Chicken Biryani from Playful Cooking

Truth be told, one of the few things that my husband and I have in common is our love for food. We enjoy cooking and eating together since our dating years. We've shared the best and worst meals of our lives...but there's nothing about food that we have ever argued about. Back when we were in the Philippines (when we didn't have the  girls yet and didn't care that much about frugality), Ryan and I used to enjoy eating out a lot! We really loved trying different cuisines...but I don't remember being able to try Indian Cuisine back then. Actually, I don't even know if there was as Indian restaurant in Manila that time. It was only here in Texas that we got our first experience with Indian food...and it was like we fell in love with it at first taste! Ryan and I both love spicy food...and with all the different herbs and spices used in Indian Cuisine, we find it perfect for our taste buds. 

For our PiTCC's Favorite Dishes from Around The World series, I want to share with you one of the Indian dishes that have become my favorite. It's called Chicken Biryani. 

Biryani is a dish that's popular in India and Pakistan and is made of rice, herbs, and spices as well as vegetables or meat like beef, chicken, lamb, goat, fish and shrimp. The chicken version is my favorite. I just love the aroma and texture of this dish! It's an all-in-one meal that's so tasty and comforting! 

Today, I am happy to bring you Kankana of Playful Cooking to share with us her Chicken Biryani recipe. Kankana is from India but is now living in California with her wonderful husband. I met her last year when I was just starting to blog. She has become one of my favorite bloggers not just because of her mouth watering recipes and vivid photos that never fail to amaze me, but much more because of her very warm personality that can clearly be seen on her awesome blog. I'm truly glad that she found the time to be here with us today despite her busy schedule! I really can't thank her enough! Without further ado, I give you Kankana Saxena...

Thank you Tina for making me a part of this series and it was my pleasure to prepare the Chicken Biryani for you. Hope you will enjoy it! 

I am a passionate foodie and wannabe photographer who married the most amazing man in the world and I am currently enjoying life in sunny California. My cooking is mostly healthy with little bit of indulgence here and there. We all need that in our lives, don’t we? I like fast and easy cooking and that’s what you can mostly expect to see in my blog :) 

Today, I am sharing a Chicken Biryani recipe that I learned to cook from my brother when I visited home last winter. As a kid, I remember my brother would spend more time in the kitchen than I would but this time, my little brother totally impressed me with his cooking skills. 

One afternoon, he prepared Chicken Biryani and that was the first time that I actually enjoyed biryani. The strong aroma and warm flavors made me crave for it more than ever! 

Biryani is a very popular dish in India made with rice, meat and lots of spices! There are typically two types of biryani - Kacchi/Kutchi(raw) Biryani and Pakki(cooked) Biryani. For Kacchi biryani, uncooked marinated meat and rice are layered and cooked together. For Pakki biryani, both rice and meat are partially cooked. Then, they are layered to cook for some more time and the flavors blend between the rice and meat. 

I prepared Pakki biryani and it's very much like Hyderabadi biryani. It involves a lot of steps but at the end, it will all be worth the effort!

PiTCC Goes Italian with Risotto alla Marinara from Manu's Menu

Just like what I mentioned in my last post, I am launching a new series called "PiTCC's Favorite Dishes from Around The World" today. It's where I will ask a fabulous blogger every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month to guest post here on PiTCC with one of my favorite non-Filipino dishes. 

I am a person who loves to eat and though I love Filipino Cuisine so much, I enjoy lots of other cuisines too. This new series on my blog is my way of sharing with you what those other cuisines are and what specific dishes from those cuisines please my taste buds.I believe that doing this will give both you and me the chance to learn authentic recipes from trusted resource people in the blogging industry, and that's really awesome, right???

As I've told you many times, I'm a big lover of seafood. That is why I've chosen a seafood dish to be featured first on PiTCC's Favorite Dishes from Around The World. It's also Holy Wednesday today and some people abstain from eating beef, pork and poultry, so this is really timely! The dish I'm talking about is called Risotto alla Marinara or simply Seafood Risotto. 

