Biryani Pot Pie

It is the holiday season, and I love gifting myself. With so many amazing home decors and cookwares and serveware, it is just hard to resist shopping. This is a perfect season to shop and prep for next Diwali too. Golds and Glitters... add glamor to the festivals!!

So here I come accross these cute mini Copper Cocottes. Cocottes are cook and serve containers, and these mini cocottes are perfect for individual portion size to cook and serve, and present food in style!

It has been so many years now... I had always wanted to make a vegetarian version of pot pie and biryani cooked in a pot pie fashion has been on my mind. I was always on a look for perfect container, and ta da I found them. I just love these from William Sonoma. The cocottes are extremely cute. They totally represent my style of cooking and presenting. It gives the feel of traditional Indian copper pot with a touch of contemporary individual cocottes,  and totally worth the price. This set is surely heavy on the pocket, taking into consideration that I had half of its cost in gift card and I just paid half of the price out of pocket :) They can be used on gas stove as well as in the oven. They are made of thick and heavy material: a great quality product. Perfect for my Biryani Pot Pie! Although they are not dishwasher safe, but come on, taking care of something that you all, is not difficult at all :) They are very easy to clean too. I have packed them back into the plastic wrap and the box they came in. Now thinking of the next recipe I want to use these cute pots in!

Biryani pot pie is the regular rice preparation layered with veggies and fresh spice blend. The pie crust is a whole wheat dough, and helps biryani to cook and keep the moisture and flavors in. The dough cooks to form a crispy crust to enjoy as a side with veggies or raita. Caramelized onions give sweetness to this biryani and the pie crust. We surely enjoyed it for dinner!

This recipe is so easy to make and assemble for your guests. Just bake when the guests arrive and hot biryani is ready to serve.

Ingredients: (Serves 4) Makes 4 Individual pot pies.

For biryani masala: Biryani Spice Blend.

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

6-7 peppercorns

4-5 cloves

1/2 inch cinnamon

3-4 cardamom

1 star anise

1/2 mace

1/2 bay leaf

2-3 dry red chilies

1+1/2 cup long grain basmati rice

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

2-3 cardamom

For gravy

4 tbsp. ghee or oil 

1/4 cup cashews

1 large onions

1 large potato

1/2 cup diced carrot  

1/4 cup diced bell pepper

1/4 cup peas

1 large tomato

1 cup yogurt

4-5 cloves garlic

1 green chili

1 inch ginger

pinch of turmeric powder 

1+1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup finely chopped mint and cilantro leaves

Freshly made biryani masala

1+1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp. oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp ghee or oil

Method:

• Dry roast spices and grind them to form coarse to fine powder (to your choice). Keep it aside. 
• Boil 4 cups of water with 1 tsp.salt, 2 cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 1 bay leaf. When the water boils, add 1+1/2 cup washed Basmati rice. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove excess water and let the rice sit in the colander. Leave it aside.

• In a pan, heat 4 tbsp. ghee.Add 2 cups thinly sliced onions. Saute and let the onions caramelize. Remove 1/2 of the caramelized onions in a bowl and keep it aside to use later.
• Add diced potatoes and cashews and fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Add diced bell pepper and diced carrots. Add ginger garlic and green chilli paste. Add 1 tsp. salt and pinch of turmeric. Cover and let the potatoes cook for 5 minutes.
• Add freshly ground biryani masala and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well. Cover and let the spices cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes, peas and yogurt. Mix well. Cover and let the gravy cook till potatoes are almost done and spices and cooked well. Turn off the heat.
• Add 1/4 cup chopped mint and cilantro leaves. Mix.

• Mix whole wheat flour with salt and oil and make a medium soft dough with 3/4 cup water. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

To assemble in individual cocottes/baking dish:

• Preheat the oven to 400F
• Grease individual bakeware with ghee. Pour spoonfull of biryani gravy at the bottom. layer with par-cooked rice. Sprinkle some mint and cilantro leaves and few caramelized onions. Layer again with a spoonful of gravy and again with rice. Sprinkle some saffron or little turmeric powder and spread some caramelized onions. Add 2 tbsp. water. 
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take one part and roll it or flatten it in your palms. Cover the baking dish with rolled dough. Seal the edges well.Spread some oil or ghee over the dough.
• Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes till the dough turns beautiful golden brown.
• Serve with sliced onions, fresh lemon, and side of yogurt raita.
• Enjoy crisp pie crust and steamed biryani!

