Kashmiri Chicken Curry.

If you are new to my blog, please read my welcome note first - basically put - if you try one of my recipes, you are to feed one hungry person. Keep the Energy flowing.

The other day a friend who knows how much I relish spices, gave me a little box of Kashmiri curry. It looked different from the other curry mixes I've seen. Kind of darker and oh, the smell.
So of course I had to use it ASAP. I started digging around for a typical recipe from Kashmir, and most were quite complicated and time consuming. Finally stumbled on one, that is easy to prepare, takes about 45mn max, and is sooo tasty...you will just love me for it (I hope) :-)

But first, you will need some Kashmiri curry mix. If you are into spices like I am, am sure you know places where you can buy those delicate mixes. If not, and that's quite unfortunate you will have to prepare your own mix, or just settle for your regular curry which is quite a shame really.

If you want to prepare your own because you can't find it ready made, here are the following spices you need to use in equal measures.

Ground : Coriander, cardamom, caraway, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, pepper, nutmeg, fennel, aniseed, turmeric, all spice. Have fun mixing. Trust me, settle for already made.

So let's get to the Kashmiri chicken curry, with perfumed rice and yogurt salad.

Chicken Curry for 2 :

- 300 grams of boneless, skinless WASHED chicken filet, cut in small chunks
- 1 cm of FRESH ginger finely minced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 2 small onions finely chopped
- 2 tsp of Kashmiri curry
- 5-6 branches of fresh cilantro/coriander leaves only - minced
- about 80--100 grams of yogurt (full fat forget skimmed for now)
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- a pinch of saffron threads (not powder)
- 2 tsp of minced bleached almonds
- 2 tsp of unsalted minced pistachios (without the outer skin of course)
- 1 tbs of cooking oil
- salt to taste if your chicken cube stock is not salty enough.

Preparation :

- stir fry finely chopped onions in hot oil, until tender
- mix in your garlic and ginger paste plus the curry and stir for 2 mn or so
- add your chicken cubes, mix well and leave until they are golden (ish), use medium heat
- add chopped fresh cilantro.
- meanwhile grill pistachios and almonds with a tiny bit of oil, until almonds go light gold
- dilute 1 cube chicken stock in 1 cup of boiling water, add to the chicken, stir and leave it
COVERED on medium heat for about 10mn or so.
- after 10mn, add HALF of the almonds and pistachios, the yogurt and threads of saffron
- MIX well and leave covered on medium heat for another 15mn or so
- look for texture and consistency. Not too liquid, not too thick.

Rice preparation for 2.

- you can take the easy way out and just prepare BASMATI rice (paraboiled rice is FORBIDDEN in my kitchen) or go for something a little more interesting and oh so tasty.

In either case :

1 cup of rice for two is usually sufficient.
WASH rice thoroughly until the water comes out clear of any starch
heat a little oil add your rice, plus salt, mix well
add ONE cup of boiling water, let it boil once and leave on VERY LOW heat until water is completely absorbed

Now for the interesting bit :

Prepare rice as above, but add some ground cardamom and some EDIBLE dried rose petals, just a pinch. If you don't have edible rose petals, use a bit of rosewater.

Serve with the curry and decorate rice with the rest of almonds and pistachios and sprinkle some rose petals on top.

A cool refreshing salad that goes with this meal is Cucumber yogurt salad.

- cut cucumber in small pieces
- add yogurt, enough to cover the cucumber
- add salt
- add cumin
- add dried mint.
- add a dash of pepper
- Mix well and serve cold.

Serve all the above with MANGO chutney and finish off with a refreshing, mango sorbet with pieces of fresh mango mixed inside topped with fresh mint leaves.

And don't forget KASHMIR nor those who don't have the luxury of food.

Bon appétit.

Veal, Prunes and Almonds Tajine.

This is a non lucrative site, every time you try one of my recipes, all am asking you is to feed one hungry person in whichever way you choose, in return. Let the Energy circulate.

Tonight's recipe comes from Morocco, a Tajine of Veal, dried Prunes and Almonds and a Moroccan Carrot salad.

A Tajine is cooking bowl with a cover, made of earth, which can only be used in an oven. I don't have a Tajine, but that will not prevent me from enjoying the exquisite Moroccan cuisine. Hence I found a way around the Tajine bowl.

