 | Baked Crab and Artichoke DipNothing says, “this party rocks” like a creamy, cheesy, baked dip, and when you’re talking about a hot crab and artichoke dip, people have been known to put an extra choice word or two before “rocks.” |
 | Hot Spinach Artichoke DipNot only is this baked spinach artichoke dip easy and delicious, but it's also a first in culinary history. |
 | Baked Buffalo Chicken DipArguing about what salad dressing is more appropriate for a baked Buffalo chicken dip recipe is kind of like debating about which shoes to wear with that Hawaiian shirt. |
 | Clams Casino DipA big tray of hot clams casino would make a handsome addition to your Super Bowl spread, but that sounds hard, so make this dip instead. |
Friday, January 30, 2015
When in Doubt, Dip
Still deciding what to serve at or bring to that Super Bowl party? You can’t go wrong with a great dip. Here are some of my favorites, and trust me, they've all been extensively tested. Just click on the title, and away you go. Enjoy!
Here are some additional Super Bowl resources
Meyer Lemon-Rosemary Campagne Boule
by Samuel Fromartz. This is a memoir of a bread baking journey. Fromartz set out to learn from other bakers in order to perfect his home bread baking, and in the process learned about different types of wheat used for flour in addition to learning new baking and dough making techniques. Time and again lately, I’ve been reading about the use of locally grown types of wheat that are fresher and more flavorful than the packaged stuff from the grocery store. Different flours present challenges and require adjustments to mixing and hydration percentages in recipes, but it’s so worth the effort to try what’s available and support the small-scale crop diversity. Fromartz visited bakers in Paris, Berlin, Cucugnan in the South of France, San Francisco, and Petaluma. Della Fattoria is located in Petaluma, California, and I first learned of this bakery from reading about it here. That led me to the next book I read recently about bread. I received a review copy of Della Fattoria Bread
by Kathleen Weber who became a professional baker somewhat by accident. She began baking bread at home and developed a passion for it, eventually providing loaves for The Sonoma Mission Inn. Her second client was Thomas Keller of The French Laundry. Her bakery has grown substantially since then, but the artisanal process of bread making hasn’t changed. The book takes you by the hand and walks you through all the different types of bread Weber has baked at home and for the bakery over the years. The first chapters present Yeasted Breads and Enriched Bread before you get to the Pre-Fermented Breads and Naturally Leavened Breads. Last, there are Crackers, Breadsticks, Pizza Doughs, and Flatbreads. I want to make the Hot Dog Rolls because I’ve never made my own before, and the Sticky Buns look impossible to resist. I always mention that no matter how many books I read about baking bread, I always learn something new from each book. This time, I learned the technique of stuffing the dough with ingredients while shaping. There’s a Garlic Jack Campagne Boule made by spreading a garlic puree on the dough, topping that with grated Jack cheese, and then folding the dough up and around the fillings to shape the boule for proofing. Last, a hole is poked in the top of the boule and a small head of garlic is inserted into the loaf where it roasts as the loaf bakes. There’s a similar loaf made with a small bunch of grapes nestled in the top and grape leaves pressed on the surface. The loaves are beautiful and delicious-looking. I decided to attempt a loaf with a filling, and I chose the Meyer Lemon-Rosemary Campagne Boule. Delightfully, I had some Meyer lemons from my tree and some rosemary from our permanent home to use for this. I pop over to our property (permanent home) where our new house is being built to snip herbs when I need them. The bread was made with sourdough starter, so I needed to revive mine to get it ready to use. In the book, it’s suggested that starter be fed with a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I used locally grown, whole grain-whole wheat flour from Richardson Farms. The dough was made with water, starter, and all-purpose flour. Weber makes a point of mentioning that water is a large percentage of all bread dough, and the water you use should be considered. If your tap water smells or tastes off, it could affect the bread. I used filtered water. After the resting or autolyse phase, salt was added to the dough, and it was left to ferment. This was a very wet dough, and I have my troubles with wet bread doughs. It was folded and turned every 30 minutes for the first hour and a half, and then it was left to rest for another two to three hours before being pre-shaped. Since it is a wet dough, the folding and turning isn’t as simple as it could be, but I did my best. Lemon zest was mixed with chopped rosemary and olive oil. The dough was pressed into a round and dimpled with a well in the center, and the lemon-rosemary mixture was poured into the well. The dough was then carefully gathered up and around the oil mixture, the seam was pressed to seal in the oil, and the dough was turned over and formed into a boule. You can see the oil mixture spread just under the surface of the boule. The boule went into a proofing basket for two to three hours before baking. Just after slashing the top, coarse sea salt was sprinkled on top. La Baleine coarse salt was recommended, and I actually had some on hand. The book includes instructions for baking on a stone or baking in a lidded cast iron pot. I wanted to bake on a stone but probably should have known better. Of course, the dough spread a bit more than I would have liked, and a cast iron pot would have given it more support. Regardless of how it was baked, the aroma of the lemon and rosemary from the oven was fantastic.
