salt.  Blend just until mixed.  Serve a spoonful of this on the hot chiles.

Enjoy!

Note:  Boone and I made this dish for a community dinner of 20.  We did some tweaking and both agree that the changes improved the recipe.  So, I have changed the recipe a bit.  But, for a crowd, we made one major change in the way we prepared  the dish.  Instead of individually filling the chiles, we oiled a large lasagna pan, put down a layer of chiles.  Topped it with the filling, then another layer of chiles, then the red chile sauce.  It was a huge hit.  We served this with homemade flour as well as corn tortillas.