Shirin's Special Goat Biryani- A delectable combination of spiced meat & rice!!!!

Eid Mubarak my friends!!!!

We visited our friend's house for the weekend and they celebrate bakrid one day before us, so we got to celebrate Eid with them. We enjoyed spending time with our friends. Kids had lots of fun time playing, all nighter, watching movies and so on. 

Usually we make some easy breakfast and then start the biryani process but at my friend's house they prepare the biryani in the morning and will have it for breakfast. We thoroughly enjoyed the biryani for breakfast. It was a new experience. As my friend Shirin, made this in her version,  I gave this biryani her name.

My friend, marinated the meat with spices and yogurt, cooked the rice separately and deep fried the onions. She then assembled it by layering and adding lemon juice and saffron milk in between. For breakfast, a delicious, scrumptious, finger licking and mouth watering biryani was ready. We relished the biryani the rest of the day.

I noticed a thing that this biryani doesn't require too many ingredients like a normal biryani. Hope you like the recipe and try it out. Please let me know how it turned.

 Ingredients:

Marination:

• Goat- 3 lbs
• Green chillies (slit)- 10-15 numbers
• Ginger- Garlic Paste- 3 tbsp
• Yogurt- 2 Cups
• Garam Masala- 2 tbsp
• Salt- as required

1. Basmati Rice- 6 Cups
2. Water- 11 Cups
3. Fried onions (sliced)- 8 numbers
4. Garam Masala- 3 tbsp
5. Lemon Juice- 1/2 Cup
6. Saffron with Milk/ Orange food color with milk- 1/4 Cup

Method:

For Marination:

1. Marinate the goat, yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, slit green chilies, garam masala and salt. Keep this aside for almost 3-4 hours or overnight. Cook this on medium flame for almost 2 hours or the meat gets tender.
2. Deep fry the sliced onions in oil till it gets golden brown. Keep this aside on a kitchen towel. Reserve the fried oil for assembling.
3. Rinse and soak the rice for 30minutes. After 30 minutes, drain the rice. Heat water required for the biryani and when it gets boiled add the drained rice and salt, mix and keep the lid and let it cook for 20 minutes on low flame. After 20 minutes switch off the flame and keep it for 10 minutes without mixing. Slowly fluff the rice using a fork.

For assembling:

1. In a deep bottomed vessel layer with a tbsp of fried onions, spoonful of goat masala, tbsp of garam masala and cooked rice and repeat the process and make sure that the top layer is of rice. 
2. Poke holes and pour the lemon juice and saffron milk in each hole and close with a lid. Let it cook on low flame for about 15- 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes, open the lid, mix and enjoy with raita.

Thumb Print Cookies- An Ultimate Indulgence!!!

Buttery short bread cookies filled with jam is a a perfect dessert for any occasion. It's a hit among friends and family. These are perfect holiday treats which can be gifted to friends.

I baked these cookies along with my kids and my 6 yr old was very excited to fill the cookies with jam. As most of my friends know that, we have moved to our own space, to meet and greet our neighbors,  I baked these cookies.

These cookies are so easy to make and just needs a handful of ingredients which is easily available in your pantry. These cookies can be baked within 30 minutes and because of jam, this becomes a super hit among kids. I filled these cookies with strawberry and blueberry jam, you can use any jam of your choice and it won't go wrong.

Make sure that while shaping the balls, it should be smooth and firm, or else the cookie dough can crack (like mine). Some recipes call for adding the jam after baking the cookies, but adding the jam pre baked will be nice and warm and bakes into the dough. Hope you all will try this recipe and if so, let me know. So, lets get started..

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour- 2 Cups
2. Corn Flour- 1/r4 Cup
3. Salt- a Pinch
4. Butter- 1/2 Cup
5. Eggs- 2 
6. Vanilla Essence- 1tsp

Method:

1. Sieve the all purpose flour, corn flour and salt. Keep it aside.
2. Meanwhile beat the softened butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat till creamy.
3. Add the above mixed flour mixture into batches and mix till it forms a smooth dough.
4. If it feels sticky just keep this dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, mine was perfect so started to shape them into balls and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper.
5. Use your thumb to make an indentation into each ball of cookie dough. Spoon 1/2 tsp of jam on each of the indentation.
6. Bake for about 10- 12 minutes or when the bottom turns light brown. Remove and cool completely and enjoy the jam filled cookies.