Rice Pilaf-Stuffed Baked Globe Eggplant

1. Cut a large globe eggplant in half lengthwise, score the cut side, brush with oil, place cut-side down on a roasting pan and cook in a 425°F oven for about 25 - 30 minutes, checking partway to make sure eggplant is getting cooked through
2. Meanwhile, make the vegetable pilaf or biriyani and keep handy for stuffing
3. Remove the eggplant from the oven, scoop out the cooked pulp and save it for making baba ghanouj or ajvar; then reduce the oven heat to 350°F 
4. Fill the scooped out cavity with the fragrant rice pilaf and return to the 350°F oven and bake for another 5 minutes, then top with grated cheese if preferred and bake another 5 minutes till cheese melts
5. Garnish with dried fruits and herbs, if preferred, and serve warm with cooling cucumber raita

Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

PBS recently aired a re-run of Planet Food featuring South India, hosted by Padma Lakshmi. One of the recipes was Hyderabadi biriyani made typically with lamb, cooked in "Dum" style - viz., slow-cooked in a sealed vessel using steam. The veteran chef who shared his recipe mentioned that cooking over coal fire in a copper pot gives the best results.

Since I don't have a copper pot or easy way to have a coal fire going, I simply cooked on stovetop, sealing tight with the lid that came with the non-stick pan.

It is fairly simple: marinate the chicken in this exotic yogurt-based marinade, pour rice over it, add some saffron dissolved in milk, some salt to taste, seal and cook till chicken and rice are just done. I tend to overcook chicken sometimes, but, this time I tried to watch closely. Important thing was not to stir at all till it is fully done over slow heat.

I spent quite a bit of time in Hyderabad, India, but never had the chance to try this local specialty. However, one of my mom's friends used to make this incredibly superb Hyderabadi biriyani (vegetarian) and baingan bartha (eggplant dish) which my taste buds remember fondly to this day... Mine here didn't turn out quite as I remember, but was still delicious nonetheless :)

Ingredients
spices:
6-8 cardamom pods
2" Indian/Chinese Cinnamon Sticks (Dalchini)
2-3 cloves
1-2 star anise
2-3 Indian bay leaves

marinade:
2-4 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
2-4 Tbsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 cup plain yogurt

other:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups basmati rice, soaked and drained
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water
a few strands of saffron, soaked in ½ cup warm milk
1 cup French Fried Onions
salt to taste
1 Tbsp Ghee or Cooking Oil

chopped cilantro for garnish
optional: carrots, peas, edamame, bell pepper, mint leaves; plus, raisins and cashews sautéed in ghee for garnish

Preparation

1. marinate the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes
2. heat oil in a pan/pot, add the marinated chicken, basmati rice, spices, stock/water, saffron in milk, french fried onions, cover tightly and cook over medium-low heat till rice and chicken are mostly done; turn off heat, cover the pan/pot with a tea towel and put the lid back on tight and allow to steam for another 10 minutes till cooked through
3. garnish with cilantro, and raisin+cashew, serve hot

Vegetable Biriyani

Biriyani and Pulau (Pilaf) are two of my favorite ways of cooking veggies with rice that turn out slightly differently each time, depending on my mood and the spices i use for flavoring.

Usually, my versions of biriyani involve frying the rice and spices and layering them and baking; whereas for pulau i soak the rice, cook it till half done and finish it off in the pot that has the sauteed spices and veggies.

Typically pulao is faster (about 35 mins) for me than biriyani as pulao is cooked on stove top entirely, whereas baking biriyani takes about an hour and a half or more.



Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
3 cups water
1/2 cup yogurt
2 cups frozen veggie blend (i like the california or fiesta blend)
(if using fresh veggies: carrots, bell peppers, green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, chopped uniformly)
3 Tbsp roasted salted cashew nuts
3-4 Tbsp raisins
1 cup drained assorted canned fruits(or fresh chopped pineapple,apricot,cherry,pear)
1 medium onion,sliced thin
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
1-2 strands of saffron soaked in warm milk (optional)
4-6 Tbsp ghee or butter
salt to taste

biriyani paste*:
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
2 indian bay leaf
2" piece of indian/chinese cinnamon bark
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp whole black pepper
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 indian cardomom pod (aka black cardomom)
1-2 cloves
1-2 Tbsp oil
* i try to vary the proportion of these spices and get a slightly different flavor each time

Alternately, sometimes i like to use biriyani paste bought from the stores instead of making my own (either Patak's or Maggie or Shaan brands seem good)

Preparation

1. dry roast the spices in a pan, and when cool enough to handle, pound them with some oil into a fine paste; set aside
2. melt the butter or ghee and heat it gradually in a pan; add the onions and about 1/2 tsp salt and sautee, then add biriyani paste, brown sugar and the raw rice, sautee some more till rice is coated with the paste
3. add the veggies and sautee till they are coated with the oil and the paste as well; add some more salt to taste (about a teaspoon or so); add the yogurt and stir till well incorporated
4. pre-heat the oven to 375 F; heat the 3 cups of water - not boil - just bearable to touch
5. grease a casserole dish or any other baking dish; spread a layer of sauteed rice+veggies+spices from the pan, spread a layer of fruits, another layer of rice+veggies+spices, top with fruits and raisins; add the hot water, cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for about 30 mins; then remove the foil and cook another 30 mins till rice is done
6. top with roasted cashews, serve warm