Dry roast spices and grind them to form coarse to fine powder. Keep it aside.

Here is a coffee grinder that I use as dry spice grinder.

Freshly ground biryani masala.

Boil 4 cups of water with 1 tsp.salt, 2 cardamoms, 2-3 cloves, 1 bay leaf. When the water boils, add 1+1/2 cup washed Basmati rice. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove excess water and let the rice sit in the colander. Leave it aside.

Sliced onions

Diced veggies.

Ginder, garlic, and green chili paste.

Biryani masala.

In a pan, heat 4 tbsp. ghee.Add 2 cups thinly sliced onions. Saute and let the onions caramelize. Remove 1/2 of the caramelized onions in a bowl and keep it aside to use later.

Add diced potatoes and cashews and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add diced bell pepper and diced carrots. Add ginger garlic and green chili paste. Add 1 tsp. salt and pinch of turmeric. Cover and let the potatoes cook for 5 minutes.

Add freshly ground biryani masala and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well. Cover and let the spices cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, peas and yogurt. Mix well. Cover and let the gravy cook till potatoes are almost done and spices and cooked well. Turn off the heat.

Add 1/4 cup chopped mint and cilantro leaves. Mix.

Individual copper mini cocottes.

Cook and serve in individuals containers.

Grease individual bakeware with ghee. Pour spoon-full of biryani gravy at the bottom. layer with par-cooked rice. Sprinkle some mint and cilantro leaves and few caramelized onions. Layer again with a spoonful of gravy and again with rice. Sprinkle some saffron or little turmeric powder and spread some caramelized onions. Add 2 tbsp. water.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take one part and roll it or flatten it in your palms. Cover the baking dish with rolled dough. Seal the edges well.Spread some oil or ghee over the dough.

Bake in preheated over for 15 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes till the dough turns beautiful golden brown. Ghee helps to fry the dough to make it deliciously crisp.

Serve with sliced onions, fresh lemon, and side of yogurt raita.

Enjoy Crisp Pie Crust and Steamed Biryani!!

Moth Chawal

Publishing a recipe after a long time...yes, you guessed it right, summer break has ended and new school year has started in full swing. Back to School night is over this means I do have some time now to do what I love! I do have a backlog of recipes to post which I will do it soon. :)

Summer was exciting, and while I got a chance to be with friends and socialize, I also had a chance to learn something new and exciting. It all started with an idea...an invitation for a Delhi style chai party from a friend, SM. It was NOT a CHAI PARTY... it was indulging in delicious food. Not just regular food but authentic, traditional, and flavorful Delhi style food served on Delhi style beautiful props. Flavorful, chatpata Gol Gappas set up on a Thela or four wheel cart just like it would be in India and SM and her mom (I will refer her as Auntiji), who was visiting her from Delhi, would make fresh Gol Gappas and serve for all you can eat. I cannot express the fun of the live Gol Gappa counter. Thank you so much SM and Auntiji! I would have just loved to end the chai party here, but that was not the case. There was more food and now chai party turned into dinner. Chole & Kulche,  Dahi Bhalle, gourmet sandwiches, and something very new to me was Moth Chawal. A simple dish which was flavorful and super delicious. Although each and every food item was delicious, Moth Chawal stole my heart. It was a new concept and was very innovative. I could have never imagined Moth to be so tasty. We all expressed our wish to get the recipe from Auntiji. That is when I thought she could be a guest blogger on my page. It would be my pleasure to learn a simple but yet a North Indian specialty and take pictures if Auntiji could make it live. It was my wish, and SM and Auntiji made it happen. I was so happy to be invited over and I reached there with my camera :) I can't thank you both enough!

The experience was just phenomenal! Not just the recipe, but I got to know so much more about the North Indian culture and food. Moth Chawal is a simple layered dish made with Moth or Matki and rice. Moth lentils are cooked with spices to form a gravy. This gravy is then layered with cooked rice, a special spice mix for tangy flavor, chopped onions, and to top it with crisp papdi or puris. It is the combination of flavors, textures, and I would totally categorize it as one of the healthy, protein rich dishes for vegetarians. If you have read my earlier posts you would know what it means. Lentils together with rice make complete proteins for vegetarians. Auntiji said that this simple but yet healthy recipe was made for breakfast or brunch. In the olden days when weddings were elaborate and everything was prepped at home, this recipe was a healthy breakfast for the guests and other family members. That totally makes sense, serving something that is delicious as well as healthy so that everyone is ready to do all the running around and preparing for the wedding ceremonies and fun. It is now one of the popular street foods for commuters and people on the go.

