nammamane

Its been a while since i posted so i thought i’ll put up a recipe for an Indian dish.

Basmati Rice (2 cups)

(Group 1)
Mint (1 cup)
Cilantro (1/2 cup)
Ginger (1/2 inch)
Garlic (4 cloves)
Salt (to taste)

Group 2:
Cumin (1 teaspoon)
Cloves (3-4)
Cinnamon sticks (1” stick)
Cardamom (3-4)
Bay leaves (2 leaves)
Turmeric (1/2 teaspoon)
Chopped onion (1 medium sized)
Oil/ghee (1 table spoon)

Mixed vegetables (mixed different kinds of vegetables like beans, carrot, peas. You may also add some boneless chicken or lamb pieces)
Soak the rice in water and keep aside. Grind group1 and the salt with 2 teaspoons water and set aside. Cook the meat if you are using any and set aside. You can microwave the vegetables for about 5 minutes to steam them.
Heat the oil in a medium sized wok and add group 2 items. Sautee until the onions look transparent. Then add the ground mixture and reduce heat. After about 5 minutes the oil seems to start to separate from the rest. Then you are ready to add the vegetables. Fry them together for a couple of minutes. Now remove the water from the rice and add it to the wok. Mix it for a minute.
Now you are ready to put the complete mixture into the rice cooker. Add 2cupsof water into the wok to wash it into the cooker. You may also cook the mixture in the wok if you don’t have a rice cooker. Keep the heat at the minimum possible. Just add 2.5 cups of water and mix it a couple of times until the water evaporates.
Transfer the pulav into the serving dish and garnish it with cilantro.

Boneless chicken breast (2 lbs)
For the marinate:
One cup each of basil, cilantro and mint.
Ginger (1 inch)
Garlic (6 cloves)
Salt (to taste)
2 table spoons of yogurt or buttermilk. Make sure it has live cultures. The live cultures in the yogurt break down the chicken when marinated and make it tender.

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken in a blender/osterizer. Marinate the chicken and put it back into the refrigerator. Its generally better to marinate it for at least 8 hours.
Take the chicken out, get your grill ready and put it on the grill. The chicken is done when the outside seems to start to dry and the inside is still moist. There should not be any pink left in the chicken.

You can add some green pepper when you blend the marinade, if you want to add some zest to the chicken.