Every country has its sweet and sour recipe, Morocco is no exception. We have a similar dish in Iraq but instead of Prunes we use dried Apricots.

For this Tajine dish and for two persons you will need the following (rough measures)

- 250 grams of pieces of veal cut in smallish chunks for stewing. I use veal with no fat, no skin, no grease, no nothing. Veal cooks faster than beef. Alternatively you can always get beef.

- 50 grams of finely shredded FRESH Ginger.
- 2 medium size onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 2 Tbs of cooking oil
-1/2 cup of finely chopped FRESH Coriander/Cilantro and Parsley
- Saffron in powder or threads - a generous pinch.
- 12-14 dried prunes
- 1 tsp of honey
- 2 Tbs of Sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup of bleached Almonds (i.e no skin)
- salt to taste.

Preparation:

- soak your dried prunes in cold water for about 10mn
- heat the oil and stir fry the chopped onions and garlic until golden brown.
- add the grated ginger, minced parsley and coriander, and the saffron
- mix well and let it cook for a couple of minutes on a medium fire
- now put your chunks of veal and mix well, leave for a few minutes until the veal takes in all the flavor of the mix and COVER
- pour in some hot water just enough to cover the veal. mix well
- leave it to cook on a medium fire until tender. Keep it covered, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile :

- get a small frying pan and grill your sesame seeds until golden - be careful sesame seeds burn quickly you don't want them to taste bitter. So grill them lightly and put on the side

- in a little oil, fry your almonds until golden, set aside.

By now your veal is cooked, and tender.

- pour in the prunes, and the honey into your stew, mix well and let it cook for a few more minutes.
- heat your oven to medium, pour the whole content of saucepan into a glass dish, cover it with the fried almonds and put in the oven for about about 10 mn or so. Make sure it does not dry out. So keep checking. You must have enough sauce left.

- Upon serving, sprinkle half the quantity of your grilled sesame seeds on top. Serve with rice.

Carrot Salad.

This is a delicious salad, that goes well with this Tajine.

Preparation :

- Shredded carrots
- black olives
- dash cinnamon powder
- dash cumin
- salt, pepper
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- freshly squeeze orange juice
- sesame seeds grilled
- olive oil.

Prepare the salad sauce by mixing equal amounts of lemon and orange juice, add the salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon and olive oil and mix well.

Pour on top of the shredded carrots and black olives mix, decorate with rest of grilled sesame seeds.

To finish ...

Serve some Green Tea with resh Mint and add some Pine nuts to it. Best served in glasses not cups.

Bon appétit.

Fish Yassa - Senegal

Please read Welcome Note first----it's over there, yes there on the right hand corner of the blog.

Tonight I ended up cooking something I had no intention of cooking. I thought I took out the meat to defrost, turns out I took out the fish instead. So I found myself with a lovely filet, waiting to be cooked.

I must say I was disappointed because I really wanted to prepare that other recipe which I will share with you tomorrow insha'Allah but since it was Fish, so be it.

Just as it so happens, a Senegalese friend of mine, told me of a fish recipe. He was a little drunk when he gave me the measures, so I researched it and simplified it.

Fish Yassa.

I used cod filet because this is what I had, am told you can use any fish. Personally I like it easy and quick. So filet is perfectly fine.

For two people you will need

- 2 pieces of Fish filet about 300grs.
- 2-3 onions finely chopped
- 2 gloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1/4 to 1/2 tbs of DIJON Mustard
- 2 tbs of FRESH lemon Juice
- 2-3 tbs of cooking oil - I use sunflower
- red chili /cayenne - I like it hot so 1/4 tsp or a little more for me
- black pepper - a dash
- 2 flat tbs of Tamarind syrup - if you don't have tamarind use Soya Sauce, but Tamarind is much nicer.
- 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 1 vegetable stock (cube)
- 1 cup of boiling water.
- vegetables: I used frozen peas and carrots (about half a cup) and 2 potatoes peeled and sliced in cubes, or you can opt for one potato and some Brussels sprouts (sliced in 2) or regular finely chopped cabbage - about a handful.

