Mackerel (aila) Fish biriyani

Usually, Fish biriyanis is made of King fish. Here, in this recipe, i innovated by substituting the King fish with a commonly consumed Mackerel ( aila, in malayalam) and making such alternation in the traditional recipe that the authentic flavor of the fish is maintained.
Its a very simple recipe, quick to make and yummy to eat.




Ingredients:

Masala:
Mackerel :  3 to 4
Onion: 2 (diced).
Tomatoe: 3 ( diced)
*Curd : 1 table spoon
Corriander powder: a pinch
Curry leaves: a stem.
red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder: 1/4rth tsp.
salt: to taste.
Oil to fry ( shallow)

Rice:
Basmati rice: 2 cups
Onion: 1 sliced
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
water: 4 cups.

Preparation:
In a deep vessel ( to prepare rice) heat oil. When hot, add sliced onion and saute till soft. Add garam masala and stir for a minute or so. Add rice and fry it on medium flame till the rice becomes more whitish colour. This makes sure the biriyani rice doesn't stick to one another. Add water with salt and let the mixture boil and reduce till just moist rice. When this happens, remove the vessel from the stove and cover it till the final stage.
Now for the fish. clean and cut the mackerels to thick slices. Marinate them with salt, red chilli powder( 1/2 tsp), turmeric powder, coriander powder and curd. Keep aside for say 15 min to the minimum. In a non stick pan shallow fry them till done. Keep aside. In a kadai, heat oil add onion and when done add tomato and saute till tomatoes are soft. When soft, add the remaining red chilli powder and salt. Stir for 1/2 a minute or so. Add the fried fish along with the masala and oil in the shallow fried pan. This enhances the flavor. Reduce the flame to minimum and cover the dish for 5 minutes. Now in a deep vessel, rub oil at the bottom and assemble the rice and the fish masala as layers. Heat the entire mixture for 5 minutes on low flame.


* it is heard that fish when mixed with any dairy product opens a chance for skin diseases as psorasis. Therefore, curd can be avoided if required. 

N.B-> in this dish i have not used garlic ginger or the traditional fry onion as garnish as i believe these flavors can spoil the authentic mackerel flavor. 

Lucknowi Chicken Biriyani/ Lucknowi Murg Biriyani

Ingredients:

Rice:

Ginger: 1 inch

Garlic: 2 pods

Cinnamon sticks: 1

Peppercorns: 8

Cloves: 4

Basmati rice: 300g

SAlt: to taste

Oil: as req.

Gravy:

Boneless chicken: 300g

Onion:2

Tomato:1

Yoghurt/thick curd:300ml

Cream: 70 ml (optional)

Ginger garlic paste: 2 tsp

Salt:

Cumin seed( jeera) powder: 1 tsp

Red chilly powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala: 2 tsp

Oil: as req.

Garnish:

Onion: 1

Corrander leaves: 2 tblsp

Mint leaves: 2 tblsp

SAfron (soaked in milk) : 1 tsp 9 can opt for yellow colour too)

Preparation:

Marinate cleaned boneless chicken pieces with yoghurt, cream, salt, ginger garlic paste, cumin seed powder, red chilly powder and turmeric powder. Wash and soak the basmati rice for a few minutes.

Heat oil. Fry cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon sticks till their colour changes. Then add in ginger and garlic(not chopped but just crushed). Stir for a minute and then drain the water off the basmathi rice and add to this along with 600ml water( double the proportion of rice). season with salt and let it cook till all soft and fluffy. When done, cover the vessel with lid so that the excess moisture gives a finishing touch to the rice.

Heat oil in another vessel, put in onion and stir till light brown. Add tomato chopped and stir till tomato is cooked. Add garam masala and cook for a minute so that the masala is cooked. Add the marinated chicken and stir fry till the moisture has reduced drastically and the oil is seperated. If you like allot of masala in the biriyani then add 1/2 glass water and let it boil, else. that is it.

in a deep vessel. Make layers of rice and chicken, in which the topmost layer must be rice. sprinkle yellow colour or safron milk. Deep fry onion till dark brown and sprinkle it over the biriyani. Garnish with coriander and mint leaves. Cover the vessel and heat the vessel on the sim flame for 5 minutes. Serve with yoghurt salald.

Egg biriyani ( Kerala style)

Ingredients:
Boiled Eggs:4
Onion: 4

Tomato: 4
Rice: 2 cups
Carrot: 1
Lemon:1
Ginger: 1 inch
Garlic: 5 pods
Corriander leaves: some
Red chilly powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4th tsp
Corriander powder: 1 tblsp
Black Pepper powder: 1 tsp
salt: to taste
Ghee: 1 tblsp

Preperation:
Slice 1 onion. In a preassure cooker. Heat a 1/2 tblsp ghee... Put in chopped carrot and saute till it is cooked... add chopped corrainder leaves and stir for 5 sec and remove them from the vessel... to the oil remaining add onion ( more ghee if req.) and saute. When soft add rice and double the water which in this case would be 4 cups. Add salt, 1 lemon juice and close the pressure cookerand let 2 whistle come. Menawhile, in another vessel heat ghee, add ginger and garlic chopped. add curry leaves to it and add onion and saute till soft... Add cubely diced tomatoe to it and saute till tomatoe is done.Then add all the powders. And saute till the smells give you a sensation to sneeze. When the presure in the cooker is gone you can open the cooker.
In a plate. put masala in the middle. then cover it with sliced egg peices and then put rice over. In the middle garninsh with 1 whole egg surrounded by the carrot and corriander leaves cooked.