Meyer Lemon–Rosemary Campagne Boule
Excerpted with publisher’s permission from Della Fattoria Bread
by Kathleen Weber (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Ed Anderson. Makes 1 large boule
This has become our signature bread. Lemon zest and finely chopped rosemary are mixed with olive oil to make a pesto-like slurry that appears as a bright and delicious swirl along the underside of the crust. But what really sets the bread apart is its raised crown design, studded with large salt crystals. Ed, my husband, tells everyone to eat this bread toasted with soft-boiled eggs. I love cutting thick slices of the bread and grilling them over low coals, or pulling it apart and eating it just as it is.
1 1/2 tablespoons (8 grams/0.3 ounce) grated lemon zest, preferably from Meyer lemons
1 1/2 tablespoons (6 grams/0.2 ounce) chopped rosemary
About 3 tablespoons (40 grams/1.5 ounces) olive oil
Pain de Campagne Boule, taken through the pre-shape
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons (4 to 6 grams/1.4 to 2 ounces) coarse sea salt (see Note)
1. Combine the lemon zest and rosemary in a small bowl. Add enough olive oil to create a pesto-like slurry.
2. After the 10-minute rest, turn the dough over (flour side against the work surface) and gently press into a 9- to 10-inch round. Dimple the top, make a well, and add the rosemary mixture to the well. Fold the sides in, as when forming a boule, enclosing the mixture, then tighten the boule against the work surface until you just begin to see the rosemary mixture under the surface of the dough.
3. Generously dust a 9-inch bread basket or linen-lined bowl with flour or a mixture of flour and wheat bran. Follow the remaining steps for proofing and baking the bread, and when ready to score, score it with a 4-scored asterisk. It will be because of the slurry underneath that the points raise into a crown as it bakes. Sprinkle the sea salt over the top.
Note on coarse sea salt
I prefer La Baleine coarse sea salt (in the red canister). The crystals are clear and shiny like diamonds, and they won’t melt.
Pain de Campagne Dough
Makes 1.35 kilograms/3 pounds
A request from Thomas Keller right after he reopened The French Laundry in 1995 got me into making pain de campagne. So I asked Thomas lots of questions. (How do you envision serving this bread? Do you like lots of crust? What shape would look best on your bread and butter plate?) In the end, I created the bread he was looking for. For Thomas, I shaped the dough into batards. Here we make both a batard and a boule.
Firm Starter 126 g - 4.4 oz - 1/2 cup
Water at 80°F/27°C 506 g - 17.8 oz - 2 cups plus 2 1/2 Tbsp
All-purpose flour 704 g - 24.8 oz - 5 cups
TOTAL FLOUR 704 g - 24.8 oz - 5 cups
Fine gray salt 19 g - 0.6 oz - 1 Tbsp
TOTAL WEIGHT 1,355 g/1.35 kg - 47.6 oz/3 lbs
1. Lightly oil or spray a deep 4 1/2- to 5-quart ceramic or glass bread bowl.
2. Put the starter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the water and mix on low speed until the starter is broken up and the mixture appears frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and pulse a few times on the lowest setting (to keep the flour from flying out of the bowl), then mix on low speed for 2 minutes to combine. Remove the paddle attachment, scraping any dough from the paddle back into the bowl with a plastic bowl scraper, and let sit, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the bowl scraper and add the salt. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed for 6 minutes. This is a slightly sticky dough. Using the bowl scraper, turn the dough into the bread bowl. Cover tightly with a lightly oiled or sprayed piece of plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
4. For the first fold, wet your hands, then loosen the dough from the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold it underneath itself from left to right and then top to bottom. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
5. For the second fold, repeat as for the first fold. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
6. For the third and final fold, repeat the folding as before. Cover and let proof in a warm, draft-free spot until there is bubbling on the surface of the dough, 2 to 3 hours.
