Potato Biriyani

This is one of the recipes that bring back memories of myself fighting with my sisters to scrape the pan clean. Even my finicky younger sister would polish it off. The name is Biriyani, but my mother used normal rice (parboiled rice) for making it. When Rasi at Vegetarian Food & me asked for a dish which we make especially for ourselves, I was a little taken aback. I realised that though I like what I cook, most of my cooking is geared towards my DH & DD's preferences. I couldn't think of a single thing which was special for me alone!!! While I was pondering over this and whether I have lost myself and other great thathvams (philosophies), along came Aruna manikandans Baby Potato Biriyani. Now I remembered my Mothers Potato Biriyani, which graced our lunch box very often as it was a family favourite and is something which can qualify for what I make specially for myself.

Here come my mom's Potato Biriyani, especially for me:

1 1/2 cups Rice (Any Indian Non glutinous Rice - Just adjust water accordingly)
1 1/2 cups - Cubed potatoes (around 1 " Cubes)
1 Onion - Sliced
2 tomatoes - chopped
1 green chilli - slit
1 tbsp - ginger garlic paste
1 tsp or less - chilli powder
1 tbsp - malli masala powder
salt to taste.
Oil/ Ghee or a mixture - as required.
Powder together the following:
3 cardomoms
1 " piece cinnamon
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp sonf
1/2 tsp Black pepper.

Wash and clean rice. Soak it till you process the other ingredients for this dish.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker or in a heavy bottomed pan. Add sliced onions, sautee till translucent. Add green chilli & ginger garlic paste. Add chilli powder, malli masala powder and the powdered masala and salt. fry till aromatic on low flame. add chopped tomatoes and sautee till mushy.
Now add the cubed potatoes, drained rice and enough water to cook rice (for parboiled rice the amount is three times the volume of rice, for raw rice 2 times and for jeerakasala rice 1.5 times). Check for salt at this stage. Close the lid and cook till done. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves.
Serve with a salad or pappad or potato chips.

I am sending this to Vegetarian Food & Me - I am the star ,  Any One Can Cook Series 45 and to Comfort Food

Aval Potato Upma

I needed a healthy B'fast. Bread and Jam was sounding yuk to me. Too tired from yesterdays trip to Rabigh Corniche. So I remembered I had a packet of Aval (Beaten Rice Flakes) lying in my cupboard, Cooked Whole potato in the fridge. Yay! I used brown rice flakes so healthy also.

Ingredients:
1 cup Aval
1 Boiled potato
1 green chilli
1 smallish onion
1/2 inch ginger
1 sprig curry leaves
Juice of one lemon or lesser
1/2 spoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 spoon Mustard
1/2 spoon udad dal
1/2 spoom chana dal
One shake Hing (asafoetida)
One tablespoon oil or lesser.
One or two tsps grated coconut.
coarsely crushed ground nuts/Cashews around one tbsp or so
salt to taste.

Soak aval in water. Drain in a collander or seive. Meanwhile chop  onion, green chilli, ginger. Cube potato.

Heal oil in a kadai, add chana dal, udad dal, mustard, curry leaves, hing, then the chopped items. add turmeric and salt to taste. add potato cubes and sautee a little. Add drained and by now soft and fluffy aval. Mix untill hot. Add lemon juice, grated coconuts and coarsely crushed nuts.

Khalas. Thats all. B'fast ready. This whole process took me only seven mins.

This is a maharashtrian dish, but I forget the original name.
By the by, rabigh corniche was lovely. I had a free foot massage as the beach was gravelly. So many smooth and shiny pebbles. Lovely. I have only seen aquariums filled with pebbles not a whole beach. Quiet waves lapping at my feet, inspite of the day being very windy.  Got to go again to collect the smoothest shiniest pebbles.

free foot massage - How does it sound? Good eh?

I am sending this to Show me Your HITS by Sangee at Spicy treats.

I am also sending this to Anzz Valentine special event  and Anyone can cook series 42 at taste of pearl city

Potato Curry

Looks like I will be having internet connection for another few days. I thought of not posting but manasu kekkalai. On the home front things are quite chaotic but slowly coming to order. Hopefully I will be able to organise everything withing five or six days.
Today I made a simple potato curry to go with Chappaties. I thought why not post it, something dosen't have to be complicated to be tasty. So here goes:

Potato Curry

Potatoes - 3 fist sized (My fist)
Onion - big  - 1 nos Chopped fine
Tomato - 2 nos Chopped
Green Chillies - 2 slit vertically
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Corriander masala powder - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Corrander leaves chopped - for garnish
Mustard - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Cook Potatoes with skin till done in pressure cooker or otherwise. Peel and cut into medium size pieces.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, wait till it pops, add curry leaves, chopped onions, green chillies, salt and sautee till onions start turning golden in colour. add chilli powder, corriander masala powder and stir alittle. add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are mushy. Add water if necessary. Add potato pieces, enough water to make gravy as desired (thick or thin as per your preference). Simmer for around ten mins. Add corriander leaves. Serve.

I am sending this for Anyone can cook - 26 series and Iftar Moments Hijri 1432 by Ayesha at Taste of Pearl City.