Home Style Kacchi Biriyani

Home Style Kacchi Biriyani....
Walking down my memory lane, my few visits to Singapore last few years, has always taken me to one place -  Fakruddin situated in the by lanes of  Little India - Singapore. It’s a famous Bangladeshi Restaurant. There are lots of amazing dishes that one can try like a drink called borhani, jali Kabab, mutton bhuna khichudi, lau chigri, chicken roast.. etc and the best is the kacchi Biriyani... that no one should miss... but unfortunately with the given situation now, there is on question of travelling... we can only cherish our memories and enjoy the meal at home.
Kacchi Biriyani is a famous dish of Bangladesh, the meat is marinated and then directly cooked on Dum with the partially cooked rice for hours on charcoal.
Here is how we can make this Kacchi Biriyani at home..
I have marinated the mutton for nearly 12 hours. The mutton is infused with smoky flavour by burning a charcoal piece and placing it over the mutton and covering the lid. The lid is sealed with a dough, but since I was using the cast iron pot which is extremely heavy, I didn’t feel the need seal the pot. Once the biriyani is made, cover the pot and let it stand for an hour before serving. Serve the biriyani with a cucumber - tomato - onion salad. 

For Marinating the Mutton

Ingredients

500 grams Mutton pieces, washed and wiped well, so no water remains

3 tbsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste 

3 tbsp Fried Onion crushed 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder 

1/ 2 tsp Cloves powder 

1/2 tsp Cardomom powder

1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder 

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

3/4 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Pepper powder 

3/4 cup Curd

1/4 cup Saffron Water mixed with pinch of Saffron colour 

Method 

Add all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients together. Keep it aside atleast for 3 to 4 hours, I kept it for nearly 12 hours. 

To make the Rice

Ingredients

250 grams Basmati Rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes 

2 to 3 Bay Leaves 

1 small piece Cinnamon 

2 Cloves 

2 Cardomom 

1/2 tsp Shahi Jeera

Salt to taste 

Method 

Take a deep bottom pot. Add half liter of water let it simmer. Add salt, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, shahi jeera and bay leaves. Let it simmer for a minute. Add the rice and let it cook till it is 25 % done. Drain out the excess water. 

To make the Biriyani 

Ingredients 

Marinated Mutton pieces 

Rice

4 to 6 medium size Potatoes, peeled and fried 

2 tbsps Onion fried 

6 Apricots

1/2 to 3/4 cup Ghee 

1 cup Milk 

1/2 cup Hot water 

1/4 cup Saffron water 

Few drops of Kewda essence (Optional) 

1 Charcoal piece and 1 tsp Ghee 

Method 

Take a cast iron pot. Add the marinated mutton. Add 1/4 cup ghee to the marinated mutton and mix the ingredients together. Add the fried potatoes and apricot over the marinated mutton. Add the fried onions. Take a bowl. Add milk, hot water, the remaining ghee, saffron water and kewda essence. Keep it aside. Smoke the charcoal piece. Put it on a small plate. Place the plate over the marinated mutton and add a tsp of ghee. Quickly cover the pot for 2 minutes. Remove the cover. Remove the charcoal plate. Spread the rice over the mutton. Drizzle the milk over the rice. Cover the pot. Place the pot on a low flame. Cook it for 45 minutes. To check, insert   a knife, there shouldn’t be any liquid on the knife. Incase there is liquid, cook for some more minutes. Once done, let the pot remain covered for an hour before serving. Serve it hot with salad.

P. S. If you don't have cast iron pot then use normal pots. The cooking is done evenly and the bottom does not burn in the cast iron pot.

Butter - Garlic Chicken Roast with Desi style Mashed Potato...

 

This chicken roast is very easy to make and goes well with the Desi flavoured mashed potato and any type of bread. This can be made with few ingredients available at home. I have added Bhaja masala into the mashed potatoes to give it a twist. Bhaja Masala is used in  Bengali kitchen. Cumin seeds, coriander seeds and dry red chillies are roasted and then ground into powder. 

Desi Style Mashed Potato 

Ingredients 

2 Big size Boiled Mashed Potatoes 

3 tbsp Mayonnaise 

3 tbsp Cream

1  tsp Bhaja Masala 

Salt to taste

1 small Onion finely chopped 

2 fresh chillies finely chopped 

1 tsp chopped Coriander leaves 

Method 

Take a bowl, add the potatoes, half of the chopped chillies, coriander leaves, cream, mayonnaise, salt to taste and bhaja masala. Mix all the ingredients very well. Garnish with chopped onion and remaining chopped chillies. 