7. The dough is ready to be pre-shaped and shaped for Meyer Lemon–Rosemary Campagne Boule.
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Thursday, January 29, 2015
Yang Zhou fried rice by Jane Chew
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons oil
3-4 cloves garlics, minced
3 cloves shallots, minced
5 thin slices ginger
2 eggs (i don't beat the egg)
1/2 cup ofchar siew (barbecue pork), diced
1/2 cup of shrimp, peeled, shelled and deveined, diced
3 rolls of fish cakes (i prefer "value" brand from supermarket), diced
1/2 cup of french bean, diced
overnight rice, approx 4-5 bowls
Marinades for ingredients (A)*
1 table spoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Few dashes pepper
Marinades for rice (B)*
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1.5 tablespoon soy sauce
1.5 tablespoon sugar
Few dashes white pepper
Method:
1. Heat up a wok or pan with one tablespoons of oil. Once heated add in the two eggs and let it set for a few seconds, do not flip just wait till the edge of the egg turn lightly brown, break it with the spatula. Dish up set aside.
2. Heat up the wok with 2 tablespoon of oil, add the ginger and garlic(don't use all, leave some for fried rice) stir fry until fragrant. Add in french beans stir fry till 3/4 cooked.
3. Add in shrimp and fishcake. When shrimp turning red add in Marinades (A). Lightly fried for few seconds. Dish up set aside.
4. Wash and dry the wok (this step is important to keep the rice look "neat"; otherwise the rice will be coated with the residues from ingredients fried earlier! )
5. Heat up the wok with remaining oil.
6. Add in garlic and shallot stir fried till fragant. Spoon in the overnight rice(room temperature). Break down the clupms if any by pressing spatula lightly over it.
7. Add in Marinades (B) - except the fish sauce which is to be sprinkle last before serving. Continue to stir fry the rice for a couple of minutes.
8. Add in ingredients in the following sequence and mix them well:
--Mixtures of vege, shrimps n fishcake
--Char siew (barbecue pork)
--Eggs
9. Finally drizzle the fish sauce over the rice and a quick stir before dishing up.
Job done !
*you may adjust the marinades according to you taste.
Yuan Yang Kailan by Michelle Heng
Ingredients
300g hong kong kailan
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp sugar
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Steps
1. Wash veggie, cut leaves from stems then cut them further into shreds. Dry thoroughly, preferably overnight.
2. Trim and blanch stems (till a fork can pierce through), drain and set aside.
3. Heat up oil and deep fry the leaves till crispy, be watchful as it will be fried in a very short time. Drain then sprinkle and toss the fried leaves with salt, set aside.
4. In another skillet, heat up 1 tbsp oil, fry garlic till fragrant.
5. Add blanched stems, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine and sugar, fry till sugar melts and sauce coats the stems.
6. Arrange stems and leaves on a plate to your desired design.
7. Bon appétit!
Post link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1023341084348401&set=gm.774236169312128&type=1&theater
Golden carp nian gao by Cathryn Vincent Khoo
Recipe
160 ml glutinous rice flour [sieved]
1 tablespoon plain four
160ml water
160 castor sugar
Add 1 tablespoon oil to mixture - prevent cracking
Egg Yellow Colour
Orange Colour
Carp Mould [greased in generously]
Method :
1] Pour all the sugar into the water
2] Switch on medium low fire to dissolve sugar - cooled down syrup
3] Sieved GR flour and plain flour
4] Slowly pour in the sugar syrup into the flour and alternate with the oil and stir till well mixed.
5] Sieve the flour mixture into another bowl
Colouring
Take a small portion white flour mixture [amount need to estimate] - drop the required amount of orange colour and mixed well
- Balanced of white flour mixture - add the egg yellow colour
[Colouring preference on more orange or more yellow depends on individual creativity]
Steaming
Stick 2 black beans into the eye sockets for eys
Place the mould in the boiling steamer
Pour some orange colour flour mixture on the fish [depends on personal creativity]
Steam it till the top is set.
Pour in the next colour [yellow] till the body - I did not fill up the fins.
Steam it till the surface is set.
Lastly top with the orange colour to the brim of the mould.
