Shrimp Biryani With A Dose Of The Weird & Wonderful

All of a sudden there's a lot going on in the news these days. Oh, there's always something interesting to report, in my opinion, but it may not be juicy enough for the media to focus on. So sometimes we have days at a stretch when all you hear about are petty arguments between the right and left wing parties here in the US, someone bashing the President (again), or a new political scandal erupting. Thank goodness we have shows like Jon Stewart's and John Colbert's, where they use humor to throw some levity over the more ridiculous politicking going on currently. Once in a while, you hear a news story that makes you smile rather than groan in frustration or break out in a panicked sweat. Some reporters call these "human stories", which always sounds a bit weird to me, but I suppose it refers to stories that help restore some of our faith in humanity. Too bad there aren't more of those! In a way, each of us is a living, breathing human story.

For instance, today on BBC's WorldService website (my personal fav), I read about a new train service that's begun in India. Many of us have been exposed to Indian culture in recent years, thanks to movies and media. So we are aware that the majority of the working population in India's big cities (Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi etc.) commute to work and college via public trains. They work just as well as your typical US subway system, with the exception of taking into account the sheer number of people using it. Think of it as the NYC subway to the power of 10! Anyway, so this little news article talked about how they now have special a ladies-only train operating in India. Surprise surprise, the ladies are loving it, while some of the men are pissed! The girls get to travel more comfortably, instead of having only standing room (like in many of the regular public trains during rush hour), where they are free to stretch out, apply their morning make-up, chat freely, sing songs, feel secure (without the constant annoyance and fear of being leered at by men, groped at, or being the victim of purse-snatchers) and basically look forward to their commute. It was funny to listen to some of the men's complaints against this new system, and how some of them still try to get on this train by force (you really can't wait for the next regular one, buddy?!). Honestly, they sounded like petulant little kids when you ask them to share something they don't want to! The image of those grown-up working women, laughing out loud and singing on the train, truly made me smile. It reminded me of when I was in school, and our girls-only class would sometimes go on field trips, and how much we would enjoy the ride to our destination because we would be all piled into one bus, and have it all to ourselves - not half-filled with boys, like it was during our morning and afternoon commutes - and we just felt free! Funny how that works, huh?!

Erm, what does all this have to do with this delicious Shrimp Biryani I'm about to introduce you to? Absolutely nothing. I tried to think of a connection, and I could have come up with a lame one (like oh let's say, Mumbai is a port city, hence the shrimps yadayadayada) but I didn't want to insult your intelligence, dear readers. Please just accept this recipe as an extension of the life I lead and stuff I talk about. This is not a recipe I grew up on - as a matter of fact, I discovered it through a friend who made this for a dinner we were invited to. But DH and I fell in love with it, and luckily enough, it's pretty easy to put together. I also like the use of dill in this biryani, which is something I've rarely seen in Indian/Pakistani cooking.
Shrimp Biryani
Serves 6-8

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
25-30 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 packet Shan Fish Biryani mix
2 onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp garlic paste OR 3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 cups plain yogurt, whipped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
6-8 small green chillies, slit on one side
Juice of 1-2 lemons
3 tbsp oil

4 cups basmati rice
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup dill, chopped
2 tsp salt
Water for boiling the rice

Method:
1. Marinate the shrimp in lemon juice, Shan Fish Biryani Mix and garlic for a half hour.

2. Heat up the oil in a large pot. Saute the onions till golden brown, then mix in the tomatoes. Wait till then soften, another 5 mins or so, and throw in the potatoes. Cook for another 5 mins.

3. Then add in the marinated shrimp (along with all the marinade), green chillies and cilantro. Stir around for 1-2 minutes, then pour in the yogurt. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 mins, till potatoes are tender (but not falling apart!). You may add some water if you think the potatoes need more liquid to cook properly. Once done, turn off the heat and set aside.

