LETS FEAST - d NASI BRIYANI / JOM KENDURI NASI BRIYANI

We love Briyani in this home. Over the years I have tried making different kinds of Briyanis at home. On a quest to perfect authentic taste of this special menu,  I tried out almost every recipe that I got from relatives & friends. This latest experiment of mix & match, revealed that the latest version was the closest to the authentic taste we so craved..

 

I should say that Nasi Briyani is actually an Indian food. Apparently, the Chinese, Indians & Malays cook Nasi Briyani differently and they taste differently too. Most are served with side dishes. Nasi Briyani is typically serves on special occasions, such as weddings and calibrations.

People said that, an empty belly is actually a great cook and this Nasi Briyani and its side dishes is a great way to fill it. Now, let us try out this luscious Nasi Briyani in your kitchen..

BRIYANI RICE / NASI BRIYANI
Ingredients :
Half bird of Chicken - cut into 8 pcs
3 cups Basmati rice (long rice)
3 tbs Chili powder
2 cups Yoghurt
1 Onion - chopped
2 Onions - thinly sliced
1/2 cup Almonds Flakes
4 tbs Golden Raisins
1 can Evaporated Milk
2 cups water
3/4 cup Ghee
Salt to taste


Ingredients to marinade:
1 Large onion (sliced) 1

3 -  4 inch ginger (sliced)
1 spring fresh mint leaves
4 cardamoms
5 cloves
6 garlic 
Cinnamon stick (chopped) a small piece


d etcetera :
2 pandanus leaves - knotted
mint leaves

Method :
1. First, you have to prepare the marinade. Make a fine paste with cinnamon stick, mint leave, cloves, cardamoms, onions, garlic and ginger. You can make the paste by grinding them well in a grinder adding required water to it. 
2. Add chili powder and yogurt to the paste, blending them well. Now, take the chicken pieces and mix it well with the mixture.You have to coat the paste on the meat finely and marinate it at least for three hours. 
3. Heat a pan adding 4 tablespoon gee and add the thinly sliced onions to it. Fry them stirring frequently and stop frying when they get a light brown color. Drain them keeping in a clean cloth. 
4. Then, fry the sliced almonds in the same manner and reserve both fried onions and almonds.
5. Add little more gee to the pan and fry the chopped onions until they get a light brown color. Take the marinated chicken pieces and add to the pan. Fry them till they half cooked. 
6. Now you got to separate 6 pieces of d marinated chicken for a deep fried chicken later. Leave d 2 pieces in the pan. (d 2 pcs are for d Nasi Briyani paste)

fry the marinated chicken until golden brown as another side dish to d Nasi Briyani

7. After that, add required salt and 2 cups of water to boil them, in the pan.  You need to boil them in a medium heat covering the pan. Stir whenever needed to boil.

9. Now, start to prepare the rice. Wash the rice finely and keep it aside to drain. 

10. After that, take a rice pot and heat it adding four tablespoon gee. Add the rice and fry it in a medium heat for 5 minutes, until d rice becomes translucent.

11. Then, pour the boiling Nasi Briyani paste (d 2 pcs chicken), in d rice pot.
12. Pour in d evaporated milk.
13. Let the rice boil. As d water in d pot almost dried, sprinkle with d fried almonds & onion. Transfer d pot to d electric rice cooker.14. Add in d pandanus leaves & mint leaves. 
15. Let d rice cooked automatically.
16. Your Nasi Briyani is ready to b served. You may garnish it with fried onions, raisins & fried almonds if you like.

RED TOMATO SPICY CHICKEN / AYAM MASAK MERAH

Ayam Masak Merah, or Red Tomato Spicy Chicken is a common dish found in Malay food eateries. In general, Ayam Masak Merah is a sweetish savory dish made from tomatoes and spices. It’s not supposed to be candy sweet, it’s just savory sweet plus hot & sour taste. Caramelized and deep in flavors from the spices used. It is a dish that goes very well with the Briyani Rice. 