Cover the mould losely with the mould cover or a piece of aluminium foil [losely covered to ensure steam escape and water not going into the nain gao.
Steam on medium fire for another 2-3 hours till set.
Post link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205800095340414&set=gm.773811016021310&type=1&theater
Butter Corn Rice 玉米牛油香饭 by Lily Tan
{Just for info, no exact measurement as it was leftover, should be about 1.5 cups of rice which was enough for 2A2C. The butter was slightly more than 1/10 (horizontally) of a butter block. One can of Mili kernel corns also used.}
Ingredients:
- Frozen or chilled overnight cooked rice
- Butter (block or spreadable)
- Kernel Corns (canned or freshly steamed)
- Salt & Black Pepper
Steps:
1. Remove cooked rice from the fridge just before cooking. If frozen, ensure it is fully defrost before cooking. {Fried rice is best done with cold refrigerated overnight cooked rice as the rice grains get firmed up, making it easier to separate and less chance of mushy clumpy fried rice.}
2. Melt butter in a wok or skillet with low heat, as soon as it is melted, add rice. Turn to high heat, stir rice continuously to avoid getting burnt, ensure all rice is well-mixed with the butter.
3. Add kernel corns (without its brine) into the rice and mix well. Add more butter if required, until the rice has a smooth, slightly buttered (but not too greasy) and NON-DRY texture. Basically, you should be able to smell and taste tinge of butter in your rice.
4. Lastly, season it with salt and black pepper. Mix well and serve while it is hot. Enjoy! {Best eaten when hot, please reheat it if turned cold since butter is used.}
Post link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153033672779643&set=gm.773597076042704&type=1&theater
Chicken rice by Jeannie Lee
4pcs chicken drumsticks.
I removed the fats and keep aside.
Seasoned drumsticks with salt, light sauce n sesame oil. Leave it for about 2 hours.
Put drumsticks to steamed in a pot of boiling water till cook. Once cooked, drain the gravy of the chicken into a bowl. Put aside.
In a pan, put the chicken fats and let the chicken fats melt, add some fried chopped garlics and put in washed rice and follow by chicken gravy. Mix well.
Transfer rice into rice cooker and cook. Place few pieces of pandan leaves (tie knots) add enough water.
Once rice is cooked, serve hot with chicken.
Post link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1035135966503710&set=gm.774233789312366&type=1&theater
Garlic Butter Rice by Yvonne Mah
2. Add minced carrot and continue stir-frying for another min.
3. Add uncooked rice, sea-salt, turmeric powder & stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
4. Transfer to rice cooker, add water/chicken stock & raisin. Cook according to the rice cooker function.
Alternatively you can throw in all the ingredients in the rice cooker & cook! Easy-peasy method.
Post link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152773627652979&set=gm.773678289367916&type=1&theater
Carrots & Garlic Mini Meatballs by Christine Tan
Ingredients
500grams minced pork (lean meat no fats please) 1/2 clove garlic (peeled n chopped)
2 tablespoon full of diced carrot
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hua tiao wine
1 tablespoon castor sugar
2 tablespoon rice flour
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Method
Mix well and let it set for 3hrs in the fridge.
NOTE: Pls mould into small balls as shown in the pic (See.. my meatballs are smaller than the basketball!!).
U will notice that it doesn't turn char when u fry them.
Heat wok and deep fry till golden brown
Enjoy!
1st attempt Home Made Double boil Chicken Essence by Connie Ng
No water is needed. the small bowl I'm place few pieces of Pao Sheng (泡参) inside then cover w small bowl n arrange the chicken in. For pic 5 is done pic after 3 hr of boil which u can't see the essence soup as it hide inside the small bowl. U have to remove the bowl then the soup will come out.
(Please note the chicken skin have to remove to prevent the soup too oily)
Osmanthus with Wolfberry (Goji) Ingot agar agar by Jeannie Lee
Add 5gm agar agar powder into the boiled Osmanthus flower. Mixed well and add in sugar to taste.
Pour liquid to mould and chilled.
Bagna Cauda – A Real Bathing Beauty
It doesn’t contain pounds of melted cheese, or come in a bread bowl, but what it does have going for it, is simple, rustic goodness, and proven crowd appeal. Besides, unlike those other "hot dips," this one actually stays hot.
