A vegetable pulao that will give any mutton biriani a run for its money.

Basmati rice - 3 cups
Slices bread - 4
Cubed vegetables - 4 cups
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Cloves - 10
Green cardamoms - 6
Small stick cinnamon - 4
Salt - 2 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Tomatoes chopped - 6

Grind together

Almonds - 20
Cloves garlic - 10
Grated ginger - 2 tablespoon
Green chillies - 2
Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
Poppy seeds - 2 tablespoon
Aniseeds - 1 tablespoon
Mint leaves - 10 – 12
Bunch green coriander - 1

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Drain. Spread on a try to dry.

Remove the crusts from the bread slices and cut into cubes. Deep fry in oil till golden. Remove on a paper so the extra oil can drain. Reserve.

Vegetables include cauliflower, french beans, carrot and peas. You may add any vegetable of your choice.

Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a thick bottomed degchi. Season with the whole garam masala, slightly bruised. When they turn a shade darker, add the rice; fry till it looks parched. Add hot water, double the amount of rice and 13/4 tablespoon. Salt. Cover and cook on a low heat till the rice is done and the water evaporated. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee in a karahi and add the vegatables. Stir fry 2 minutes. Add a little salt. Cover and cook over a low heat till done. Do not add water. The vegetables will cook in its own juice.

Heat the remaining ghee or oil in a pan and fry the onions till a light brown. Add the green chilli, saute a bit, add the ground masala and chilli paste. Stir fry till the raw smell disappears. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 tablespoon salt and cook till the tomatoes turn pulpy and well mixed with the masala.

Mix the vegetables into the masala and stir till the masala coats the vegetables. Add to the rice. Toss gently till everything is uniformly mixed.

Serve hot garnished with fried bread crontons. All it needs is a raita to complete the meal.

When you’re tired of eating heavy birianis serve this light pulao instead.
Basmati rice - 500 gm
Mutton from the ribes - 1 kg
Milk - 1 lt
Ghee - 1/3 cup
Bay leaves - 2
Cloves - 4
Green cardamoms - 4
Stick cinnamon - 5 cm
Black cardamoms - 3
Kewra water - 1 tablespoon
Pinch of saffron
Tie in a muslin - 2 bay leaves
aniseed - 2 tablespoon
Pepper corns - 1 tablespoon
Any ginger powder - 1 tablespoon
Black cardamoms - 2

Garnish

Sliced hard – boiled eggs, apple wedges, a handful of grapes. Wash, drain and spread the rice to dry.

Pressure cook the mutton in milk and the spice tied in the muslin for 7 – 8 minutes. Let the cooker cool on its own. Squeeze the muslin bundle to extract maximum flavour and discard. Strain. The stock should measure 1 litre. If less, add water.

Heat oil in the cooker. Season with the bay leaves and whole garam masala. When these change colour, add the rice and fry till it looks opaque. Add the meat hot stock, salt and saffron mixed in Kewra water. Bring to full pressure and cook for 4 minutes.

Open cooker immediately. Fluff up the rice and serve hot, garnished with the egg slices and fruits. Dry fruits can also be added.

Almost a mini meal, this is actually a modified version of the classic favourite Hungarian Gonlash.

Large tomatoes - 4
Onions - 400 gm
Capsicum - 1
Refined oil - 4 tablespoon
Minced mutton - 1/2 kg
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
cornflour - 1 tablespoon
thick and 1/2 cup cooked rice - 2 tablespoon
Paprika or kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Stock or water - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt and pepper - to taste.

Chop and puree the tomatoes in a blender. Strain. Finely chop the capsicum and onions.

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the onions and fry till brown. Add the minced meat and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle the cornflour and stir fry; there should be no lumps.

Add all the ingredients except the curd and rice. Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Open cooker and stir in the curd and rice. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Remove from fire and serve hot with garlic bread.

Authentic Scotch Broth uses pearl barley. Since the availability of pearl barley is restricted, I’ve substituted rice with good result.

Mutton - 500 gm
Stock or water - 1 lt
Rice - 50 gm
Carrots - 2 diced
Potatoes - 2 peeled and dice
Shelled peas - 1/2 cup
Salt and pepper - to taste
croutons of bread and lime wedges for garnishing.

Pressure cook the mutton in lightly salted water or stock along with the rice for 15 minutes; take out the mutton, remove the bones. Pass the stock through a sieve, pressing the cooked rice well into the stock.

Put the stock back on heat. Add the mutton, carrot, potatoes, peas, salt and pepper.