RED TOMATO SPICY CHICKEN / AYAM MASAK MERAH

Ingredients A : - to fry d chickens
1 whole chicken - cut into 20 pcs (or as u wish)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
Enough oil for deep frying/shallow frying

Ingredients B: - to blend d mixtures
10 shallots5 garlics
1 inch of ginger
10 dry red chilis, de-seeded
3 tomatoes


Ingredients C :- d etcetera for nice aroma
4 pods of cardamom
3 cloves
1 star of anise
1 stick of cinnamon

salt & sugar to taste

Method:
1. Mix well all of the ingredients A (except oil) until the chicken pieces are well coated.
2. Heat oil in a wok with medium heat. Fry d chickens until all sides are golden brown. Drain them off the oil on a plate lined with paper towels and set them aside.
3. Blend all the ingredients in B and set aside.
4. Discard some of the oil used to fry d chickens and leave about 3 tablespoons of oil in d wok. Saute your cardamom, cloves, star of anise and cinnamon until fragrant (approx 1-2 mins). 
5. Add in blended ingredients B. Saute the all the ingredients together to form a thick paste.
6. Add sugar & salt to taste.
7. Add in d fried chickens. Start combining the sauce and chicken well, making sure every piece of chicken is well coated. Mix well & thicken d sauce.
8. Your Ayam Masak Merah is now ready to serve!

CUCUMBER & CARROT PICKLES / 

ACAR TIMUN & LOBAK MERAH

This is a very yummy Malaysian pickle's recipe that provides delicious twist on dill pickle. They’re sweet, sour & spicy in the sense of being spiced; if you like it hot, add more chili powder. It is best taken with any savoury rice. It will gives u a perfect combination of taste. This pickle is best left overnight in the fridge before serving.

CUCUMBER & CARROT PICKELS / ACAR TIMUN & LOBAK MERAH


Ingredients A :
3 Cucumbers - cut & remove d seeds - matchsticks cut
2 Carrots - matchsticks cut
2 Red Chillies (slit in the middle)
2 Green Chillies (slit in the middle)
5 Shallots to - cut into four
5 garlic - cut into two
1 cm Ginger - matchsticks cut
1 tsp fenugreek
2 tbs vinegar 
Sugar and Salt to taste
Oil


Ingredients B :- to grind 
4 red dry chillies
3 garlic
4 shallots
1 tbs dry shrimps

Method :
1. Put oil in a wok or pan, saute d fenugreek.
2. Add in d grounded ingredients. Stir for 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add in the carrots & shallots, garlics & ginger. Stir for 1 minute until d carrots slightly soften.
4. Add in d cucumbers.
5. Add in vinegar, sugar and salt and leave it to simmer in low flame. 
6. Once the gravy becomes thick the dish is ready.

BEEF CURRY/ KARI DAGING

Beef Curry holds a high place in Fusion cuisine. The goodness of beef always makes dish a healthy treat. The dish shall complete your Nasi Briyani meals. Dalca (beef stew with assorted of vegetables cooked with yellow lentils) is always serves with Nasi Briyani. Unfortunately, my family members are not a good fan of Dalca. Such, I made Beef Curry to substitute d dalca as a gravy to be eaten with d nasi.

BEEF CURRY / KARI DAGING
Ingredients :
250g beef - diced
1 spring curry leaves
1 onion - chopped
1 " ginger - chopped
3 garlics - chopped
2 tbs cooking oil
5 tablespoons beef curry powder
3 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons plain yoghurt
1/2 cup  coconut milk


d etcetera :
Tomatoes
Red chilly
potato - cut into halves


Method :
1. Heat oil in a saucepan and saute d chopped onions, garlic & ginger for 5 minutes or until fragrant
2. Meanwhile, mix the curry powder with water. Add the combined into d sauce pan and cook for about 1 minute until thickened slightly.
3. Add in the curry leaves.
4. Add meat combined with 2 tablespoons of the yoghurt.
5. Cover and simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the coconut milk and d the remaining yoghurt and cook for a further 30 minutes.
7. You may garnish d curry with d etcetera.