I think about five minutes is perfect, but many people cook it much longer. Other than that, the hardest part of this recipe is deciding on what to drunk in this ancient dip. Anything goes, but as I mentioned in the video, some chunks of crusty bread are highly recommended. I hope you give this bagna cauda a try soon. Enjoy!
UPDATE: I'm hearing from my friends in Northern Italy that they use TWICE as much anchovy and garlic as I did. So, be advised.
Ingredients for 1 1/4 cup Bagna Cauda
Ingredients for 1 1/4 cup Bagna Cauda
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
6-8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6-8 anchovy filets
2 tsp red wine vinegar
chili flakes to taste
Braised Chicken with carrots & mushrooms by Dewi San
Ingredients
5pcs chicken thighs5pcs fresh shiitake mushroom (sliced half)
1 carrot, cut into chunks
2 stalks spring onions (i only used white parts) sliced to 5cm
sesame oil
3 slices ginger
3 cloves garlic, smashed
180ml water, or more, just enough to cover chicken
3 small rock sugar cubes
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Boiled broccoli as garnish
Method
- Marinate chicken thighs with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil & some pepper for 10mins.
- Heat up 1 tbsp sesame oil in pot & add chicken thighs. Stir fry til chicken is no longer pink.
- Add mushrooms, carrots, spring onions, ginger, garlic, water & seasonings. Mix well & make sure ingredients are covered by water.
- Cover with lid & simmer for 5 mins. Turn over chicken & add rock sugar. Simmer for another 5 mins.
- Turn off flame & let chicken soak in sauce for at least 15 mins. Serve hot with rice. Garnish with broccoli.
Fish Maw with Chinese Mushrooms & Sio Bah Stew by Joyce Ng
Fried fish maw, 2 packs (abt 6-7 pcs), blanched & cut into preferred size
5 chinese mushrooms, rehydrate, sliced, halved, quartered or whole
2 carrots, cut into pcs
4 stalks celery, cut into pcs
sio bah, cut into pcs, around $10 worth quantity
15 pcs Chikuwa (optional)
Abt 5 cups broth
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp potato starch + 5 tbsp water
Bring sio bah, chinese mushrooms in broth to a boil and simmer. After 1/2 hr add fish maw & continue to simmer. Follow by carrots in 15 minutes after adding fish maw. Simmer for another 10 minutes and finally the celery, chikuwa (if using), oyster sauce & shaoxing wine. Simmer for another 5 minutes, season wif salt & thicken with potato starch mixture and it's ready to serve. (Nice to serve with chopped chilli padi in lime juice)
For easy reference :
Start: sio bah, mushrooms & broth
30 mins from start : fish maw
45 mins from start : carrots
55 mins from start : celery, chikuwa, oyster sauce & shaoxing wine
1hr from start: season with salt & thicken with potato starch mixture. Ready to serve.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Chicken Biryani Recipe, Step by Step Pressure Cooker Method
Easy Chicken Biryani made in a pressure cooker. When I posted the layered chicken biryani recipe, I had mentioned that Amma used to make this one pot, simple chicken biryani for me and often for my large groups of visiting friends during various stages of my college life. That biryani would forever remain my favourite kind, a reminder of my 'interesting' childhood and the days I didn't need to bother with things like chopping and cooking.
Amma and I made this biryani together and apart from slicing the onions and preparing the ingredients, it's quite hands off. If you get chicken pieces cleaned and prepared, even better. I bought 6-7 piece of chicken drumstick (the leg pieces) and we were good to go.
Since it wasn't part of the plan to make the biryani, a few ingredients are missing but I have added notes for all you can adapt and prepare accordingly. For instance, mint is a no-brainer and must be added to this biryani but I didn't have any and didn't want to go out and walk a kilometre to buy a bunch. Another important note is about the coconut milk. Adding coconut milk enhances the flavour of the biryani and I'd say it's a necessary ingredient. It makes the rice sticky and richer, almost making it seem very greasy but that's just the coconut milk doing its thing. It also makes the rice stick to the bottom of the pressure cooker if overcooked so be careful not to use too much eat when the biryani is cooking - more on that below.
We serve chicken biryani with a cucumber raita, papad, and lemon pickle. A mirchi ka salan is a great idea too and you can make it in advance if you are cooking for a lot of people.