Preparation made easy :

- heat oil and put the minced onions and garlic until tender and golden brown.
- add your chili, pepper, cinnamon, Dijon mustard, Tamarind or Soya sauce, lemon juice and stir well on a medium heat, mixture should look like a paste.
- now add your cube/stock diluted in 1 cup of boiling water, stir well
- put in your vegetables, let it boil once and then lower heat until all your vegetables are cooked and the sauce thickens, but make sure it's not too thick. So add a little water if necessary (remember it's not a soup)

Meanwhile:

- In a separate non stick frying pan - heat a good quantity of cooking oil, I stress on that bit, the oil must be really hot because you will be frying the fish in it. If the oil is not hot enough, the fish will break into pieces. We don't want that to happen. So be patient and heat your oil well before putting in the fish. If you don't like it fried you can grill it instead. I prefer fried because the fish stays hard.

- the fish must be fried until GOLDEN BROWN and a little crispy.

- remove the fish, put it on a kitchen towel paper to absorb the oil and leave aside.

- once your sauce is ready, put the fish inside the sauce and cover it well with your mix so it can absorb all the flavors.

- prepare rice and serve Fish Yassa on top of rice.

Enjoy and see you tomorrow Insha'Allah for a new recipe.

Chicken Mafé - Senegal.

If new to blog, please read my Welcome Note first - if you're too lazy I'll sum it up for you : if you try any one of my recipes, you are to feed one (or more) hungry person in return.

Tonight we are heading to Africa. West Africa in particular, Senegal to be more precise.
The following dish Chicken Mafé is also cooked in Gambia, Mali and the Ivory Coast.

You can use any meat you like, lamb, beef goat or chicken. I use chicken because I don't like lamb, never tasted goat and beef takes too long to cook.

So for 2 you will need the following :

- 2 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken filet cut in medium chunks or 250 grms
- 1 cup of cut potatoes in medium size chunks
- 1/2 cup of sliced carrots
- 1 tbs of cooking oil
- 1 tbs of tomato paste
- 1 cup of fresh tomatoes cut in small pieces
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 gloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 tbs of fresh ginger minced (optional- for me it's a must)
- 1 cup of hot chicken stock or 1 cup of hot water
- 1/2 cup of unsalted peanut butter
- salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation :

- heat the oil and saute until golden brown the chicken pieces. Boneless skinless chicken is best as peanut butter is already full of calories, you don't need to add with more animal fat.

- remove the chicken and put aside

- using same pot, put the onions and stir fry them for about 4 mn,

- add the minced garlic and ginger and saute for another 2 mn

- add the tomato paste and the peanut butter and mix well

- add chopped tomatoes and mix well

- add the chicken pieces, and the potatos and carrots and mix well on a medium fire

- leave to simmer for a couple of minutes until the vegetables give some of their juices.

- now add your water or chicken stock, with salt and pepper to taste.

leave to cook for about 20-30mn or until your vegetables are tender. Make sure to add a little water and occasionally stir. You need a stew like not a paste like mix.

Serve with rice or with couscous on the side.

Tip:
- if you are going to prepare rice, add a handful of dried raisins and some powder cinnamon.
- if you are opting for couscous, add raisins and ground cumin.


Best suited salad to accompany is a salad made of avocados, tomatoes, spring onions, radish, all sliced covered with fresh mint with an olive oil and fresh lemon juice dressing.

Enjoy and a thought or more for Africa - in particular Libya - the gate to Africa.


PS: If you are a vegetarian, proceed as above, skip meat but add more vegetables of your choice such as cabbage, eggplant, squash. okra.

Red Lentil Soup.

If you are new to my cooking blog - please read my Welcome Note first. Thanks.

During Ramadan when breaking the fast, the first meal, is usually a soup. So today I will give you a simple recipe for a lentil soup.

There are different types of lentils (red, brown and green), the one today is red Lentils.
Some red lentils depending on how long you've had them, cook faster than others. The fresher the faster.

For 4 people you will need the following

- 2 cups of red lentils
- 2 small onions finely chopped
- 10 branches of fresh parsley - leaves only - alternatively you can use dried parsley but it won't taste as good.
- chicken or beef or vegetable stock one and half cube (optional)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 tbs of tomato paste

Preparation

- Rinse and soak your lentils for 30mn in cold water - you don't have to but it is preferable.
- in a large saucepan, put the drained lentils and cover them with boiling water, do not drown them, just cover enough.
- let it boil until very very tender. add water as it boils, so it doesn't dry up
- depending on the type of red lentils you use, if they are very fresh, they will looked mashed when totally cooked.
- If they don't look mashed, use a blender. ie. put your lentils in the blender until they are soup like.
- always check for texture - not too thick, not too liquid. you can always add a little more boiled water.