Cover and cook over medium heat. Stir the soup from time to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the vegetables are tender, check seasoning and remove.

Serve hot with croutons of bread on top and pass around a plate of lime wedges.

In cold, weather, a really filling soup is a meal in itself – warmin, delicious and satisfying.

Apple - 1
Large carrot - 1
Onions - 2
Refined oil - 2 tablespoon
Rice - 50 gm
Curry powder - 1 tablespoon
Mutton or 1 small
chicken - 1/2 kg. cut into small pieces
Stock - 1 lt
Mango chutney - 1 tablespoon
Sultanas - 25
Salt and Pepper - to taste
Pinch sugar, Lime
juice - to taste

Chop the apple and vegetables into tiny pieces. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Toss the apple, vegetable, rice and curry powder in the hot oil.
Saute 2 minutes.
Add the stock, and rest of the ingredients and cook for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, take out the meat pieces and debone. Blend the soup in the mixie. Return to the pan along with the meat and taste. Season, if necessary and add a little more sugar and lime juice.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice – 500 gm
Mutton from the ribs – 1 kg
Milk – 1 lt
Ghee – 1/3 cup
Bay leaves – 2
Cloves – 4
Green cardamoms – 4
Stick cinnamon – 5 cm
Black cardamoms – 2
Kewra water – 1 tbsp
Pinch of saffron
Tie in a muslin – 2 bay leaves
Aniseed – 2 tbsp
Pepper corns – 1 tbsp
Any ginger powder – 1 tbsp
Black cardamoms – 2

Garnish:
Sliced hard – boiled eggs, apple wedges, a handful of grapes.
Wash, drain and spread the rice to dry.
Method:
Pressure cook the mutton in milk and the spice tied in the muslin for 7-8 minutes. Let the cooker cool on tis own. Squeeze the muslin bundle to extract maximum flavour and discard. Strain. The stock should measure 1 litre. If less, add water.
Heat oil in the cooker. Season with the bay leaves and whole garam masala. When these change colour, add the rice and fry till it looks opaque. Add the meat hot stock, salt and saffron mixed in Kewra water. Bring to full pressure and cook for 4 minutes.
Open cooker immediately. Fluff up the rice and serve hot, garnished with the egg slices and fruits. Dry fruits can also be added.

Ingredients:
Rice (cooked) – 5 cups .
Mutton (roasted) – 4 slices
Spring onion (chopped) – 1
Mushrooms (chopped) – 3
Bamboo shoot (chopped) – 1
Crab meat (deboned and mashed) – 1/4 can
Egg (beaten with little salt) -? 1?
Green peas (parboiled) – 50 gms
Oil – 3 tbsps
Pepper – to taste
Ajinomoto – pinchful
Salt – to taste

Method: Heat oil, scramble egg quickly and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsps oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and saute the onion. Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoot. roasted mutton and then crab meat.
Return scrambled egg to pan. Add rice a portion at a time, stirring continuously while frying. Separate rice without crushing. Add peas and seasoning. Stir well. Serve hot.

Ingredients
mutton pieces – 1/2 kg.?
3/4 cup oil
Whole spices: 1 stick cinnamon,
? 3 cardamoms,
? 3 cloves.
1 large onion, sliced
garlic ginger paste – 2 tbs.
1/2 bunch mint leaves, chopped
1 small bunch coriander leaves, chopped
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 – 2 tsp. chilli powder
turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp.
1 cup water
salt – to cook mutton – 1 1/2 tbs.
salt – to cook rice – 1 tbs.
1/2 cup curds
112 large lime, juice extracted
1 tbs dhania powder
1/4 tsp kesan powder – optional

Method:
1. Heat 3/4 cup oil in a pressure cooker.
2. Add the whole spices, then the sliced onions, fry lightly for a minute till brown.
3. Add garlic ginger paste, fry lightly for 1 min Add mint and coriander leaves, stir and fry well a minute.
4. Add chopped tomatoes & fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add raw meat and 1 1/2 tbs salt, fry for a minute, then pour 1 cup water and cook till the meat is tender. Keep aside.
7. Cook rice, as usual with 1 tbs. salt, in water. When rice is just a little under-cooked, strain the rice.
8. In the pressure cooker, mix in rice with the meat. Add curds, lime juice & dhania powder.
9. Keep rice and meat on slow flame for 20 minutes till rice is done.
10. Lastly sprinkle 2 tbs. ghee, if desired.
Serve hot with cucumber or onion raita.