For more amazing biryani recipes, check out vegetable biryani recipe, egg biryani, mushroom biryani, cauliflower biryani, and the layered chicken biryani recipe here.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 3 generously
Recipe source: Amma
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step by Step Pictures: How to Make Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani
Prep the ingredients by slicing the onions, grinding the ginger, garlic, and green chillies together, and soaking the rice for 30 minutes. Drain the rice and set aside.
Heat 1/4 cup ghee in a pressure cooker pan and add the whole spices. When they turn fragrant, add the sliced onions and roast until golden brown.
Then add the ground ginger-garlic-chilli paste and roast for a minute until fragrant
Add biryani masala and curd to this mixture. Mix well. Then add chicken masala and mix again to coat the chicken pieces well. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix again
Top up with the coconut milk. I used store-bought, thick coconut milk and then measured water in the same packet (3 times the amount). Since I used 200 ml coconut milk, I added about 600 ml water which was perfect. Simmer until the chicken pieces are half cooked.
Now add the drained rice and chopped coriander and mint leaves. Close the pressure cooker and let two whistles sound. Takes about 10 minutes.
Let the pressure completely leave the pressure cooker and remove lid. The biryani will appear sticky and moist. Gently mix without breaking up the rice too much.
Once the biryani cools down, it will become the right consistency.
While the rice may seem greasy, it's mostly due to the coconut milk. Garnish with the fried cashew nuts and more coriander leaves.
Serve warm with raita and papad.
Notes:
- the ratio of rice:water is 1:2 roughly. This is the proportion I use generally for cooking basmati rice
- the consistency of the rice would differ a bit based on how watery your coconut milk is. Mine was store-bought and very thick
- the consistency of the biryani will also depend on the rice.
In short, I am trying to say this is not a magic formula in terms of measurement of ingredients. You'll have to adapt based on where you live, what type of ingredients you use, and how you prefer your biryani. Use the recipe only as a guideline
Amma and I made this biryani together and apart from slicing the onions and preparing the ingredients, it's quite hands off. If you get chicken pieces cleaned and prepared, even better. I bought 6-7 piece of chicken drumstick (the leg pieces) and we were good to go.
Since it wasn't part of the plan to make the biryani, a few ingredients are missing but I have added notes for all you can adapt and prepare accordingly. For instance, mint is a no-brainer and must be added to this biryani but I didn't have any and didn't want to go out and walk a kilometre to buy a bunch. Another important note is about the coconut milk. Adding coconut milk enhances the flavour of the biryani and I'd say it's a necessary ingredient. It makes the rice sticky and richer, almost making it seem very greasy but that's just the coconut milk doing its thing. It also makes the rice stick to the bottom of the pressure cooker if overcooked so be careful not to use too much eat when the biryani is cooking - more on that below.
We serve chicken biryani with a cucumber raita, papad, and lemon pickle. A mirchi ka salan is a great idea too and you can make it in advance if you are cooking for a lot of people.
For more amazing biryani recipes, check out vegetable biryani recipe, egg biryani, mushroom biryani, cauliflower biryani, and the layered chicken biryani recipe here.
PRESSURE COOKER CHICKEN BIRYANI RECIPE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 3 generously
Recipe source: Amma
INGREDIENTS:
- 300 grams of basmati rice
- 1/2 cup of ghee (seems like a lot but trust me on this)
- A small fistful of whole spices like cloves, cardamom, star anise, bay leaf, etc
- 4 cups of sliced onions
- 5 green chillies (adjust to taste)
- 2" piece of ginger
- 5-6 cloves of garlic (note that Indian ones are smaller in size so use fewer if using the larger kind)
- A fistful of coriander leaves
- A fistful of mint leaves (I didn't have any)
- 300 grams of chicken drumsticks (or any pieces you prefer)
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
- 1.5 tbsp of biryani masala (we use and like Eastern brand)
- 3 tbsp of plain curd
- 200 ml of thick coconut milk
- 1/4 cup of cashew nuts
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prep the ingredients first by slicing the onions, cleaning and setting aside the coriander leaves and mint leaves, and grinding the ginger, garlic, and green chillies together. Also soak the rice for 30 minutes and set aside to drain completely
- Heat 1/4 cup ghee in a pressure cooker pan and add the whole spices. Fry for 20 seconds or until fragrant
- Then add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown
- Now add the ground chilli-ginger-garlic paste. Fry for a minute until it turns fragrant
- Next, add the biryani masala, mix well to combine and add the curd
- Mix and then add the washed chicken pieces along with turmeric and salt
- Mix again to coat the chicken pieces with the masala
- Add the coconut milk and 600ml water on top of that
- Simmer until the chicken pieces are semi-cooked
- Add the soaked, drained rice to this and top off with chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves
- Fry the cashew nuts in the remaining 1/4 cup ghee until golden brown
- Drain and set aside the cashew nuts and add the hot ghee to the pressure cooker
- Close the pressure cooker and cook for 15 minutes or 2 whistles
- Let the pressure leave the pan and remove lid
- Using a spatula, mix gently to make sure the rice is evenly cooked
- The rice will be very sticky and moist due to the coconut milk but will firm up quite a bit on cooling down a bit
- Best served warm with raita, papad, and lemon pickle
Step by Step Pictures: How to Make Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani
Prep the ingredients by slicing the onions, grinding the ginger, garlic, and green chillies together, and soaking the rice for 30 minutes. Drain the rice and set aside.
