Wednesday 1 July 2009

Instant Kathal Biryani (Raw Jackfruit Biryani) ... and a few thoughts


( If you are unable to get raw jackfruit, this can be made with a lot of other things like leftover cauliflower / potatoes/ paneer/ chicken / mutton curries too. )

Updated : I have never had absolutely any problems with any 'COMMENTS on my blog(s) ... as many of you have assumed in a hurry to leave nice lines for me. I guess you just skimmed the first few lines ... which too are not on what is being assumed.. I clarify here that my post is on something very different ... and I did not 'experience' or 'go thru' anything traumatic to shake me off the face of earth.
Please either read the whole post before writing anything ... or just jump to the recipe. :-)

Ever since I visited a few food blogs that are a little over around 2- 3 years old, I have been thinking. I am so touched by the courteousness and light humour in them as well as the comments they have got. Such graceful ladies ... and such friendliness. In one blog, when one commentator mentioned that she too was about to post a similar recipe, the blog owner actually expressed regret at not knowing ... else she would have waited. Such character and endearing quality!

And so much different from what we are getting these days ... foul words and expletives peppered dangerously all around. I wonder what force compels. Is it insecurity ... or this desire to be the centre of attention? I find it very juvenile .... but whatever it may be .... it defines a lack of depth and education.

Because nobody is taught to use foul language. So it is a self decided activity. I believe the true self of a person is displayed when life puts a test in front of him/her, out of the blue. It is how you tackle any given situation with how much quiet, grace, humour and dignity that shows what kind of a person you are. It may be total joy, sorrow, fear or a loss.

I do not think using foul words proves somebody to be more educated or gutsy than others ... and neither does it prove the person's hold on vocabulary ... rather I believe it proves the lack of it.
Our blogs are our own places ... and I akin my blog to my home. Just as I would keep my home clean and pure for myself and my visitors, so would I want to keep my blog pages clean and wholesome for my visitors and friends here. Who would want to visit a place or spend a while there if it is known to store rotten garbage with enthusiasm ?
Who would want to appreciate my home or my page if it is full of filth ... words or otherwise ?

More the reason if it is a food blog. We associate food with God. The food we cook and serve is offered as prasad to the gods too ... not to mention that it nourishes us on the whole. Who would want to have a look at any food .... no matter how beautifully presented .... leave alone eat it ... if they knew that the house owner places garbage in the same plate?

Then how can someone use horrid dirty words and then smile and display a recipe at the same go?!
Beats me. All I know is we are what our thoughts make us ... mind, body and soul.

My recipe today is again a quick dish that I often make ... usually with whatever leftover curry and rice I have. The magic in this dish is the flavour biryani masala and the onion fried in ghee. Of course, it helps if the curry you are using is slightly spicy with lots of masala.

I had made a spicy curry with the raw Kathal / Jackfruit .... that had lots of onion & ginger & garlic paste and garam masala.

Need : Leftover Kathal curry ( or any spicy curry of say cauliflower / potatoes/ paneer/ chicken / mutton), cooked white rice ( better if it has stayed in the fridge for at least a night ) ,
a lot of sliced onion, ghee / clarified butter, bay leaves, dry whole red chillies, whole spices ( green cardamom, cinamom, cloves ), Biryani Masala Powder ( I use Everest Biryani Masala ), a few fresh mint leaves.

How to : Heat ghee in a heavy kadhai / wok. Add the whole spices, the bay leaves, the chillies and then the onions. Fry on low heat till the onions slowly turn brown.
( Do not try to add sugar to hasten the process .... the onions will not cook from the inside and will burn from the outside).
Remove the onions to a plate.
Arrange a layer of rice in the same kadhai ... or you can take another flat bottomed pan. Then arrange a layer of the leftover curry. Sprinkle a pinch of Biryani masala powder on it and then spread a few fried onions on it. And some mint leaves. Cover with another layer of rice.

You can make multiple layers if you have enough rice and curry. Spread the final batch of the onions on top. Drizzle some ghee generously. Cover tightly and let it sit on low heat for around 15 mins.
Remove and serve hot with curd or raita.

And oh yeah ... I finally got to finish this top { updated : for myself :-) } I'd started a coupla months back. :-)



I'll try to be a little more regular than the past week ... till then take care all ... and hugs to all of you who enquired after me about my well being. Am just fine. Much thanks! :-)

Enjoy !!

