Saffron Vegetable Biryani | Zafrani Sabzi Biryani | Step by Step Recipe | Simple Bihari Thali

For the second week of Blogging Marathon, I chose Mix n Match as I wanted to try out all the themes I had listed. Best was trying out the Bihari recipes. I know when you mention Bihari dishes, the most frequently listed out will be Thekua, Litti, Chokha, Pau etc. Though I wanted to try these too, I was looking more in the other types of dishes and browsed through lot of Bihari sites. I finally settled to make these dishes from this site and I must say we loved our meal.

For the Rice dish I made Saffron Vegetable Biryani - Zafrani Sabzi Biryani. I adapated few ingredients like adding Shah Jeera instead of Cumin Seeds. I liked the way it ended up finally, though you might think it your regular vegetable biryani, it surely gave a different touch to the dish. Plus I like that fact that it gets done quickly for you to make this for your lunch box too.

With the kids at home enjoying their holidays, it becomes a big task to get things to make them be occupied. Most times they make sure they occupy by themselves, only they end up having a tiff every other second. And they have made sure I dish out chocolate cakes for them on daily basis. Now I am in the process of selecting only chocolate base cake. So look out for more chocolate cakes to make it's appearance!

I made this for a Saturday lunch and we thoroughly enjoyed the entire thali. I have planning to  make an entire thali from each state, if not the entire 12 course meal, a simple 3 -4 course meal would surely be great. In that effort I made these three dishes and it was so filling!

Step by Step Picture Recipes

In a non stick pan, heat the butter, add all the whole spices, saute well.

Drain the rice and add to the pan. Saute well for couple of minutes.

Add water, salt and turmeric powder.

Mix everything well and cook with lid covered till done. When it's done, switch off and keep it aside.

Heat a non stick pan with butter, add shah jeera, then onions. Saute the onions till it turns colour, add ginger garlic paste. Cook till the raw smell leaves.

Add the cubed vegetables, salt and cover with lid. Keep sauteing till the vegetables are done.

If required sprinkle little water. When the vegetables are done, add the chili powder, turmeric powder and mint leaves. Cook for 5 mins in sim.

Finally add the curds. Simmer for 5 mins.

The curds will start letting out moisture, so keep cooking till it almost becomes dry but not very dry.

You should have some liquid left.

Remove half of the rice.

On the base rice, add the cooked vegetable curry. spread it well.

Then on top add rest of the rice. Sprinkle the saffron milk. coriander leaves. Cover with lid and cook in simmer for 10 mins. 

Saffron Vegetable Biryani - Zafrani Sabzi Biryani

Adapted from here

Ingredients Needed:

For the Rice

Basmati Rice - 1 & 1/2 cups
Butter - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Shah Jeera / Caraway Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay Leaf  - 2
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 2"
Cardamon - 1
Water - 2 & 1/2 cups

For the Vegetable Curry

Butter - 1 tbsp
Onion sliced 1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Potatoes, 1 medium
Carrots, 1 long
French beans, chopped - 1/2 cup
Peas - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - 1 tbsp
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Shah Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder a pinch

For assembling
Hot milk 1/4 cup
Saffron few strands
Coriander leaves handful

How to make Saffron Vegetable Biryani

Soak saffron in hot milk.

Making the Rice

Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 mins.

In a non stick pan, heat the butter, add all the whole spices, saute well. Drain the rice and add to the pan. Saute well for couple of minutes.

Add water, salt and turmeric powder. Mix everything well and cook with lid covered till done. When it's done, switch off and keep it aside.

Making the Vegetable gravy

Heat a non stick pan with butter, add shah jeera, then onions. Saute the onions till it turns colour, add ginger garlic paste. Cook till the raw smell leaves.

Add the cubed vegetables, salt and cover with lid. Keep sauteing till the vegetables are done. If required sprinkle little water. When the vegetables are done, add the chili powder, turmeric powder and mint leaves. Cook for 5 mins in sim.

Finally add the curds. Simmer for 5 mins. The curds will start letting out moisture, so keep cooking till it almost becomes dry but not very dry. You should have some liquid left.

How to assemble the rice.

Remove half of the rice. On the base rice, add the cooked vegetable curry. spread it well. Then on top add rest of the rice. Sprinkle the saffron milk. coriander leaves. Cover with lid and cook in simmer for 10 mins.

Normally this can be done in two three layers of rice, if you take a smaller pan. Since I used the same big non stick pan, I got only two layers.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 11

Paruppu Kulambu ~ Paruppu Kuzhambu | Simple Aloo Roast | South Indian Thali ~ Step by Step Recipe

There are really times when you see something and realize that there is still so much you got to learn. I felt that way when I saw my colleague who got this for his lunch. He had cooked up this dal and seeing how nice it looked, I asked him what it was. He said it was Paruppu Kulambu, imagine I have lived all my life here and I haven't heard something like this. On closer investigation I understood it was the Mudda pappu or thick toor dal cooked plain and served the way  it is served in Andhra. He was calling it by a different name. Still it was a lesson I liked learning.

Within couple of days I had the chance to make it myself. It was a saturday and hubby dear wasn't coming for lunch. I decided I will try this simple dal and pair it with yet another simpler aloo Roast. As you might have guessed Aloo roast anytime tastes great, especially the way I made with extra few more drops of oil. Plus the fact it had garlic added. When I was making the meal, I was reminded of the fact that this could very well be called Cooking up a meal. Infact after I made it, I almost wanted to change the theme to Cooking up a meal. But imagined how it might actually be. With simpler dishes it's always easy to plan such things.

End of the entire cooking adventure I was left with a urge to capture a typical classic homely comfort, a simple dal, curry, rasam, curds and semiya payasam! A comforting meal for a weekend special. The entire meal got completed in 30 minutes, maybe few mins more for clicking the Step by Step Pictures. Planning to collect such Thalis for those tough times when we run out of ideas!