Heat 1/4 cup ghee in a pressure cooker pan and add the whole spices. When they turn fragrant, add the sliced onions and roast until golden brown.
Then add the ground ginger-garlic-chilli paste and roast for a minute until fragrant
Add biryani masala and curd to this mixture. Mix well. Then add chicken masala and mix again to coat the chicken pieces well. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix again
Top up with the coconut milk. I used store-bought, thick coconut milk and then measured water in the same packet (3 times the amount). Since I used 200 ml coconut milk, I added about 600 ml water which was perfect. Simmer until the chicken pieces are half cooked.
Now add the drained rice and chopped coriander and mint leaves. Close the pressure cooker and let two whistles sound. Takes about 10 minutes.
Let the pressure completely leave the pressure cooker and remove lid. The biryani will appear sticky and moist. Gently mix without breaking up the rice too much.
Once the biryani cools down, it will become the right consistency.
While the rice may seem greasy, it's mostly due to the coconut milk. Garnish with the fried cashew nuts and more coriander leaves.
Serve warm with raita and papad.
Notes:
- the ratio of rice:water is 1:2 roughly. This is the proportion I use generally for cooking basmati rice
- the consistency of the rice would differ a bit based on how watery your coconut milk is. Mine was store-bought and very thick
- the consistency of the biryani will also depend on the rice.
In short, I am trying to say this is not a magic formula in terms of measurement of ingredients. You'll have to adapt based on where you live, what type of ingredients you use, and how you prefer your biryani. Use the recipe only as a guideline
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Flourless Almond Coconut Cake Recipe, Gluten-free, Step by Step
Flourless almond cake with coconut, butter, eggs, and sugar. This is probably the most simple cake recipe you can make that's flourless and completely gluten-free. A few of you have emailed me asking about gluten free cake recipes, especially for kids so I decided to try a flourless cake at home. This recipe is a spin off of the frangipane cake recipe I shared a few weeks back except that I made it without any fruit and also replaced the plain flour with desiccated coconut. Total win!
TH and I both like almond-y things like marzipan, almond fudge (the almond version of the popular kaju katli) and frangipane cakes and tarts. So this flourless almond cake was devoured guilt-free over just a couple days. I also shared a few slices with friends and got a ton of requests for the recipe. Sorry guys, it's been over 5 months now. My bad!
The slices in the picture are a bit uneven and crumbly but that's because I cut the cake right out of the oven. It's the classic food blogger story. This cake was made in the evening, natural light was fast disappearing and pictures had to be taken before it became too dark. So some compromise was made. Don't be like me. Cool the cake completely to get nice and even pieces.
Now, one thing about this cake. Actually, two things. The desiccated coconut gives some additional texture and flavour to the cake. Using freshly scraped coconut in its place will increase moisture and decrease shelf life so use your own discretion if that's the route you want to take. If you are not fan of coconut (and if that's the case, we need to talk), then you can omit that and substitute with more almond meal. The second thing is about the eggs in this recipe. Since we are working with a batter which has no flour, the eggs provide pretty much all the binding that's required. I haven't tried an eggless almond cake recipe yet and I am not sure if traditional egg substitutes will work in this recipe. So if you can't take eggs as part of your diet, maybe you can look at my large list of eggless cake recipes to find one that suits. Ok? Great! Let's go make some almond cake.