Meanwhile:

- with a little oil, fry your chopped onions WITH the tomato paste, until they are red.
- pour the onion mixture on top of the mashed lentils back in a saucepan
- add your cube stock (optional)
- add salt, pepper and ground cumin
- mix well and let it boil, adding a little hot water if necessary. check texture
- TIP - you can also add a handful of Vermicelli to the boil, but that is optional.
- leave to simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
- right towards the end before serving, put the parsley leaves and a squeeze of fresh Lemon juice.
- stir again and leave one more minute.

Ready to serve.


Sahtein, Bon appétit.

From Iraq - Tabsee Bentijan.

Please --- Welcome Note first.

Tabsee Bentijan is an old Mesopotamian recipe and has its variations in the rest of the Middle East and the Mediterranean. We exported recipes too.

There are many ways to make Tabsee Bentijan but first a definition of terms.

Tabsee = a concave round tray - I use glass Pyrex.
Bentijan = Aubergines - Eggplants.
Tabsee Bentijan = Aubergines in a tray.

I have already given an eggplant recipe as a starter with yogurt and garlic, and since eggplant is a summer vegetable, and now is the season, this will delight your palate.

As I said earlier there are many ways to prepare it, I opt for the easy, healthy (minimal grease), tastiest way.

For 2 to 3 persons you will need the following :

- 2 medium size eggplants
- 1 medium onion
- 250 grams of lean minced beef (you can also use lamb but I prefer beef)
- 2 gloves garlic
- 1 large tomatoe
- 1 large green pepper bell
- 2 tsps of all spices also known as mixed spices
- 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
- salt, pepper
- tomato paste
- 1 fresh pomegranate fruit
- 1 bouquet of parsley
- pomegranate molasse syrup also called Deebs al Ruman (can be found in any Middle Eastern store)
* some use Tamarind molass ( I don't, because I have none for the moment so this recipe is made with pomegranate)
* some use no molasses at all which is a shame.

Preparation :

- mince the onion and fry in a little cooking oil until tender
- chop finely 5 - 6 branches (leaves only) of parsley
- add minced meat and parsley to onion
- add mixed spices, salt and pepper
- let it cook well, stir every now and then, meet should not be left rosy colored.

The above is called Keema.

Meanwhile:

- wash your eggplants first, then peel them in large stripes (zebra looking)
- slice them in medium rounds not too thick not too thin
- salt them
- some deep fry the eggplants, I don't because that's way too much frying. I simply place them in a large tray, dab them with cooking oil and put them in a hot oven until they are golden brown - not dry, just golden brown.

While your aubergines are being suntanned.

- slice the green pepper bell in rounds
- fresh tomato in rounds
- chop the remaining parsley coarse
- slice 2 gloves of garlic

Now get your tabsee - concave tray or glass Pyrex

- place the eggplants at the bottom
- cover with the cooked minced meat
- add your bell pepper rounds
- add your tomatoe rounds
- add your sliced gloves of garlic
- and throw in a handful of chopped parsley
- sprinkle more salt if necessary

Now the sauce to cover the tray

- boiled water about a cup and a half
- tomato paste and pomegranate molass
- dilute the paste in boiling water, the color should be a crimson red, not too light not too dark add about 1 to 1/2 tbs of pomegranate molass
- mix well
- pour the sauce over the eggplants mix
- Do not drown the tray with sauce, just cover it enough.

Put tray in oven at very hot and cover with an aluminium foil so the vegetables don't dry,
time is about 15 to 20 mn max. You will know when the green pepper rounds have wilted, means it's cooked. Lower heat completely and uncover so the top of the tray takes a little golden color.

Meanwhile :

- cut the fresh pomegranate and take the seeds out
- mix the seeds wit the remaining chopped parsley
- decorate your tray with the mix before serving.

The above goes very well with White Rice.

I have already given you how to prepare white rice. So will not go through it again.
Just a tip this time though, add half a stick of cinnamon in the rice when it's cooking, this will give it a lovely aroma that goes well with the eggplants.

Will try to upload a picture once mine is done cooking

Sahtein, Bon appétit.

When a Hamburger is not a Hamburger

As usual -if you're new please read my ---> welcome note first.

