Believed to be of Persian origin and having travelled to India through travelers, merchants and Mughals, the Biryani is a much loved dish across India. Lizzie Collingham in her book , Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, says that the Persian dish pilau was transformed into biryani in India. There is no definite text to authenticate when Biryani came into existence, but it is largely attributed to the Mughal Empire. The present day Biryani essentially is rice and meat/vegetables/sea food/fish cooked in layers with aromatic spices using a process called Dum. The rice is partially cooked separately and the …
Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash #Ina Fridays
For February’s Ina Friday, we are all making main course dishes. I had been wanting to try out a saffron risoto with butternut squash for quite some time. On my previous attempts at making a great Risotto, I always ended up with a good Risotto. Very Good – but not great. So the idea had been on the back burner. I wanted to make a really great one and so I waited for the perfect moment to arrive. While deciding what to make for this month’s Ina Friday, I chanced upon the recipe for saffron risotto with butternut squash by …
How to Make Paneer
Making paneer at home is a bit of a process. But it is worth all the time you will need to put in. The resulting paneer is a soft and creamy deliciousness. Be warned though, you might end up eating this deliciousness before you get to making a dish out of it. I don’t have memories of making paneer at home. No one in my family did it – Ever. It was simply bought from the local cheese shop along with milk and yogurt. If one needed more than a couple of pounds of paneer, the cheese maker had …
Wozij Chaaman – Paneer cooked in Spices
Simmering away on the stovetop, filling the kitchen with aromas from sweet cinnamon, spicy clove and hot chillies, used to be this wozij Chaaman in my Grandma’s home. She is almost 78 now and still feels pleased to cook a meal for all her grand-kids or for anyone visiting her. My Grandmom inspires me. Her story gives me courage and conviction to face life each day. Her deep set eyes, surrounded by wrinkles, light up every time she sees one of her grandkids or their kids. She looks forward to our visits and starts planning for them days in advance …
Borani Banjan – Layered Afghan Eggplant Dish
When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. ~Author Unknown The sky was overcast like never before in Colorado. And then it started to rain, heavily at first and continuous, light, rhythmic drizzle later on. It appeared to be the perfect time to drink hot chocolate and a curl up with a book. I downloaded “ And the Mountains Echoed”; and started the journey with Pari. I kept reading through the day, glancing outside the window once a while to see if the rain had stopped. It …
Tamatar Chaaman – Paneer with Tomatoes a Kashmiri fusion Recipe
According to wiki, Fusion cuisine is cuisine that combines elements of different culinary traditions. And that is exactly what my mom did when she made the Tamatar Chaaman – paneer with tomatoes, though she did not label it as fusion. She took elements from the Kashmiri Muslim cuisine and elements of the Kashmiri Pandit cuisine and made an extraordinary dish called the tamatar chaman – Paneer with Tomatoes. Use of onions, shallots and garlic is prevalent in the Kashmiri Muslim cuisine, be it the home cooking or the much fabled “Wazwaan”. On the other hand Kashmiri Pandit cuisine is sans onions …