Butter - Garlic Chicken Roast

Ingredients 

3 pieces of Chicken full leg pieces 

1 tbsp Lime Juice 

Salt to taste

1 tsp Garlic Powder or Fresh Garlic crushed

1/2 tsp Pepper powder 

2 tbsp Butter

Method 

Take a bowl, add the lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper and 1 tbsp butter. Mix all the ingredients together. Take the chicken pieces, give some slits on the chicken pieces. Rub the marination on the chicken pieces and keep it aside for an hour. 

Take a baking tray, place the chicken pieces on the tray, apply some butter on the chicken. Roast the chicken in a preheated oven at 250 degrees celsius for for 15 minutes. Take the tray out, turn the chicken pieces and apply the remaining butter and continue to roast for another 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven. Take a plate, place a chicken roast and add some mashed potato, serve the roast with some bread of your choice. 

Chicken - Aloo Tikki

This is a bit different Chicken - Aloo Tikki recipe, that I made in my Kitchen. Chicken boneless pieces are required, along with potatoes and with just few spices like cloves, cinnamon and cardamom that goes into a Bengali garam masala. 

This dish goes well as a starter and as snacks. This can be served with green coriander chutney and ketchup. 

Ingredients 

10 to 12 medium pieces of Boneless Chicken  preferred 

2 medium size Potatoes (peel and chop 1 potato into very small pieces and peel and cut the other potato into big pieces as it will grind with the chicken) 

2 Green Chillies (1 Chilli to grind and another chilli to slice) or added chillies as per requirement. 

5 to 6 Garlic Cloves 

1 small Ginger piece

1 tbsp chopped Coriander 

2 tbsp Sour Curd 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder 

1/2 cup Rice Flour

1/4 cup Fine Semolina 

1/4 cup Vermicelli 

Oil to fry 

Method 

Take a grinder jar, add the chicken pieces, big potato pieces, 1 chilli, garlic, ginger and salt. Grind the ingredients into a paste, add 2 tbsp curd and grind the paste once more. Remove the paste into a bowl. Add the chopped potato pieces, sliced chilli and chopped coriander leaves. Mix the ingredients together. Add the rice flour, mix it and keep it aside for an hour. Add the vermicelli and mix the ingredients together, now add the semolina and garam masala powder. Mix the ingredients once more. Heat up the oil in a wok, Take small lime size portions and flatten the ball. Once the oil heats up, add the tikkis into the oil, fry the tikkis on medium low flame until golden brown in colour. Remove the tikkis on a paper towel. Serve the tikkis with green chutney and ketchup. 

Discarded Sourdough Starter Whole Wheat Bread

We can create great dishes out of the discarded sourdough starter. So keep them and use them, instead of throwing them. 

Tried this Discarded Starter whole wheat bread.. it’s tasty.... do try them..

Those who want to start the sourdough starter, here is a link below-
Sourdough Yeast Starter

Ingredients 

2 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour

2 cups of Sourdough Discarded Starter 

1 tsp Pink Salt

2 tsp Honey 

1/2 cup Lukewarm Water

1 tbsp Oil

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, add the whole wheat flour and the discarded starter. Knead the ingredients together for 2 minutes. Add the honey, salt and lukewarm water. Continue to knead until all the ingredients comes together and forms a dough. Apply oil and cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise. It will take 2 to 4 hours.  Sprinkle some dry whole wheat flour and knead the dough by stretching and pushing for a minute. Roll and shape up the dough.  Sprinkle some flour into the basket the dough will be proofing. Put the dough and cover the basket with a cloth. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile start the oven at 250 celsius and preheat for 15 minutes. Take a baking tray, put a parchment paper on the baking tray. Gently turn the dough on the paper from the basket. Take a new blade and score the bread as per the desire. Take a small bowl of water and keep it on the lower rack of the oven. Keep the baking tray in the middle rack, bake at 225 degrees celsius for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 200 degrees celsius and bake for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to further 175 degrees celsius and bake for 20 minutes. Switch off the oven, the bread stay for 5 minutes in the oven, keep the oven door slightly open. After 5 minutes open the oven and remove the baking tray. Keep the bread on a cooling rack until it cools down. After it cools down than you can slice it. 