I think I've mentioned it on many occasions, I like it simple and easy. I have no time for too complicated, elaborate cooking, specially these days as am busy as hell.
But I like style, flavors, aromas and scents and will never settle for a bland meal. I hate blandness both in cooking and in life.
So I try to make the most original out of the ordinary. That's my philosophy in life.

You're hungry, you have no time to cook, you have unexpected visitors, whatever it is...hamburgers are fine. Not your regular hamburgers in a bun though. Oh no, this is different.
If you are so inclined to make them yourselves, by all means do so, I don't have the time, personally.

So am going to give a simple recipe, a 3 course if you can call that.

For 2 you will need :

* 2 - 4 (depends on how big of a eater you are) big size lean meat pure beef hamburgers frozen or fresh up to you, I prefer fresh.
* 1/2 to 1 flat tbsp of cooking oil I use sunflower
* 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of hamburger spices - I found the mix in a supermarket (mix is black pepper, ginger, cardamon , cinnamon, all spices, coriander)
* 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
* salt to taste.
* a dash of Maggi liquid condiment

Mix all the above well and marinate your (thawed if frozen) burgers.


Meanwhile preparation for salad : You figure out how much you need to make for 2.

- iceberg lettuce chopped
- shredded carrots
- tomatoes
- cucumber
- fresh parsley leaves
- shredded cooked beetroot if available
- 1 spring onion finely chopped
- walnuts

Salad sauce is made of

- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- apple vinegar
- ground cumin

Now for the side dish to accompany your extraordinary burgers

SPINACH - another underrated vegetable.

I use frozen, no cream, no spices. Just plain spinach.

* For 2 you will need around 400 grms of frozen spinach.
* 1 medium size onion finely chopped
* 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
* 1 tbs of OLIVE OIL
* 1/4 tsp of mixed dried herbs - like Herbes de Provence
* salt and pepper to taste.

Gently fry onion in olive oil until tender, add your frozen spinach and let it thaw on a gentle fire, add nutmeg, dried herbs and leave it to cook, not more than 5 to 7 mn.

Grill your hamburgers, make sure to heat your frying pan well before.

Serve hamburgers with side salad and the hot spinach, TIP: sprinkle spinach with grated Parmigiano cheese .

I use these ready made sauces that go very well with the hamburgers, apart from Dijon Mustard, I also use Smoky BBQ sauce and a spicy Abricot sauce. Of course you can choose whatever ready made sauce you fancy.

Bon appétit.

Sauteed Courgettes

You know what to do first - right ? read welcome note. Thanks.

Summer is the courgette season, I believe you also call them zucchinis, even though zucchinis are a little smaller in size.

I don't know why, but I have a feeling the courgette is a very misunderstood vegetable. We shall remedy that now. So today's simple recipe, is a lovely side dish that goes very well with any grilled meat or fish.

For 2 you need about 3 medium size courgettes
2 large gloves of garlic
1 1/2 tablespoon of OLIVE oil
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
5 to 6 branches of Cilantro aka Fresh coriander
salt and pepper.

Preparation :

-wash courgettes (obviously)
- Peel like a Zebra. OK that means you don't peel it completely. I don't know how you say that in English, but imagine a Zebra.
-slice vertically then divide into two or three parts.
-crush garlic and use cilantro leaves only.
-in a deep medium size frying pan, put olive oil, garlic and cilantro and fry a little. By the way olive oil should never be heated alone.
-add your courgettes slices, nutmeg, salt and pepper
-leave it to cook on medium fire until tender.


Et voilà. Bon appétit

Shells in a Pot.

They look like Sea Shells and come in two sizes, small and big - They are called Conchiglie and Conchiglioni i.e Jumbo Shells. And now that Ramadan is approaching and I am hoping you feed as many people as you can, I shall give you a simple, simple, recipe using Pasta Shells, the smaller ones. But first you will read my welcome note.

This what the pasta shells look like

.

In Iraq, we call them "kathee mathee". Don't ask me why, I don't know. But the way we cook them for convenience sake is very much like a Turkish dish made of stuffed meat raviolis with yogurt. So basically this is the easy quick version of it.

For 2-3 persons you will need the following :

- 250 grams of minced beef (I use lean)
- about 250 grams of pasta shells
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- about 1.1/2 tsp of mixed spices
- salt and pepper to your liking
- 1 flat teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 cube of beef stock (optional)
- 1 tbs of olive oil
- 1 tbs of vegetable oil
- 2 small cans of yogurt
- 1 large clove of garlic.