Oh, I need to leave you a good list of cakes that I have baked and loved. This banana cake recipe remains an all-time favourite and so does this sticky date cake. Another cake recipe that I almost always default to is this moist eggless sponge cake.
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes one small 8" cake
INGREDIENTS:
100 gm of unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups of almond meal (almond flour)
3 tbsp of desiccated coconut
1/2 cup of sugar (or a bit less)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of baking powder
2 eggs
One pinch of salt
1/2 cup of raw almonds, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 160C / 320F. Grease one 8" cake tray with non-stick spray or butter.
Mix the butter and sugar until fully mixed. You can do this with a spatula, there's no need to use an electric beater.
Now add the eggs and vanilla. Mix again until everything is fully combined.
Finally, add the almond flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until no streaks of flour is left.
The batter will be fairly thick, that's perfect.
Transfer to the greased cake tray and press gently to get uniform thickness. Add the chopped almonds on top and press into the batter.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30-40 minutes.
The cake won't rise much but the top will turn a golden brown. The almonds on top will get nicely toasted too.
That's it! Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then gently turn onto a plate to cool completely. Cut and store in an airtight container. Best served within 2 days. Refrigerate if you want to keep for longer.
TH and I both like almond-y things like marzipan, almond fudge (the almond version of the popular kaju katli) and frangipane cakes and tarts. So this flourless almond cake was devoured guilt-free over just a couple days. I also shared a few slices with friends and got a ton of requests for the recipe. Sorry guys, it's been over 5 months now. My bad!
The slices in the picture are a bit uneven and crumbly but that's because I cut the cake right out of the oven. It's the classic food blogger story. This cake was made in the evening, natural light was fast disappearing and pictures had to be taken before it became too dark. So some compromise was made. Don't be like me. Cool the cake completely to get nice and even pieces.
Now, one thing about this cake. Actually, two things. The desiccated coconut gives some additional texture and flavour to the cake. Using freshly scraped coconut in its place will increase moisture and decrease shelf life so use your own discretion if that's the route you want to take. If you are not fan of coconut (and if that's the case, we need to talk), then you can omit that and substitute with more almond meal. The second thing is about the eggs in this recipe. Since we are working with a batter which has no flour, the eggs provide pretty much all the binding that's required. I haven't tried an eggless almond cake recipe yet and I am not sure if traditional egg substitutes will work in this recipe. So if you can't take eggs as part of your diet, maybe you can look at my large list of eggless cake recipes to find one that suits. Ok? Great! Let's go make some almond cake.
Oh, I need to leave you a good list of cakes that I have baked and loved. This banana cake recipe remains an all-time favourite and so does this sticky date cake. Another cake recipe that I almost always default to is this moist eggless sponge cake.
FLOURLESS ALMOND COCONUT CAKE RECIPE
Preparation time: 15 minutesCooking time: 35 minutes
Makes one small 8" cake
INGREDIENTS:
100 gm of unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups of almond meal (almond flour)
3 tbsp of desiccated coconut
1/2 cup of sugar (or a bit less)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of baking powder
2 eggs
One pinch of salt
1/2 cup of raw almonds, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pre-heat oven to 160C / 320F. Grease one 8" cake tray with non-stick spray or butter.
- Cream the butter and sugar with a spatula.
- Then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix again until everything is fully combined.
- Finally, add the almond flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. The batter will be quite thick.
- Transfer to the greased cake tray and use the top of the spatula to smoothen the top. Add the chopped almonds on top press into the cake gently.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes. The cake won't rise much but the top will turn a golden brown. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out with moist crumbs or clean.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the cake pan and then invert onto a plate. Cool completely before cutting and storing in an airtight container.
Pre-heat oven to 160C / 320F. Grease one 8" cake tray with non-stick spray or butter.
Mix the butter and sugar until fully mixed. You can do this with a spatula, there's no need to use an electric beater.
Now add the eggs and vanilla. Mix again until everything is fully combined.
Finally, add the almond flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until no streaks of flour is left.
The batter will be fairly thick, that's perfect.
Transfer to the greased cake tray and press gently to get uniform thickness. Add the chopped almonds on top and press into the batter.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30-40 minutes.
The cake won't rise much but the top will turn a golden brown. The almonds on top will get nicely toasted too.
That's it! Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then gently turn onto a plate to cool completely. Cut and store in an airtight container. Best served within 2 days. Refrigerate if you want to keep for longer.
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