[aravind.anand]

Was looking around to find a good vessel to cook Biryani in... As I learnt to make it only in a cooker from my mom. Now realized that is not the traditional way, and hence wanted to explore into handi or cooking pot prepared Biryani.

Would a traditional cooking pot give me better taste and a better Biryani?

PS: Did some reading on the internet, and found out that cooking using aluminium vessels is very dangerous for our health ! We have few aluminium pans at home - god knows if that is anodized or not.

[Blue_V]

Anyone know where I can get chicken/lamb bouillon cubes? Can't seem to find them anywhere.

[Blue_V]

Originally Posted by sunsetorange

Seeing as you're from Bangalore, the sambar in Tamilnadu is spicier.

The coconut chutney too has umpteen variations in ingredients and garnishing depending on the localities and respective culinary habits.

The chettinad style is one of the more prevalent among restaurants.

You could get quite a few recipes online!

Wishing you tasty breakfasts :-)

It wasn't a lot spicier, but it had a lot of depth ( ). Similarly the potato saagu at some places is mind blowing. Cannot seem to replicate it.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Was looking around to find a good vessel to cook Biryani in... As I learnt to make it only in a cooker from my mom. Now realized that is not the traditional way, and hence wanted to explore into handi or cooking pot prepared Biryani.

Would a traditional cooking pot give me better taste and a better Biryani?

PS: Did some reading on the internet, and found out that cooking using aluminium vessels is very dangerous for our health ! We have few aluminium pans at home - god knows if that is anodized or not.

A)
First of all let me dispel your apprehensions regarding Aluminum pots. People have been cooking in Aluminum for over a hundred years. Most of the large size vessels for mass cooking are aluminum. Stainless steel the other alternative is not only more expensive, but has poor heat conduction, hence suffers from local hot spots and burnt food. All modern stainless steel pots are sandwich type, but even then they are no where near Aluminum in terms of uniform cooking and local hot spot burn resistant.

I had bought very thick gauge SS pots forty years ago. They are good enough for boiling liquids and storage, but hot spots and local burn are still there. Main pots for cooking are Aluminum and some of them date nearly 60 years.

What internet does is to purvey half truths. In case of aluminum if you use it for boiling highly acidic food - tomato sauce, amla or lime juice, a bit is leached, especially if you leave the acidic liquid in the pot. The amount leached depends on time so if your cooking is short then not much harm is done. Yes if you use Aluminum for storing these acidic juices then there is a problem. So in short Aluminum is fine for normal Indian cooking, just move the food within a couple of hours of finish of cooking. Do not use aluminum pots for long term storage of acidic liquids.

B)
I have cooked Biryani in all sorts of pots - 1/2 kg in SS rice pot and 2,3,4,5 kg (mutton) in Aluminum pots. As I usually cook Hyderabadi Kachhi Biryani, I need a lot of head room for the rice to swell and aromas to circulate. I have found that the ratio of height to diameter of large pots used by caterers (I have 8", 10", 12", 15" and 18" internal diameter) are ideal for biryani. The pots should be thick - 6mm or more and the lid reasonably heavy.

Handi used by some is a cumbersome pot to use, best suited for gravies. Biryani needs a wide mouth to minimize the rice breaking up while serving.

4KG mutton biryani in a 15" pot

LAyering Rice. The mutton is at the bottom

Done

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Aroy

A)
First of all let me dispel your apprehensions regarding Aluminum pots.

What internet does is to purvey half truths.

B)
I have cooked Biryani in all sorts of pots - 1/2 kg in SS rice pot and 2,3,4,5 kg (mutton) in Aluminum pots. As I usually cook Hyderabadi Kachhi Biryani, I need a lot of head room for the rice to swell and aromas to circulate. I have found that the ratio of height to diameter of large pots used by caterers (I have 8", 10", 12", 15" and 18" internal diameter) are ideal for biryani. The pots should be thick - 6mm or more and the lid reasonably heavy.

Handi used by some is a cumbersome pot to use, best suited for gravies. Biryani needs a wide mouth to minimize the rice breaking up while serving.

Wow! thanks a lot for clearing my mind so well!! And amazing that we have a Biryani expert right here, in an automotive forum

The picture of your biryani is really mouth watering! Your recipes would be much appreciated and probably revered too

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Wow! thanks a lot for clearing my mind so well!! And amazing that we have a Biryani expert right here, in an automotive forum

The picture of your biryani is really mouth watering! Your recipes would be much appreciated and probably revered too

For detailed recipe go to this link
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forums/thr...biryani.36512/
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forums/thr...biryani.43446/

[sunsetorange]

Originally Posted by Blue_V

It wasn't a lot spicier, but it had a lot of depth ( ). Similarly the potato saagu at some places is mind blowing. Cannot seem to replicate it.

Depth :-) That's a novel way to describe it! A guess makes it one of those sambar where a lot of spices are ground and added ( araichu vitta sambar) . It isn't very spicy in the sense that it's eye watering but it sure is mouth watering.

The potatoes would be the freshest possible and that would add to the reasons for their taste.

Whenever I travel to Karnataka, Andhra pradesh or Kerala, I find the subtle regional variations appeal to the tongue. I guess you'd have the same reasons.

[Chetan_Rao]

For grinded spices (wet or dry powdered), dry-roasting them before grinding in a mortal & pestle brings out the flavor spectacularly. Age-old trick and works like a million bucks!

I do this for all my preparations, and prefer freshly ground spices to packaged powdered ones. The taste is more nuanced (can be subtly tweaked by level of roasting too) and individual flavors stand out, which is impossible to replicate with packaged stuff.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

These are usually available in the wholesale markets. Ask around in the smaller shops that sell stuff for panwallas. The crystals are packaged in a small 'dibbi' (cylindrical plastic box).

Found it on ebay. 50 gms for 250Rs.

[Navneet]

Originally Posted by Aroy

For detailed recipe go to this link
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forums/thr...biryani.36512/
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forums/thr...biryani.43446/

Sir, your biryanis look awesome. Where do you source raw chicken and mutton from?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Navneet

Sir, your biryanis look awesome. Where do you source raw chicken and mutton from?

Local Shopping Centre - Chittaranjan Park. At times chicken from INA market

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by Blue_V

Anyone know where I can get chicken/lamb bouillon cubes? Can't seem to find them anywhere.

Looks like they have been taken off the shelves. Even the Magic something powder from Nestle / Maggi.

Knorr makes a chicken powder that is used to make chicken stock from (same as bouillon cubes). There is also a veg version.


I got this at Metro Cash&Carry.

[bblost]

Black Horse Gram is a very healthy thing to incorporate in your diet.

It has a whole host of benefits as a rich source of fiber and a lot of minerals.
Here is a simple recipe that takes less time and is bursting with flavor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCNqBl7Ps7M

[Pallavi]

Any good mac n cheese recipes please?

My daughter wants to try it and i tried some recipes off the net but they didn't come out well. The flavor was too bland.

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by Blue_V

Anyone know where I can get chicken/lamb bouillon cubes? Can't seem to find them anywhere.

Go to any decent supermarket and ask for Maggie chicken cubes.
serves the purpose.