I had this delicious Italian dish several times at Italianni's Restaurant when I was still in the Philippines. I have been wanting to learn the original version of it, and yes, now is the perfect time! I believe no one can give me the most authentic recipe for Risotto alla Marinara other than my good friend Manu of Manu's Menu. Manu and I started food blogging almost the same time last year. Though we haven't met in person yet, I feel that we have a very special bond. We may not keep in touch that often, but I know that she's someone I can really depend on here in the blogosphere. Her willingness to do a guest post for PiTCC is a great proof to that, right??? With her very busy schedule both as a mom and blogger, I am glad that she found the time to be here with us today. It is such an honor for me to have her! Without further ado, let me bring you our first guest blogger here on PiTCC...Manuela Zangara!!!

Hi everyone! I am Manuela, the author and creator of Manu’s Menu. I was born and brought up in Milan (Italy) by Sicilian parents and my passion for cooking can be traced back to my childhood, when I used to prepare meals together with my parents. I come from an artistic family and I often say that cooking is my art of choice. After moving to Australia in 2006 and becoming a mother of 2 beautiful daughters, I decided to create a blog to share my passion for cooking and to spread the concept of authentic Italian home cooking to the world.  

When my dear friend Tina asked me to write a guest post on Risotto alla Marinara for her beautiful site, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I have a soft spot for risotto, and it is the first dish I learned how to cook completely on my own as a child. Making risotto is very easy, you just need to know a few simple rules and the great part is that the method is always the same: after you master the basic technique, you can make ANY kind of risotto you like. Making Risotto alla Marinara is no exception and even though it does require a bit of time and a few extra steps, it is no more complicated than any other risotto. “Alla Marinara” literally means “seaman style” and it is basically the same as “Alla pescatora” (“fisherman style”) and“Ai frutti di mare” (“with seafood”), so it is a seafood risotto and it is most commonly found in the coastal areas of Italy where fresh seafood is abundant. You could cook it with any combination of seafood (the ingredients vary slightly depending on “today’s fresh catch”), but I was lucky enough to find the most classic combo of ingredients at the fishmonger: prawns, calamari, mussels and vongole (or pippies/clams).  

Making this risotto with fresh seafood makes a huge difference, so I highly recommend it. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did!

Tapsilog

It’s Valentine’s Day next Monday! For this week, Pinay In Texas Cooking Corner will be featuring Pinoy recipes that you can prepare for your family on Valentine’s Day, i.e., for breakfast, lunch, merienda(snack) and dinner. There will be dessert recipes too!

First recipe is Tapsilog which you can serve for breakfast on Valentine’s Day.

Tapsilog is an all-time favorite breakfast in the Philippines. It is the shortcut for Tapa (fried cured beef strips), Sinangag (garlic fried rice) at Itlog (egg) combined into one meal. Although it is considered as breakfast food, it is commonly sold throughout the day in Philippine turo-turo eateries. (The word Turo (to-roh) in Filipino literally means "point," and turo-turo refers to the many roadside eateries in the Philippines, where diners just point to the dish they want from the wide selection of cooked food displayed on a table.)

Here’s my hearty Tapsilog recipe for breakfast that will get your family off to a good start on Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients:

*Breakfast for 4

For Tapa or Cured Beef Strips (a little sweet version):

• 1 lb beef sirloin, cut into very thin strips then tenderized (Each strip is to be 4 to 5 inches long and about 2 inches wide)
• 1 head garlic,  minced
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp black pepper

 For Sinangag or Garlic Fried Rice:

• 4 cups cooked rice
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt to taste

For Fried Egg or Pritong Itlog:

• 4  eggs
• Salt to taste

Meat & Vegetable Sinangag

Another snowy day here in Little Elm, TX...and there's no better breakfast than a plate of Sinangag (fried rice) with tuyo (dried fish) and a cup of hot coffee/chocolate. Too bad, we ran out of tuyo! Good that we have smoked bangus! :) 

Sinangag or fried rice is a favorite Pinoy breakfast. Basically, it is left-over cooked rice fried in oil and garlic. Sinangag can be cooked as simple as that or it can be cooked fancy with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables and some kinds of meat or seafood. When prepared fancy, it can be considered a complete meal already, and this recipe falls under that category.