Here is the entire recipe with pictures made in SM's kitchen. Thank you so much Auntiji for such an insightful and delicious recipe, and also for delicious Aam Panna we had while chitchatting. :)

Ingredients

1 cup moth/matki
2-3  tbsp. oil
2-3 medium tomatoes.
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. red chili powder

1/2 cup rice
2 cups water
1 tsp salt.

For special spice mix
3 tbsp amchoor /dry mango powder
1 tbsp Degi mirch /red chili powder
1 tbsp dhania powder /coriander powder
1 tsp. jeera seeds /cumin seeds
1 tbsp garam masala / spice mix
1/2 tsp. Ajwain/carrom seeds
Mix all the above ingredients and powder it well.

For Garnishing:
1 tbsp. tamarind pulp dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1 cup chopped onions
Crisp papdi or puris
Juice of one lemon

To make moth gravy:

• Wash and soak moth/matki in 2 cups of water for an hour or two.
• Chop tomatoes into quarters and  puree them well. Keep it aside.
• Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add cumin powder and then pureed tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add soaked moth beans to sauteing tomato puree. Mix well
• Add salt and chili powder. Mix well.
• Cover the pressure cooker and cook til you hear around 2 whistles. Moth beans do not take very long time to cook. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cool before opening the pressure cooker. 
• Open the pressure cooker and mix cooked moth well.

Meanwhile get the rice prepped.

• Heat 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Add salt to boiling water.
• Add 1/2 cup washed rice to boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes or till done.
• Strain the water and keep rice aside in a bowl.

 Get this ready

• Soak 2 tbsp. tamarind in water or mix 1 tbsp. tamarind pulp in water and keep it aside.
• Finely chop onions for garnishing.
• Special spice mix.

To serve use a wide serving bowl or something like a deep dish platter.

• Spread rice evenly into the serving platter or a bowl.
• Sprinkle around 1 tbsp. special spice mix over the rice and squeeze a juice of 1/2 lemon.
• Evenly spread cooked moth gravy over rice.
• Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of special spice mix and evenly spread 1-2 tbsp. tamarind dissolved in water.
• Evenly spread chopped onions and sprinkle some special spice mix again and squeeze fresh lemon.
• Top it off with broken/crush pieces of papdi/puri for crunch. (you could add papdi just before serving so that it would remain crisp)
• Serve and enjoy!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

I was able to take pictures while Auntiji prepared and talked about this recipe.

Wash and soak moth in 2 cups of water for an hour or two.

Chop tomatoes into quarters and  puree them well. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add cumin powder and then pureed tomatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add soaked moth beans to sauteing tomato puree. Mix well

Add salt and chili powder. Mix well.

Cover the pressure cooker and cook til you hear around 2 whistles. Moth beans do not take very long time to cook. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cool before opening the pressure cooker. 

Open the pressure cooker and mix cooked moth well.

1 tbsp. tamarind pulp dissolved in 1/2 cup water or 2 tbsp. tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup water.

Heat 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Add salt to boiling water.

Add 1/2 cup washed rice to boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes or till done.

Strain the water and keep rice aside in a bowl.

To serve use a wide serving bowl.

Spread rice evenly into the serving platter or a bowl.

Sprinkle around 1 tbsp. special spice mix over the rice and squeeze a juice of 1/2 lemon.

Evenly spread cooked moth gravy over rice.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of special spice mix and evenly spread 1-2 tbsp. tamarind dissolved in water.

Evenly spread chopped onions and sprinkle some special spice mix again and squeeze fresh lemon.

Top it off with broken/crush pieces of papdi/puri for crunch. (you could add papdi just before serving so that it would remain crisp)

Serve and enjoy!

Auntiji with one of her best recipes. I am so looking forward to learning more authentic recipes from her. Thank you so much!

The pictures of the final dish were taken in SM's beautiful backyard with beautiful flowers around.

SM's passion of gardening and caring for her veggies and plants is seen everywhere!

Enjoy this delicious comfort food!