Cooking Class # 3

Chicken Curry (for Chicken Biryani)
-heat mustard seeds and curry leaves in a little more sunflower oil than usual
-add 1/2 kilo (about 5) sliced red onions, a ginger and garlic paste (50 grams), 1 small tomato cut in wedges and a handful of fresh coriander
-mix together red chili powder (1 tsp), coriander (1 tsp), turmeric (1 tsp), and chicken masala (3 tsp) then add to mixture
-add 1 chicken cut in pieces, sprinkle salt on top of chicken and then stir
-cover pot with lid and cook 20 minutes
Chicken Biryani
-heat ghee (200 g) in pot
-roast cashews (3/4 cup) and raisins (3/4 cup)
-roast cashews on low flame until colour changes (15 seconds or so), remove from ghee
-roast raisins on low flame, they'll grow big and change colour (30 seconds), remove from ghee
-in same ghee roast 2 sliced red onions (a little more heat) about 7-8 minutes until colour changes, remove from ghee and heat and mix with cashews and raisins
-meanwhile, take 1/2 pineapple and score into small pieces. Yields 1/2-3/4 cup.
Rice
Boil a large pot of water
-toss into water, a cinnamon stick (10 g), cardamom (10 pieces), star anise (10 pieces), cloves (10), and a small handful each of mint and fresh coriander (chopped a couple of times), and a pinch of salt. Bring to boil.
Rinse 1 kg of basmati rice three times and add to boiling water.
-add juice of one lemon.
Cook until rice is done (check by taste and feel). Drain rice.
Add some ghee to the pot.
Add 1/3 rice.
Next, add 1/2 curry chicken.
Add 1/3 of rice.
Add pineapple.
Add a little more of the ghee.
Add turmeric (1/2 tsp) in water and add to pot.
Add onion, raisin and cashew mixture (save a little)
-add remaining chicken
Add remaining rice and remaining onion, raisin and cashew mixture.
Touch more ghee. Pat it down into a hill shape with top of hill in middle of pot. Press down and cover and heat 15 minutes.
In bowl, slice 3 onions, one green chili (small sliced), small ginger slices. Add salt. Add plain yogurt. Stir.