Preparation :

finely chop onions and stir fry until brownish in vegetable oil, add your minced meat, and spices plus cinnamon plus a dash of salt and pepper, until the mix is well cooked.

Meanwhile in a saucepan

- fill saucepan with boiling water, add olive oil, and beef stock (optional) and your pasta shells until cooked to your liking. Strain.

- mix pasta shells with cooked minced beef, add a little of the pasta water to it so it will not dry and leave for a few minutes on a low fire.

- crush garlic in yogurt, mix well, add salt if necessary.

Serve hot with garlic/yogurt mix on side, latter will be used like a sauce on top of the pasta shells.

Bon Appétit.

Biryani Rice with Marinated Chicken.

Gosh, have not updated this blog in ages. To make up for this long absence, am about to give you a whole menu - Biryani Rice, Marinated Chicken and a surprise easy to prepare dessert.

But before doing so, you are to read my Welcome Note if you are new to my blog. Am afraid you have no choice here. You MUST read it first.

When Cooking, I like things simple, easy, quick, tasty and original.

You will probably find many Biryani and marinated chicken recipes. This one is mine.

For the Chicken - you may also use Turkey. For expediency I use filet of either. 4 medium sizes pieces for two is ample.

- marinate the chicken or turkey filet for a minimum of 1 hour (longer is preferable)in following mix :

* 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt
* a pinch of sweet paprika
* a pinch of curcuma
* a pinch of pepper
* 1 clove of crushed garlic
* teaspoon of olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger (you can also use ginger powder if you're too lazy)
* salt to taste
* a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 tsp of honey (optional)

Mix the whole thing well, and keep refrigerated.

Now for the rice

Biryani for 2.

- 1 cup Basmati rice or long grain (paraboiled is FORBIDDEN)
- 2 eggs - Hard boiled
- 1 medium size potato
- 1 medium size carrot
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1 medium size onion
- 1 cube chicken stock (since am serving with marinated chicken)
- 2 tsp Biryani spices (can be found in any Indian/Pakistani shop)
- 4 whole cardamons
- a pinch of curcuma
- a pinch of ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon of rosewater (optional but preferable)
- 1 tbs of cooking oil - I use sunflower

Wash rice thoroughly and leave to soak in cold water
finely chop onion
peel potato and cut in small cubes
peel carrot and cut in small cubes
rinse frozen peas and leave on side

In a largish pot (rice needs to BREATHE), heat cooking oil, and fry onions until tender, add carrots first, and stir fry a little more, then add potatoes. Medium fire, add pinch of cinnamon and curcuma, fry a little more, then add 1/2 cup of BOILING WATER plus bay leaves and your chicken stock cube.

Leave it to HALF COOK, then add your frozen peas (you can always add a little more water if needed) plus 2 teaspoons of Biryani spices, let it cook just a FEW minutes, you want the vegetables to be impregnated with the spices, add another 1/2 cup of BOILING WATER then add strained rice. Let it boil ONCE and then turn on a LOW heat,until all the water is absorbed and rice cooked (not mushy). If you are to add water, always make sure it is BOILING WATER. Once the rice is cooked, put your hard boiled eggs in the Biryani mix and sprinkle the rosewater on top and turn heat off - just leave it there for a few minutes so the eggs can take in the spices as well.

Meanwhile, while your rice is cooking, you have preheated your oven - just lay your chicken or turkey filet with that lovely aromatic sauce in a non stick tray, cover with aluminium foil and let it cook, once cooked you can uncover and let the filet take a golden hue. Thin pieces of filet usually needs no more than 7 mn max in oven.

To serve : You can either serve the filet next to the Biryani rice or place it on top.
Of course, you can always have the filet by itself and the Biryani rice by itself. It's up to your fancy.

I like to serve it with a side bowl of yogurt with dried mint.

As for the dessert - very refreshing after all those lovely spices.

for 2 :

- 2 medium size mangoes, peeled and cut in cubes
- about 10 fresh mint leaves
- a squeeze of LIME juice

Place mango cubes in bowl, add mint, add lime juice - keep refrigerated.

Serve either by itself or with a scoop of Lime sorbet.

Bon Appétit