Saturday, Feb 27th 4:30pm Chicken Biryani by Rahila Chaudhry

A classic recipe that would normally take 2-3 hours to prep and cook done in about an hour with the help of an Instant Pot.

Makes 2-4 servings

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients (updated)

White Basmati Rice: 2.5 cups (380 g)
Onion: 2 small or half of a large fresh onion (or 1
cup of pre-fried onion)
Tomatoes: 2 (or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
Garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Ginger: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1 tsp on chicken and 1 tsp later on rice
Yogurt: 2 tablespoons
Chicken: chicken cut i nto 14-16 medium pieces
(1 kilogram, 2.2 lb)
Shan Sindhi Biryani Masala : 1 Pack (available from Indian grocery stores in Minneapolis or on Amazon, 6 boxes ~ $10)
Yellow food coloring: a pinch
Green pepper and coriander leaves (cilantro): optional

Recipe (updated)

1. Set aside 2.5 cups of rice i n a container and rinse them with water 3 times to remove excess
starch and leave them to soak in water for 30 minutes.
2. Turn the instant pot 'Saute' mode on. Make sure it's at a high setting.
3. Pour in 4 tablespoons of oil, add in the ginger-garlic paste, and saute it for 2 minutes
4. Then add in chicken pieces
5. Let the chicken get sauté for 5-7 min or until they turn white. Use a utensil for mixing it.
6. Then add the fried onions.
7. Add the tomato pieces or paste. Saute for 4-5 minutes.
8. Add the “Sindhi Biryani” Shan Masala Spice along with the yogurt and saute for 2-3 minutes.
9. Add the 2.5 cups of presoaked rice and add additional water to ensure it i s leveled at  about 1/4
inch above the rice. The key is to ensure rice is at par level with the water.
10. Pour 1 tsp salt into the water to taste.
11. Now close the Instant Pot lid and set the mode on manual and timer for 8 min. Ensure the
pressure knob is set to Sealing. Ensure the “pre-warm” button is off.
12. When the cycle is automatically off, leave the pot for 10 minutes to allow for some pressure
release before changing the pressure knob to Venting mode to release the remaining pressure.
13. Once pressure is released and the floating value is down, open the lid.
14. Sprinkle a pinch of yellow egg food coloring in. Use the utensil provided from the side of the
pot to spread the rice.
15. Then leave the rice in the instant pot, on the “keep warm” option, until  it is served.
16. Serve warm with a side of salad. Enjoy!

Saturday, March 13th, 4:30pm, Chicken Tikka by Samaira Mujteba

Another classic quick delicious dinner treat

Makes 4 servings

Prep time: 10min

Cooking time: 10-15 min

Ingredients

3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into cube size pieces

2 tbsp. Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. Lemon juice

2 tbsp. Oil

1 tsp. Ginger, peeled and grated 

1 tsp. Garlic, peeled and grated

1 ½ tsp. Salt, to your taste

1/2 tsp. Black pepper

1 tsp. Cumin powder

1 tsp. Coriander powder  

1 tsp. Garam masala (Cub Food International Aisle)

½ tsp. Turmeric

1/2 tsp. Red chili powder 

4-5 drops red food coloring

Recipe

Cut Chicken into small pieces.

In a bowl, combine greek yogurt, lemon juice, oil, ginger, garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, red chili, and food coloring. Add in chicken pieces and mix well.  (OPTIONAL:Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or overnight. This step helps the meat to tenderise, resulting in juicier, chicken pieces.)

To cook:

Air Fryer; Place chicken pieces on a baking sheet and cook for 12-15 min. 

Stove top; On medium; Place chicken on a skillet and cook for 10-15 min

Saturday, March 27th 4:30pm Murtabak by Nani Hashim

A popular tasty Malaysian finger food and appetizer that normally takes 1-2 hours done in minutes

Serves 4-5 (if you're cooking for 2 people, use half the portions below)

Prep time: 15-30 minutes, dipping sauce requires 1/2 hr marinade

Cooking time: 3-5 minutes each piece

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

1/2 yellow onion diced

1 1/2 medium size yellow onions, sliced thinly

6 eggs

1 tbsp curry powder mixed with a bit of water

Salt and pepper to taste

Spring roll wrappers (find at Cub Food use either Little Chef brand or Spring Home brand, see picture below)

Dipping Sauce

1/2 medium size red onion, sliced thinly

3 tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Recipe

Sabzi (Okra)

Ingredients:

One medium onion

3 medium tomatoes or two tablespoons of tomato paste.

1 packet okra or any other vegetable

1 tbsp of olive oil

Salt to taste

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ground red chili pepper

¼  tsp dhania powder (dry ground coriander seeds)(optional)

¼ tsp garam masala

Roti (Indian Flat Bread)

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour

½ cup of milk

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

Prep-work:

In a bowl add flour, salt and olive oil and mix for 20 seconds. Warm the milk in microwave and add a little at a time to the bowl and mix until you have consistency as seen in the picture above. Set aside for a couple of hours. Cover the dough with damp paper tower.

Cooking:

Split the dough into 4 and form balls by rolling in between palms. Roll using a rolling pin or in a tortilla maker. Heat a pan. Put the rolled roti in the pan and cook each side.

Daal (Optional)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 cup red lentils

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

3-4 dry red whole chili

A few curry leaves(optional

1 tsp ginger and garlic paste or chopped

A few sticks of cilantro

Salt to taste

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp red ground chili

Prep-work: Rinse the daal and soak in 3 cups of water.

Cooking:  Heat a pot and add the olive oil to the pot. Add the cumin, mustard seeds, red while chili and the ginger garlic paste. Cover the pot as it will splatter. After 10 seconds add the rinsed daal to the pot along with 3 cups of water. Cook with the pot covered for 10 minutes or so, till the daal looks like it has softened and is ready to be ground. Take a hand held grinder or a meat mincer and grind the daal into a paste.  Lastly add salt and if needed more water and cook for 2 minutes.