Green papaya Spring rolls

Fresh fruity salad Spring rolls.

A green papaya from… the North. It’s produced in Aichi prefecture. Well, with these long hot Summers, they can easily grow tropical fruits.

As you can see, the fruit “sweats” a milky liquid. I was surprised to find so few grains in it.

Cress greens, cucumber sticks, the grated papaya (mixed with kabosu lime juice). The powder is sesame, goji berries and a little salt.

Wrapped in rice paper.

Served with sweet chili sauce.

As a side : abura age (fried tofu pockets) filled with kurigohan (chestnut rice), then toasted.

Scallop biryani

It’s the second biryani for the Daring Cook Challenge.

The key ingredient : baby scallop. I got them already steamed.

The gravy with sweet spices (wuxi, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, paprika…), shimeji mushrooms and goji berries.

Thai jasmine rice soaked in a mix of thick coconut milk and water, then cooked.

At the layering stage, I’ve added a few edamame beans. More shimeji mushrooms ans saffron threads on top.

It’s ready. Toppings : dry coconut, gojis and minced coriander leaves. Goya (bitter squash) to decorate the plate.

Fingerlicking yummy… Biryani is eaten with the hand. Well, I do that after taking the photos.

The extras standing behind the star, on the first photo. They are greenhouse mikan that just arrive on the markets now.

source daring cook
Fish Biryani:

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 green chillies
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
3 tablespoon (60 ml) (2 oz) (60 gm) ghee
2 cups (500 ml) (370 gm) (13 oz) basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
3 cups (750 ml) coconut milk
1 lb (½ kg) white fish fillets, cut into 1 inch (2½ cm) pieces
Salt
Directions:

1. Blend the tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, chillies, garlic, and half of the onion to a smooth paste.
2. Thinly slice the remaining onion and fry it in the ghee over medium high heat until lightly browned. Stir in the rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and enough water to bring the liquid about 1 inch (2½ cm) above the rice. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes until the rice is half cooked.
3. Add the paste, fish, and salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until the rice is dry.

Pineapple biryani

That’s biryani party at the Daring Cook’s challenge.

Grace, one of our talented non-blogging Daring Kitchen members, was our Daring Cooks’ August hostess who shared with us some of her family’s tried and true Bengali Biryani recipes – all of them delicious and all of them prepared fresh from our own kitchens!

I had a weird one in archives :

fusion biryani

I made 2.

seafood biryani (coming soon)

And this veggie biryani with a fruity touch :

Pineapple biryani. I took the recipe at the end as a guideline…I drifted away a little to adapt to my products.

Pineapple is the accent.

Pearl sweet corn.

Okra and red bell pepper. I used these season veggies for the gravy. I replace the coriander by mitsuba leaves.

The gravy, with home-made ghee.
Besides I prepared a ghee flavored rice with turmeric, cashew nuts and pineapple dices.
I had no basmati or other biryani specific rice. The only long grain rice I could get is Thai jasmine rice. I cooked it in the rice-cooker.

Layer rice and gravy, close the lid and reheat slowly.

First side dish : chick pea raita. I mixed boiled chick peas, coconut yogurt, very little grated garlic, salt, lemon juice and stalks of mitsuba. Let a few hours in the fridge.

Aubergine chutney as a second side.

Basic recipe from the challenge :

Vegetable Biryani:

Servings: 6

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (60 ml) (2 oz) (60 ml) ghee
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ inch (2½ cm) ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (60 ml) (2/3 oz) (20 gm) desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
Salt
14 oz (400 gm) canned tomatoes
9 oz (250 gm) frozen sweetcorn, thawed
5 oz (150 gm) paneer, cut into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Rice:
6 tablespoons (90 ml) (3 oz) (90 ml) ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
4 whole black peppercorns
1 small cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 cardamom pod
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup (240 ml) (6½ oz) (185 gm) basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt
1 cup (250 ml) (6-1/3 oz) (180 gm) raisins
½ cup (120 ml) (85 gm) (3 oz) blanched almonds, halved
½ cup (120 ml) (85 gm) (3 oz) cashews, halved
2 cups (500 ml) water
Directions:

1. Melt the ghee in a large saucepan over medium high heat and fry the cumin seeds until fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion and fry until golden brown. Stir in the coconut and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the spices, salt, tomatoes, sweet corn, and paneer. Cook for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the coriander, lemon juice, and mint. Remove from the heat.
2. For the rice, melt the rest of the ghee in another large saucepan and fry the whole spices until fragrant. Add the onion and fry until golden brown. Mix in the rice and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the spices, salt, raisins, nuts, and water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the rice is dry.
3. Layer the rice and vegetables in thin layers in a large saucepan, starting and ending with a layer of rice. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.