Mutton Dum Biriyani 

We will be using 1kg of Basmati rice and 1kg of Mutton in this recipe.  Preparation is divided into three stages - Preparing Gravy, Preparing rice,  Making Biriyani by mixing rice and gravy.

Note:  Water is not added at any point while preparing the gravy in this method.

Preparing Gravy:
Pour 300gms of Sundrop oil in a Kadai and heat up.
Add 8 Cloves(Lavang), 4 small cinnamon sticks(Pattai), 5 Elaichi(Elakkai), 2 bay leaves(Biriyani Leaf) in the oil .
Add 5 medium sized chopped onions (approx 300 gms) and a teaspoon of salt and saute in medium flame until onions turn golden brown in colour.
Now add Mutton pieces and fry for around  30to 45 minutes until the mutton is cooked 90% or it turns soft.  Onions will turn into a paste by this time. 
Add 2 tablepoons of Ginger Garlic paste and stir fry for 3 minutes.  Add 5 chillies (slit into two) and 4 tomatoes chopped and stir fry for 15 minutes until it turns to a paste.
Now add 1 teaspoon of chillipowder, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder, required salt into the mixture and  stir fry for 5 minutes.
Add half a glass of curd, some chopped mint (pudhina) leaves, some chopped corriander leaves and stir fry for 10 to 15 minutes until the oil FLOATS on the top.  Now the gravy is ready and should be kept away from heat.

Preparating Rice: 
Soak the basmati rice for half an hour in water. 
In a vessel, boil the water and pour the soaked rice in the boiling water.  When the water boils briskly and when water tries to come out of the vessel,  add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.  30 seconds later, take the vessel from the head and drain the water (kanji) and keep the kanji aside.  You will see that Basmati rice is 70 to 80% cooked.  Rice is ready.

Preparing Biriyani:
Take a pan and keep it on medium/high flame Take a thick bottomed vessel and keep the vessel on top of the pan.  Add the Mutton gravy on the vessel which should be the first and only layer at the bottom.  Now add all the rice on top of this gravy and don't mix.  Cover the vessel with a lid and place the kanji vessel on top of the lid. (optional - you can place charcoal instead of kanji).  If possible, prepare atta dough and pack the space between the vessel and lid with the dough. Let the cooking be done for 10 to 15 minutes.  Biriyani is almost ready at the moment.  Slowly take the gravy from the bottom of the vessel and mix the gravy with rice, making sure that the lamb and rice doesn't break.

Biriyani is ready.  Please prepare Biriyani using the above method and do drop your suggestions.

Prawns Fried Rice (or) Chicken Fried Rice

Method:  Put the cleaned prawns(500gms raw) or chicken (200 gms) in boiling water.  Let it boil for 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain the water and keep it aside. 

Take 2 cups (2 azhaku) of rice (for 3 to 4 persons), cook the rice by adding one spoon of oil into it, and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a wide skillet/kadai at a very low heat. Add chopped garlic (one tablespoon) and chopped ginger(one tablespoon) and fry for 30 seconds taking care not to brown it.  Add 2 small sized chopped onions (or) spring onions and saute it for 10 minutes in low flame.  Add 3 eggs onto the vessel and don't stir the egg too much.  Stir the eggs slowly as it should form small pieces sticking to the onions.   Add Prawns (or) chicken pieces, bring the kadai to full heat, and stir rapidly for 30 seconds. Add a little of spring onions, cabbage and  stir everything togetherfor 5 minutes on medium flame (skip this step if you don't have spring onions and cabbage).  Low the flame and make the centre of the pan empty, by pushing the content to the sides of the pan.  In the center of the pan add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and chilli sauce (or) tomato sauce (as per your liking) and one table spoon of water onto the sauce.  Stir for 20 seconds and add cooked rice onto it and stir-fry for another 3 minutes on medium flame.  Add White/Black pepper and Aji no moto and stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Fried rice is a complete meal by itself.  Eat well and Live well.

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Prawns Gravy

Fresh raw prawns of 1kg needs to be cleaned.  On a kadai, add 4 tablespoons of oil.  Add 3 medium sized onions chopped, Garlic 10 cloves (unhopped), ginger chopped.  Saute until onions turn golden brown in colour.  Add the prawns and add 2 pinch of salt into it.  Add oil if required.  When prawns turn white in colour, add one big tomato chopped.  5 minutes later, add 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric and 3 tea spoons of chilli powder.  Add curry leaves immediately and pour half a glass of water.  Close with a lid to cover the vessel and keep the flame in Low.  Wait for 10 minutes and stir occassionally for another 10 minutes.  When the curry is ready, add corriander and remove from flame.

Prawn gravy will be spicy and most liked by AP & TN people.

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Shark Puttu (Sora Puttu)

Method - Take 1kg of Shark, fill it with water, add two pinches of turmeric and two pinches of salt and boil it for 5 to 8 minutes.  Drain the water and let it cool.  Peel the skin and smash the shark.  In a vessel add 3 spoons of oil, mustard (kaduku), Ginger chopped (2 tea spoon), Garlic chopped(2 tea spoon), 3 chillies chopped, 2 medium sized oninons chopped and curry leaves.  Saute until the onion becomes brown.  Add 3 pinches of chilli powder and 1/4 tea spoon of turmeric and required salt.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add the Shark into the vessel and lower your flame.  Stir fry for 10 minutes.  Add Pepper into it and  stir it for another 10 to 15 minutes in low flame.  Shark puttu is ready.

Kids like it, when puttu is mixed with rice.  Along with rasam rice on a banyan leaf, shark puttu tastes good.

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