Green is my new favorite color this summer. The big bright windows from Primark to Harrods, Oxford Street to Piccadilly and Tesco -Whole Foods are all decorated with either Green Tops and Bikinis or Green Foods. These display windows not only tickle our brain to shop but also sends us a message to think how much of greens do we eat? Have you had your 5 a day today?
About 2 weeks back as I walked through a mall, I was stopped by a cosmetic sales girl who was explaining to me how her products are extremely good and it will lift up my skin immediately. For a minute she convinced me to buy her products until she told me the price which was £150 for a set of cleanser,mask and moisturizer. I was not turned off by the price but remembered what my mom has told me “Cleansing needs to be from within so you need to watch you eat”. Turning the sales girls offer I introduced myself to a Triple Green Smoothie from Whole foods and have been seeing dramatic changes in my skin.
Now, how can we feed our family health foods when we have fussy eaters. Am talking about KJ here as he is very picky on foods. How to convince my husband who loves to eat his daily dose of lamb and chicken to turn green. So I put this recipe together which has greens along with chicken. Smart huh!!!
Ingredients:
- 500 grms of baby chicken
- Ginger-garlic paste 2 tbsp
- Shahi Jeera (Caraway Seeds) 1/2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 3 inch sticks cinnamon
- Cloves 10
- Black peppercorns 15-20
- Green Cardamon 10
- Red chilli powder1 tbsp
- Onions 5
- Greek non-fat yogurt 3 tbsp
- Coriander leaves 50 grms
- Mint Leaves 3 steam
- hand few dried rose petals
- Black cardamon 2
- Ghee
- Safforn (Kesar) soaked in rose water
- Basmati Rice 1 1/2 cup
- Ghee 4tbsp
- Salt as per taste.
Method
- Fry half the onion until golden brown in 1 tbsp ghee. Place it on a kitchen towel to absorb the ghee.
- Dry grind the shahi jeera, one cinnamon stick, 15 black peppercorns, cloves and 5 green cardamon to a powder.
- Wet grind coriander leaves, mint leaves adding a water to make a course paste.
- Wash chicken, place in a bowl add ginger garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, half of fried onions, ground masala, yogurt, coriander and mint paste, 1 tbsp of ghee. Rub in well into the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or over night.
- Heat remaining ghee in a pot add 1 inch cinnamon, black cardamon and saute till fragrant. Add remaining onions and saute till golden brown.
- Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is done.
- Wash the basmati rice well and soak it in cold water for 20 minutes.
- Heat water in a pot add the remaining black peppercorns, green cardamon and cinnamon to this add the basmati rice and cook until half done.
- Heat the remaining ghee in a thick bottom pot. Spread half the rice in a layer. Spread the chicken over the rice. Sprinkle a few torn mint leaves, coriander leaves and dried rose petals. Spread the remaining rice. Sprinkle the Rose water soaked with saffron and remaining fried onions.
- Place the pot over a non stick frying pan and add water into the pan. Cover the Biryani and let it cook on slow fire until the rice is cooked well.
- Enjoy hot with Masala Raitha. (Look up for the recipe)