 A South Indian Thali!

Paruppu Kulambu ~ Paruppu Kuzhambu

Wash and pressure cook the toor dal.

Once cooked, add more water as required and make it thin.

In a pan, heat oil and ghee.

Add the tempering ingredients and cook.

Keep stirring till done.

 Pour over the cooking dal.

Bring it to boil again.

..till you get the right consistency!

Paruppu Kulambu 

Ingredients Needed:

Toor dal - 1 cup
Turmeric a pinch
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves few

For Seasoning

Mustard, Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves few
Red chilies - 2 -3
Ghee and oil - 1 each

How to make Paruppu Kulambu

Wash the toor dal and take it in a pressure cooker.
Pressure cook the dal with enough water. Once the pressure falls, add salt and more water to make it thin.

Put it back to heat and bring to boil.

Simple Aloo Roast / Potato Curry

I am sure there will hardly be a person who will not profess undying love to this tuber! I was resisting for a long long time, until recently I have given up and confessed by love, atleast to this roast! It does surely grow on you, the more you resist, the worse you fall.

Microwave for 7 mins after making marks on the washed potatoes.

Heat a non stick pan with oil, add mustard, urad dal and curry leaves

Add boiled and cubed potatoes.

Simmer and cook adding few drops of oil every few mins.

Add crushed garlic and sambar powder, salt.

combine and cook

After 15 mins you are done!


Simple Potato Roast

Ingredients Needed

Potatoes - 4 medium
Salt to taste
Sambar powder
Garlic - 2 big cloves
Curry leaves
Mustard, urad dal
Oil - 3 -4 tsp

Meanwhile heat a pan with ghee and oil, temper with seasoning and pour over the dal. Finally garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

While the dal is getting cooked, you can microwave the potatoes by marking slits on it and microwaving for 7 mins. Once done, cool and peel the skin. Chop it into fine pieces.

Heat a non stick pan with oil, add curry leaves, mustard, Urad dal. When the mustard pops, add the cubed potatoes. simmer and add crushed garlic, sambar powder, salt. Simmer and cook on open till the potatoes turn crispy.

Add few drops of oil as you cook, so that the potatoes are well roasted. Continue cooking till you get the aloo very crisp.

This takes about 15 mins or so.

Cumin Pepper Rasam!

Tags: South Indian Recipes, Tamil Recipes, South Indian Thali, Simple Dals, Potato Roast

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 11

How to peel Ridge gourd | Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi | Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney

Well this probably today's post will not exactly fit into the theme of showing all about cleaning and peeling a Ridge Gourd but is essentially about peeling the outer layer and preserving the peel or rather making a proper use of it as a chutney.

Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi  or the chutney with the Rigde gourd skin is a famous Andhra dish and I have already posted a version of the Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi. When I was planning to make the Beerakaya Pappu, seeing that so much skin might come out, I decided that I was going to make the chutney. I went to make Beerakaya Pappu, Snake gourd Stir Fry with Moong Dal and this chutney turned out so delicious that I ended up making it twice in a row.

I was even more elated because hubby dear assumed that the pappu and the chutney were made by Athamma, which I would say was a real compliment. For all the wonderful way I might cook for my friends or my kids, beating Amma or Athamma at their dish is the real thing. And it felt like the adage that "I have arrived"..:)

Anyway both the Beerakaya Pappu and the Ridge Gourd chutney recipes were made as I went on cooking. The pappu was similar except I didn't add tamarind and made it very thick. I almost remembered Amma saying that my Ammamma used to make the pappu that way.

Beerakaya Pappu, Snake gourd Stir Fry with Moong Dal, Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney with Curds and rice ~ Our meal

How to peel Ridge Gourd:

First thing would be to buy a tender Ridge gourd. While buying try twisting softly and not very hard as it might break. When the vegetable is soft and pale green you know the vegetable is still tender.

Also another indication would be those dark black lines on the ridges as in the above, if the line is too thick, then you know it's matured else you can buy.

Wash the vegetable well, if there are black lines on the ridges, slight scrap it out. Then holding the vegetable in your left hand, using a sharp knife scrap it downwards as I have shown in the picture. 

Make a chutney with the peel right away as I did, else freeze it for couple of days. I have refrigerated for a day before making the chutney.

How to make Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi

In a non stick pan, add 1 tsp of oil, add the peels, handful of ridge gourd, Bengal gram, Urad dal, Garlic, Dry red chilies, curry leaves, coriander leaves and saute till the ingredients are cooked.

Here is almost done.

Allow it to cool, grind to a semi coarse paste adding salt to taste.

Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi | Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney

Ingredients Needed:

Ridge gourd peel  - 3/4 cup
Ridge gourd pieces - handful
Bengal Gram / Channa dal - 2 tsp
Urad dal / Black gram dal  - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 10
Coriander leaves - handful
Dry Red chillis - 3 -4
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 - 2 tsp
Garlic - 1 big

How to make Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney

In a non stick pan, heat oil, add the peels, curry leaves, coriander leaves, lentils, ridge gourd pieces, garlic along with salt and dry red chillis. Simmer and saute till the ingredients are well done.

Allow to cool, add enough water to make a semi coarse paste.

Serve with dal and rice as a side dish.

There is no need to do tempering for this. Add as little water as required.

Other Beerakaya / Ridge gourd Dishes

Ridge Gourd Stir Fry ~ Beerakaaya Vepudu!
Beerakaya Thokku pachadi, Ridgegourd Peel Chutney
Beerakaya Kura or Ridge Gourd Curry
Beerakaya Pappu ~ Ridge gourd Dal

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10