Hyderabadi chicken Biryani

Ingredients:
 Chicken (cut into 12 pieces)=1 kg
 Plain Yogurt = 2 cup
 Long Grain Rice = 6 cup ( for 6 peoples)
 Red Chilli Powder = 1 teaspoon
 Ginger Paste = 1/2 tablespoon
Coriander leaves = Finely chopped , half cup
 Garlic Paste =1/2 table spoon
Lemon Juice (from 4 lemons)= 3 tablespoon
 Fresh Mint Leaves finely chopped=half cup
 Green Chillies (finely chopped)=4
 Whole Black Peppercorns = 6
Cardamom seeds =6
 Onions(medium, thinly sliced,fried them before use)=2
Oil = 2cups
 Salt (to taste)

Method

Wash chicken pieces with cold water and drain well. Seperately in a bowl mix together ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, plain yogurt,lemon juice, fried onions(half of them)oil one cup . Marinate chicken pieces in this mixture and set aside for 30 minutes.

 Rice

Boil rice in water in a large pot until rice is parboiled and drain. Now remove the pot  from  heat.
Now take  large pot.Heat it. Add  the remaining  oil ,fried onions,lemon juice,chopped mint, coriander leaves ,chicken & in the  end  make  one layer of rice.

Simmer

Simmer  the rice  for  ten mintues on high flame& then  low the  flame till  15 mints.After its tender mix it gently .(Use rotimaker for simmer to have  good  results. put flat rotimaker on heat. heat it  up put pot on it and  them simmer then  rice.)

Raita

Ingredients:
 Plain Yogurt = half kg
 Zera = A pinch
salt to taste
 Red Chilli Powder=1 teaspoon

Method

Take Yogurt in a  bowl ,add zera ,salt, red chilli powder mix them .

Sever 

Sever   delicious biryani  with raita .

Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken = 1kg
Oil = 1cup
Yoghurt= half kg

Tomatoes= 2
Salt to taste

Blackpepper  to taste
Onion (well chopped)=1

Garlicpaste =1 table spoon
Ginger paste =1 table spoon

Method

Clean chicken put it in a bowl now add onion ,garlic paste,ginger paste,tomato,salt,blackpepper ,mix them well.
Take a pan heat oil now.Put chicken in it  and cover it.Low the flame and cook it till chicken is tender .

Sever

Ingredients
Onion =1
Tomato=1
White radish =1

Method

Slice  them in round shape .Garnish it . now  sever  it with naan bread.

Kajal (Kohl)

Sweet friends today i want to share some precious kohl (kajal) case and a beautiful pouch.
kolh (kajal) is an ancient eyes cosmetic.
kohl is arabic word. Personally, i love it!
my makeup is imcomplete without it.
This silver case is made of pure silver.
Its also a gift  from my grandmom .
hurrayyyy  to  grandma.
The colorful pouch is  a gift from my afghani friend.
Embroidery is with silk twigs.
Afghani females  are so  good  in embroidery.
  kohl has been worn traditionlly since 3500 B.C .It was originally used as protection against eye ailments.

Plum sauce

Ingredients:

Plum :8 to 10 ( I prefer fresh ones) one can try dry also
 Suger =2 table spoon
Salt to taste
Red chillies = 2 table spoon
Water =half cup

Method

Take a  blender peel plums take out the seeds ,add  suger ,salt ,redchillies and water blende then very  well .

Sever 

Take a bowl & put the sauce in it .

Finger Fish Biryani

 Ingredients:

Finger Fish = 500  gm

Rice = 4  to 5  cups ( for  4  or  5  people)

Oil =1 & half cup 

Oil = for  deep fry =2 cup

Onion( medium .thinly sliced)=4 

Tomato(medium,thinly sliced)=6

Garlic (paste)= 2 tablespoon

Ginger (paste)= 2 tablespoon

Green chillies (whole)=6-8

salt to taste 

Red chilli =1 teaspoon

Plums (dry) = 4 to 5

Cumin seeds (ground)=half teaspoon

Coriander (dry)= half teaspoon

Cinnamom (ground) =half teaspoon

Black pepper (ground)=half teaspoon

Mace (ground) =half teaspoon

Clove =6,7

Netmeg (ground)= half teaspoon

Finger Fish

 Ingredients:

Lemone juice = 2 tablespoon

Garlic paste = 1 teaspoon

Ginger paste =1 teaspoon

Redchilli = half teaspoon

salt to taste 

Method

 Take a bowl add lemone juice, red chilli, garlic paste, ginger paste,fish & marinate it for half hour.

Fry

Heat oil in a pan & deep fry fish till its brown. put it aside .

Rice

Take a other pan  add  10 cups of water ,salt and boil  it.Now add rice boil it until 3/4 done.

Cook 

 Heat oil ,fry onions  till  its  brown ,add ginger  paste , garlic paste, tomotoes, add ground masala, green chilli, plums, clove cook  it on low heat for 2 or 3 minutes .

Layer

Get a bigger  pan put some oil in it.Make  a layer of rice  put a layer of masala &fish . Cover with it second layer of rice.

Simmer

Simmer the rice for two mintues on high flame then flame ten mintues on low flame. After its tender mix it gently.

Sever 

Sever   delicious biryani . 

Attan

Attan

Today  am  going  tell   u  about   a  beautiful  dance form of  us pathans.

Attan is  a form of dance that originated in the pashtun region of Pakistan & Afghanistan.

Attan  began as  a  folk  dance conducted by pashtuns,in weddings ,newyears & informal gatherings.

Attan is a traditional pashtuns dance. It is said to be one of oldest Pashtun Pagan dance, some identify Attan as an a religious ceremony of early Zoroastrians placing it 2000 BCE, and some have placed even older going back to King Yama's celebration of Nowroz and warriors dancing and circling around the fire. This was later modified into an Islamic dance to allow the dancers to get 'closer to God' this virtual Attan practised by many Afghan poets and mystics had even reached to corners of Turkey.In my  city  where  i  live  its  also   called  kumbhar. Its hinko  word  for  Attan.In pakistan we have  diffrent styles &types . kochai  it is  performed in  Pakistan and  Afghanistan.wardag is  one  of famous style of Attan.Warziro is a  sensational style ofAttan  from Waziristan region of  pakistan.I  tharowlly  enjoy  Attan  in  my   brothers wedding .Me  liked Warziro  style.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKis65qrzng&feature=related

Tabocco Pouch

Yesterday I was thinking on what new topic I should write on, when suddenly I saw this old tabocco pouch. So I thought to myself what better than to share the story of this pouch with my sweet friends.

This pouch belonged to my grandmother and is handmade using silk, cloth and twigs. It is embroidered and has beautiful silver all around it.

It was handed to my mother as part of her dowry when she got married and then when I got married this 70 year old pouch became mine! I love this whole tradition and now Im looking forward to giving it to my daughter on her wedding. In olden days the men would sit in hujras* smoking their tabocco pipes and flaunting these pouches; a tradition that is hardly seen now a days.

But more about that in my forthcoming posts! Inshallah will write more about my rich culture soon! Till then Allah Hafiz and Pa Aman!

*Hujra - Groups / Sit outs.