The story of a Sourdough Starter - Lockdown Kumari

Sourdough Starter - Lockdown Kumari 

It’s truly phenomenal... from 2 simple ingredients, how a wild or natural yeast can be cultivated. It can be easily made at home... patience and time are the 2 key factors. 

It’s the best thing to engage your kids too. Do experiment... It’s an amazing experience to take care of the starter like your baby... Do name your sourdough starter baby... 

What should I name? 🤔 Lockdown Kumari....

I had taken a class on how to make sourdough bread in Singapore, I had got the starter from the sourdough bread class, when I travelled backed to India, I had the starter, but due to some problems I was not able to feed the starter and it eventually died.. it’s been 2 years .. Since I didn’t have the starter, I was unable to make the sourdough bread.. but now thanks to the lockdown, I thought of making my own starter. 

Any flour can be used whole wheat or all purpose flour or rye flour or bread flour etc... and liquid like water or fruit juice like pineapple juice or apple juice etc. 

Here we will use All Purpose Flour and Water. One of the feed I used Whole Wheat flour. 

Here I will share my journey of making the sourdough starter from the first day to the last day.. It’s all about my experience.. that I am going to share with we you. 

There are many way the starter can be prepared. All starter will differ from one another and the time that it has taken for the starter to mature.. there can be various reasons like the texture of the flour, the water, the temperature of the place and off course the care that you are taking.. it’s like a baby.... it will take 7 to 10 days.. so don’t give up... feeding the starter is very important... 

We need a clean glass jar like a jam or honey bottle... and the 2 ingredients flour and water. 

Thus the simple way..as we being we will see the changes in the starter... a good starter at the end should float in a glass of water and you will feel the lightness in the starter. 

The Start - 

 Time  - 11.30 pm - Started to cultivate the yeast.

 Preferably start it in the morning or night.. so it’s easy to maintain. Note down the time. Even though I began with 1/4 cup of All Purpose Flour and 1/4 cup of water and a tsp of sugar... we need 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 water.. that’s it.. so the proportion is 2:1.. no need of the sugar.. 

Add the flour and water in the glass jar, stir the ingredients. Incase if whole wheat flour is used, than a little more water might be required as whole flour absorbs more water. The batter should be like a thick cake batter. Place the lid on the glass jar, but don’t lock it. Keep it aside.

Day 1 - 

Time - 11.30 am - Bubbles started to form 

             11.30 pm - Fed the starter 

It many take 12 to 24 hours for the bubbles to show up. I fed the start in the night after 24 hours of the start. First whisk or stir the starter, then we need to discard 50 percent of the starter and then add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water, stir, put the lid and then keep it until the next feed... 

                                           

       

Day 2 - 

Time - 11.30 am - Fed the starter 

            11.30 pm - Fed the starter 

The starter may need food after 8 hours... I missed the feed, so there was this dark liquid natural alcohol formed called Hooch.. Don’t worry... this indicates that my baby was hungry or incase if the water contained was more in the yeast or if the temperature has increased then there can be a hooch formation.  This doesn’t harm, but discard the Hooch before whisking and feeding the yeast baby.  Incase the hooch formation is more, then increase the feeding frequency or move the starter to a cooler place. 

So the same process of feeding twice a day was followed. Whisked / Stirred the yeast. Discarded 50 percent of the yeast, and added 1/2 cup All purpose flour and 1/4 cup water, stir again. Close the lid and keep it aside .

                                         

Day 3 - 

Time  - 11.30 am - Fed the starter 

             12.30 am - Fed the starter 

Morning After whisking / Stirring and discarding 50 percent of the starter, I had added 1/2 Whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Water and had stirred the ingredients together. Closed the lid and keep it aside. 

It’s ok to change flour. 

Night the same process repeated.. After stirring and discarding the starter, added 1/2 cup All purpose flour able 1/4 cup water. Stirred and closed the lid and kept it the jar aside.

                                          

Day 4 - 

Time -  12.30 pm - Fed the starter 

             Night - Didn’t Feed the starter 

Ideally we should be feeding every time the yeast feels hungry, may be in between 12 hours or just in time... but this time I missed the feed in the night. As you observe the starter... in between the feeds,  a good well fed starter will have bubbles and it’s active, when hungry the process of the activity will slow down and look dull. Sometimes the starter is still active and bubbly, then a feed can be skipped.. as over feeding can make the starter sluggish. 