34 comments:

  1. I love kathal. never had a kathal biryani though. Looks yummy.
    I would like to share my award with you. Do check it out on my blog :-)

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  2. Hmmmmm......i totally agree with you.....my blog is my intrest and the intrest vary from person to person....and i totally think that commenting on one's intrest and juding it is totally wrong....Iam experiencing this type of comments a lot now-a-days...thanks for the comment moderisation facility....coming to the recipe....jackfruit is very new to me...looks drool worthy....

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  3. Hi, This looks very yummy. And it is a wonderful idea for leftovers. Will definately try this one.

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  4. Thanks Beramot, Sanhita! :-)

    KF ... I have had no problems with comments. Everybody has always written nice lines to me. :-)

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  5. Wow! u have a wonderful space here.It looks soo perfect and yummy recipes .

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  6. hmmm..wonder what got u thinking about the attention seekers ..

    my fav way to use up leftover curry is also this, however my way is much less elegant than yours. kathal biryani looks delish!

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  7. Sharmila.. i am really sorry if you had to read something not nice, ... on your note, it really makes me wonder how anyone could use filth! as u said this is something of our own... for us, build by us, & why would one want to destroy something that belongs to self i would not know...just shows their own terrible character..

    amader barite konodin kathal biryani hoto na.. but i have done it for myself, for i love kathal. ekhane canned er taste besh baaje, ami tao kine ani.

    tumi to multi talented.!! you can knit!! this is something i could never proceed beyond dui knatar ulto shoja:-)

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  8. Kathal Curry ta koi ? Kathal biryani o kokhono khai ni. Dekhe heavy yummy lagche.
    Tumi knit o koro, wow. Ota ki kono baby dress(pardom me if I am crossing lines here), khub sundor hoyeche

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  9. Wow ... Kathal all time favourite . Kintu ekhane poa jai na . Tomer reciper name ta sunei miss korte suru korechi . Looks yummy delicious ...
    & yes pleaseeeeeeeeee be regular because I love your posts & dishes very very much ...

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  10. Ei toh ekta bhalo innovative recipe pelaam...nischoi try korbo.

    Loved your thoughts btw :)

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  11. Very well expressed dear and m so sorry you had to experience such a thing! how immature of people who write such things! these days I am seeing a lot of recipes using jackfruit, i wasnt aware that jack fruit can actually be used in so many different ways in cooking!! biryani looks sooo good! i really wish we cud get jackfruits here!

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  12. Where did this come from? Hope you did not experience any such thing.

    I have a recipe for Kathal Biryani but did not try it. Yours is much much easier and still looks the same!

    Frock toh baby ka lag raha hai! Baat kya hai??:) I used to knit. The neck and back pain has put an end to embroidery, painting and most handicraft! Aren't they so addictive? I cannot leave it if I pick up a design and some colourful threads:) The frock looks beautiful!

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  13. I don't get jackfruit here, Sharmila, so I'll have to satisfy myself just by looking at your beautiful dish. It sounds delicious.
    And great knitting too!

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  14. i hate jackfruti, but i love what u wrote abt ur fellowbloggers and the cute little knit..amazing, u have an artistic hand there!!

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  15. Sharmila sorry for what you had to go through. I totally agree with you. Nice dish, never tried jackfruit biryani, will definetly try out.

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  16. Thanks Mangla Bhat! :-)

    Thanks Rashmi! Your biryani is much better ... this one was a cheater's quickie dish. :-)

    Thanks Soma! I was so shaken seeing such things that I just had to get it out of my system. The thing is ... in their enthusiasm to show off ... such people do not realise that they are sullying their own creations. :-) Kathal biryani ta borer jonne ... non veg er substitute. :-)


    Thanks Sandeepa! Kathal curry ta pete. Chobi tolar chance e pelam na. Porer baar post korbo. :-)
    Arey na .. kono line cross korcho na ... ota amar nijer jonnei ekta top baniyechi. :-)

    Thanks for the sweet words Dolon! I'll really try .. I too can't stay away from such nice words from such nice people for too long. :-)

    Much thanks dear Joyee! :-)

    Thanks Parita! Immature is the right word! :-) You can make this with a lot of things other than the jackfruit ... as I have mentioned.:-)

    Thanks Harini! The recipe is a cheater's quickie dish. True ... am totally addicted to knitting. I embroider much less these days .. but can't do without knitting.
    And that top is for me ... no baat as such. ;-)

    Thanks Vaishali! I have given other alternatives too in the recipe ... maybe you can try it after all. :-)

    Thanks Rush! It had disturbed me so much I just had to write about it. :-)

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  17. Sharmila, your's is much more than a food blog...
    The recipe was a really useful and adaptable one, thanks.
    And your comments about the absence of graciousness in today's generation was really perceptive. I have often felt so, too.