I call this Meat and Vegetable Sinangag. You can eat it alone or with your favorite viand. I just ate it with smoked bangus! So delish! Try it!

Prep Time: 10 mins          Cook Time: ~15 mins           Servings: 5                            

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cooked rice
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ medium sized onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup green peas
• 1 regular sized carrot, cubed
• 1 beef frank, cubed, sliced diagonally
• ½ cup cooked sweet ham
• 2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

Chicken Arroz Caldo

Arroz Caldo which literally means "rice soup" is a favorite comfort food among many Filipinos. Despite its Spanish name, this dish is actually an adaptation of the Chinese congee or porridge. It is flavored with chicken, garlic, ginger, and safflower (kasubha). The latter is our local saffron which gives arroz caldo an appealing aroma, not to mention the bright yellow tinge.

Arroz Caldo, which best represents the mixture of Filipino heritage combining Spanish, Chinese and Filipino flavors is perfect for someone having a bad cold. It's also great during rainy weather. It is one dish that you can eat any time of the day. We, Filipinos eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even merienda (snack).

A hot bowl of arroz caldo with a squeeze of calamansi or lemon is my family's favorite during winter season here in Texas. It can truly give us warmth and comfort. Try it!

Prep Time: 10 mins          Cook Time: ~50 mins           Servings: 8-10                            

Ingredients:

• 1 whole cornish chicken (about 1 ½ lb), cut into serving pieces then sprinkled with a pinch of salt & pepper (Some prefer boneless chicken breast. You can use any part you prefer. As for me, I use Cornish chicken most of the time.)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 medium sized onion, minced
• 2 thumb sized ginger, julienned
• 2 pcs. Knorr chicken cube
• 2 cups uncooked rice (I use 1 cup jasmine rice and 1 cup glutinous rice)
• 8 cups water
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp safflower (kasubha)
• 5 stalks green onion, chopped
• 4 Tbsp fried garlic, for garnish (You may used store-bought or you can make your own. Simply stir-fry 1/2 cup chopped garlic in 1/8 cup olive oil until golden brown. Drain and allow to completely cool down before storing in a tightly sealed container)
• 6 pcs hard boiled eggs or a dozen hard boiled quail eggs, peeled (My daughters love quail eggs. I use 1 can quail eggs to eliminate the hassle of boiling then peeling them one by one.)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 pcs Lemon (optional) 

Easy Filipino Paella

Paella is a saffron-flavored Spanish dish made with varying combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood. It takes its name from the paellera, the two-handled frying pan in which the dish is traditionally cooked. We Filipinos have created our own version of paella and it differs in every region.  This recipe that I’m going to share with you is for me, the easiest of them all. In this one, you can precook the rice using mussels and chicken broth instead of plain water. Precooking the rice will allow you to cook the rice according to the consistency you want and using broth will give the rice the tasty flavors of mussels & chicken. And whether you use a paellera or just an ordinary pan, you’ll surely get a delicious paella. Try it!

 Prep Time: 25 mins          Cook Time: ~25 mins           Servings: 6-8                             

Ingredients:

• 5-6 cups of cooked rice (cooked in tahong and/or chicken broth)
• 12 pcs. tahong, cleaned & boiled
• ½ lb shrimp, cleaned
• ½ lb squid, cleaned and cut into rings
• 1 chorizo de Bilbao or Chinese chorizo, sliced diagonally
• 1 boiled chicken breast, cut into strips (sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper then boil until cooked)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 *8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ red bell pepper, cut into strips (I prefer using Jalapeño pepper sliced into rings and seeds removed because I like it mildly hot. But if you prefer a light sweet flavor, use red bell pepper, or you can use both. )
• 1 pc bay leaf
• ½ cup fresh or frozen green peas
• a pinch of saffron
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp olive oil for sautéing
• 2 pcs lemon, sliced