Creating a blog was out of the question for a long time for me, as measuring everything in the kitchen was like biting into an eggshell. I enjoy cooking and don’t want to waste even a slightest bit of enjoyment in that small world of mine. But little did I know that everything will change, when my husband came home with the Oscar nominated film ‘Julie and Julia’( a real life story) where Julie Powell (part played by Amy Adams) challenged herself to make all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and blogging all her experiences (The Julie/Julia Project). It was an inspiring movie. A few days later when we were discussing this casually with a friend of ours over tea…everything changed dramatically…..” How about you making at least half of it in one year? Not French but your own. 262 recipes that will inspire others and present it as a blog?” For a minute my mind traveled faster than light… With an experience as a helper in my mother in laws kitchen for 6 years followed by a three year everyday struggle to satisfy the palate of my foodie husband, if I cannot do it then why should I cook? But on the other side with an experience in English literature extending no more than expanding outline stories in English grammar class when I was 18 and two small kids that come in handy at times, will a commitment for the next one year work? Anyway my ‘cook's ego’ didn’t allow me to say no...

So my friends …here I am opening my recipe book, trying to perfect and present 262 recipes in the coming 365 days….A Challenge that will of course tastes good. Come.. Have a walk with me along my journey.. Cheering and inspiring….Forgiving and tolerating…Testing and tasting….for ‘A Tasty Challenge’

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Thursday, July 8, 2010

Fish/ Salmon Biriyani

Recipe No: 54

Even though there are a lot of steps for this like most of the other Biriyani recipes, you can definitely multitask and make this in a much lesser time. Another thing is that the Fish Masala, fried onions, the almond paste and even the rice can be made ahead of time ( the day before) and assemble and bake on the day you are going to serve it. This makes it easier and a very good main dish for parties.
Ingredients                                   Serves 8-10 Adults
To Marinate
  • Salmon pieces……………...2lb
  • Salt…………………………....1/2 Teaspoon
  • Chilly Powder……………...1/2 Teaspoon
  • Turmeric Powder………...1/2 Teaspoon
  • Lemon Juice………………...1 Tablespoon
To Grind
  • Ginger Roughly chopped...1/4 Cup
  • Garlic roughly chopped.....1/4 Cup
  • Green chilly chopped…......1/4 Cup (Use as much as you want depending on your taste)
  • Onion Chopped……………...3 Cups
To Saute
  • Oil……………………………........4 Tablespoons
  • Turmeric Powder………........1/2 Teaspoon
  • Salt………………………....…......1 Teaspoon
  • Curd…………………….…….......1/2 Cup
  • Tomato sliced…………………..1 Large
  • Coriander leaves /Cilantro...1/2 cup chopped
  • Mint leaves chopped………...1/4 Cup
  • Garam Masala Powder……..3/4 Teaspoon
  • Lemon Juice……………..……..2 Tablespoons
To make the rice
  • Ghee…………………………......2 Tablespoons
  • Whole Garam Masala……….7 Cardamom, 10 Cloves, 3 one inch Cinnamon sticks
  • Rice………………...……….........3 Cups
  • Water………………………........5 ½ Cups
To Blend
  • Almonds ………………..…........8 (Put it in boiling water and take the skin off)
  • Coconut Milk………………......1/4 Cup
  • Turmeric Powder………….....1/4 Teaspoon
  • Saffron……………………..........A Small pinch
To Garnish
  • Cashew nuts and Raisins…....4 Tablespoons each
  • Sliced Onion to fry……….....…1 Cup
Method of Preparation
  1. Marinate the fish with the ingredients given in the marinade section and keep aside for ½ hour.
  2. Grind together (or chop finely) all the ingredients given in that section to a course consistency and keep aside.
  3. Blend all the ingredients given in that section into a smooth consistency and keep aside. Use 2-3 Tablespoons of water if needed.
  4. Wash and soak the rice in warm water for 20 minutes and drain.
  5. Deep fry or saute thinly sliced onions for garnishing.
To make the Fish Masala
  1. In a deep pan heat some oil and fry the fish for a minute on each side and keep it aside. Use the rest of the oil to make the masala. Frying will  give the fish some strength to withstand the cooking without disintegrating.
  2. In the same oil saute the Onion mixture together with Salt and Turmeric powder on a medium high heat till it is almost brown. Add more Oil if needed.
  3. Add the fried Fish, Curd, Tomato and ¼ cup of water, close the pan and  cook it on a medium heat for 8- 10 minutes.
  4. When it is cooked add chopped Coriander and Mint leaves, Garam Masala Powder and Lemon Juice and mix well taking care not to break the fish pieces. When almost dry switch off the flame and keep it aside till ready to be used.
To make the Rice
  1. Start to boil 5 ½ cups of water.
  2. To a pan add the Ghee and fry Cashew nuts followed by Raisins (for garnishing) .Take them off and keep aside.
  3. To the remaining Ghee add the whole Garam Masala and fry till fragrant.
  4. Add the rice and fry till the rice on the bottom of the pan starts to move on its own.
  5. Add the boiling water, lower the flame to minimum, cover the pan and cook it till all the water is evaporated and the rice is almost cooked. You can do this while the fish is cooking.
To assemble and bake the Biriyani
  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C
  2. In an oven proof dish layer 1/3rd of the rice evenly. Sprinkle some almond-turmeric water on top and then layer half of the Fish Masala. Layer another 1/3rd of the rice followed by the rest of the Fish Masala and end the layering with the remaining rice.
  3. On top add the rest of the almond- turmeric water and sprinkle fried Onions, Cashew nuts and Raisins.
  4. Cover this with an Aluminum foil or a damp cloth.
  5. Bake this for 30-45 minutes in the preheated oven and let it stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes: If you don’t have an oven, you can make it on stove top itself. Assemble everything in a pan, cover with an airtight lid and put it on a minimum flame and cook for 30 minutes. Take care not to burn the bottom.







Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love...

6 comments:

Priya said...

this is just yummy and lovely .. just awesome :)

Liz said...

Did this a week ago.. It won hands down in my family. Gonna make it again next week.
:-)

Dhanya said...

hi ashe...iam trying this today....will let u know the results heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :)

Milgy said...

hello asha :)

i made this today, it turned out great... I've never made fish biriyani before, so i was very happy it turned out good on my first attempt :)

milgy

LiN said...

hey thanks for the recepie..tried this one, with little changes..it came out really really well! yesday i made it for the third time! this time fish was replaced with chiken!

Jampani Pickles said...

Hi I am new to this blog. One of my friends madhu from New delhi referred me this blog to learn about all non veg recipes. i was really impressed for these many recipes using using non veg. I am very exited to make my first dish on non veg pickles with your blog inspiration. Thanks alot.

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