Day 5 -

Time - 9.30 am - Fed the starter 

            10.30 pm - Fed the starter 

In the morning I whisked  and discarded 50 percent of the yeast.  Added 1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour and 1/4 cup water into the glass jar. Whisked well, close the lid and keep it aside until next feed. 

In the night I whisked the starter. Took 3/4 cup of yeast starter and added in a clear fresh jar.  Rest of the yeast I discarded it. Added 1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour and 1/4 cup Lukewarm water into the glass jar. Whisked well, close the lid. mark the yeast level with a marker, so that when the yeast rises you will see that it’s crossed the mark. Keep it aside until next feed.  

                                         

Day 6 

Time - 10.30 am - Fed the starter 

            10.30 pm - Fed the starter 

As the yeast begins to ripen we will observe the rise and fall of the yeast as we had marked the level of the yeast. It’s still not matured completely and when hungry the level will fall. 

Whisk and discarded 50 percent of the yeast.  Added 1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour and 1/4 cup lukewarm water into the glass jar. Whisked well, clean the jar with moist paper towel, close the lid and keep it aside until next feed.  

                                         

Day 7 

Time - 10.30 am - Fed the starter 

            10.30 pm - Fed the starter 

Now the yeast which has risen is able to hold as it’s a almost a mature yeast. You will see that it’s doubling in size too. 

Evening we did performed a test to check whether the starter is ready to make a bread. If the starter floating in water, it’s time, the yeast has matured. 

In the morning I whisked and discarded 50 percent of the yeast.  Added 1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour and 1/4 cup lukewarm water into the glass jar. Whisked well, clean the jar with moist paper towel, close the lid and keep it aside. 

Evening we did a float test and it was successful. Take a glass full of water, take a spoon of the starter and drop the starter in the water... it should float and able to hold itself in the water. It’s ready to be used for making a bread. Incase the starter is not ready, we have to continue the process until the starter floats... sometime the starter takes time to mature. 

                                         

To store the starter in a refrigerator - Whisk and take 1/3 cup of yeast, add the yeast into a fresh jar and discard the rest of the yeast. Added 1 cup of All Purpose Flour and 1/2cup lukewarm water into the glass jar. Whisk well, clean the jar with moist paper towel, close the lid, and keep it in the fridge, feed the starter twice a week.. in the same manner. Incase there is any hooch or water forming, discard the water. When we take a starter to make a bread, take the required quantity mentioned in the sourdough bread recipe and rest at least reserve 1/2 cup starter, feed and store it in the fridge. 

Points to take care - 

Check on the smell... it should give out a tangy smell and not a bad smell, otherwise we will have to start over again. 

Starter is not active - Take a bit extra care, feed well, may be needs extra feeds in between. 

Over feeding - Many a times a feed can be skipped as the starter is very active, over feeding can make the starter sluggish and make the process slow. 

Time - Some time due to the temperature changes, the process of the starter slows down and it takes time to mature. It may take a or 2 extra. 

Liquid on the starter - Due to various reasons, there are liquids called hooch formed on the starter. Just discard it and then feed the starter. Incase you see a frequent hooch formation than probably change the temperature, place the jar into a cooler environment and increase the feed. 

Discoloured starter - Incase you see any growth or colour change, immediately move out the top part and take the lower part of the starter, transfer it into a different glass jar and continue the process... maybe the starter can be saved. 

You are the best judge of your starter... 

Discarded Starter

It’s indeed such a waste, throwing out the discarded starter.m, but we need to do so, otherwise if we don’t discard the starter, the feeding quantity of the starter will increase, the process will slow down and the starter will weaken. As we keep feeding the quantity will keep increasing and so will the quantity of the ingredients.. so it’s best to discard some before adding. But I don’t really throw the discard starter out. Except for the first 2 days, I use the discard starter to make pizza, pancakes, breads etc. 

                                                                          Pizza -

Pizza Base with Discarded Sourdough Starter 

Whole Wheat Bread  - 

Discarded Sourdough Starter Whole Wheat Bread

Making the Bread - After keeping the starter in the fridge, the day you want to bake a bread, remove the required quantity of the starter, feed  the starter and keep it out for 6 to 8 hours to get a stronger starter. 

Happy  Sourdough Bread Baking 🤗