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  18. WOw i love kathal not tasted biriyani...should try it out ..

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  19. Wow you knit too ? And make badi too ? Wow - huge salute to you... I tell my mom that knitting and pickles and badi making is dying in our generation... Well maybe not...
    We consider kathal to be vegetarian's mutton too... So biryani with it is so apt...
    I would ignore such people with some horrible ideas/comments. World is full of so many nice people like you...

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  20. I would have never thought to use jackfruit in a biryani, sounds intriguing ! Great knitting too :-)

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  21. wow!!, lovely. I love raw jackfruit recipes. First time here, I suppose. You have a nice space.

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  22. Hi Sharmila,
    ebare darun ekta recipe post korecho..very new to me, kathal-er tarkari khub bhalo lage..next time recipe ta diyo na...tar opor ota diye biriyani..jibe jal asche..dish ta darun lagche dekhte
    I'm feeling sorry that a nice, friendly person like you, had to go thru this experience..so kiddish of them

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  23. Much thanks Sucharita .. also for actually reading the whole post! :-)

    Thanks Pavithra! :-)


    Thanks Somoo! Right .. I make kathal exactly like mutton for the hubby.
    And nobody has given me any problems with 'horrible comments'. The post was on something very different.


    Thanks Usha! :-)

    Thanks Sush! :-)

    Thanks Indrani! :-)

    Anybody would go thru the same experience if they visited such blogs .. nobody has said anything to me personally.

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  24. Kathal biryani looks very inviting. Nice way to use up the left over dish.

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  25. Nice idea.... never thought of it....kathal biryani looks droolworthy dear.

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  26. I liked your disclaimer ;)..so true and kathal biryani is new to me too...but looks very interesting and your top looks nice too

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  27. hmmm..have seen the slangs being used liberally....i can't imagine anybody writing fowl language as comments....it's really immature.

    your kathal biryani is very flavorful with a new tretament with mint n fried onions especially.......good one.
    i like jackfruit n make many things with it but somehow i am more on greens right now as i am on a wt. loss program.
    we in UP make koftas n dopyaza with kathal.

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  28. Ekdom ekta notun dish!!!
    Kathaaler biriyani...
    I too recycle leftovers...adds value to last night's dinner!! ;)

    Knitting ta daroon...ami knitting last korechhi Class VIII, maane 21 bochhor aage!!!!!!

    I agree totally....blogs are our home, our own little corner in the vast cyberspace. WHat kind of twisted minded individuals are these who think they can get away with unpleasantness....

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  29. Sharmila,
    khob bhalo recipe...
    amaar brother-in-law makes kathal biryani ...my sis told me ..and i said "ki bolchis tui ..hain kathal diye biryani!!!!" ...now i believe her LOL...
    this sounds so delicious ...
    tumaar hathe bona ta khob bhalo hoyeche...
    hugs and smiles

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  30. yummy looking...wish i could have it right away...

    I love kathal infact I would skip chicken for a nice spicy kathal curry.

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  31. So well said, Sharmila. If people choose to let filth into their lives, that is their decision and they must live with it. It becomes a problem when it permeates into the lives of other people. I'm sure these elements were always there; it is just that globalization and faster communication has brought this other aspect of the world closer to us. We need to learn how to filter it away, I suppose.

    Thanks for this recipe. :-) We get abundant jackfruit at my in-laws and usually everyone is fed up of eating it. Maybe we can try this out the next time I visit them.

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  32. Thanks Jayasree, Preeti, Priti, Sangeeta, Sharmistha, Jaya, Pinku, Deepika! :-)

    Sangeeta ... nobody used foul language in comments for my blog. The writeup was on something different.

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  33. Thanks for the lovely post Sharmila ! I've been hunting for a good Kathal biryani recipe...never ate it, 'cause my mom never made it, now I will definitely try and let u know how it turned out !

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