4. Soak your rice for half an hour. Heat up a tbsp of oil in a large pot, then quickly throw in the dill. Fry it up for a minute, then add about 10 cups of water. Bring all this to a boil, then add in the rice and salt. Stir once and wait for the rice to cook till almost tender - shouldn't take more than 8-10 mins. Drain the rice well.

5. To assemble: Spread 2/3 of the rice back in the bottom of the same large pot. Pour the shrimp & potato mixture over the rice, and spread it out evenly. Then top it off with the remaining 1/3 rice. Sprinkle over some additional chopped dill, cilantro and fried onions, if you like. Cover the pot, and put it in a preheated 300 F oven for about 15 mins. Take it out and remove the lid - inhale that perfumed steam carefully! Slowly mix up the rice and shrimp layers, so that all the flavors permeate the entire dish. Serve with raita.
Verdict: Chicken biryani is usually the norm at Pakistani dinner parties because everyone loves it, and it caters to a crowd. So serving shrimp biryani for a change, will make you stand out from the rest. And I love this dish, because of its interesting blend of flavors and it is so satisfying and filling (thanks to all the carbs, I suppose!). I make this for DH and myself on weekends sometimes, when we've just had enough of chicken and red meat. This dish may be outside the comfort zone for a few cooks out there, but I encourage you to try it, because it's one of those recipes that you can always count on for utter deliciousness. Try it for your next dinner party if you want to impress your guests.

I'll be sending this dill-centric recipe to Susan from The Seasoned Cook, who is hosting this week's Weekend Herb Blogging event.

Color Me Orange With Delight!

Why does this color get no respect? How come you never hear kids yelling "orange!" when asked about their favorite color? People generally tend to shy away from this color in clothes, even though it is almost universally flattering on all skin tones. Even though it comes in so many appealing shades - all the way from sherbet to peach to sunset. Just plop an orange pillow to accent a beige-n-white room, and see how it comes alive. I blame it on Halloween. That's what people associate orange with these days. And there's always some smartass at work with snarky remarks like "feeling like a pumpkin today?!" if you happen to wear an orange top that day. Well, it's just a color - nothing to be afraid of - and this is the perfect season to celebrate it. I know I know, purple is the trend for this season, along with the usual blues, grays, and blacks. And as much as I love that color palette, a whole wardrobe of those dark colors would drive me up the wall - let's brighten it up, shall we?!

Let's learn from Mother Nature - no one puts together color combos like she does!

Like this cozy scarf that will boost your favorite white t-shirt and jeans to a whole new level.

Or try on this adorable tote bag the next time you leave the house - bet you'll get tons of envious looks thrown your way (and isn't that what we all want, deep down?!)

And if wearing orange still makes you queasy, then I have a proposition. Just eat it. That's right, you heard me. Orange foods are amazingly good for you. Don't believe me? Here's what the experts have to say:

"Orange Foods – carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, apricots, mangoes, cantaloupe. Orange fruits and vegetables are high in carotenoids, which have anti-cancer and antioxidant properties, including the same effects as the well-known immune booster Echinacea. They can also improve your vision and heart health." - http://www.pathmed.com

So in that spirit folks (and also because I was dying to use my new KitchenAid stand mixer), I thought I'd make these phenomenal Carrot Cupcakes With Maple-Cream Cheese Icing by Smitten Kitchen, for you. I've marked this recipe as "brilliant!!!!" in my recipe file, and that's really all the labeling it needs.

Carrot Cupcakes With Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting (see original recipe here)
Makes 12 (easily doubles if needed)

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup + half of a ¼ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1.5 cups finely grated peeled carrots (3-5)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Line 12 cupcake molds with papers, or butter and flour them.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots. Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each.

Weeeee, look at that baby go!

If you made the same mistake I made of licking the batter off my fingers, you'll have second thoughts about whether to even put these in the oven, or just slurp them as is! Carrots never tasted this good.

4. Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for five minutes or so, then transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.

Success! I guess the stand mixer does make a big difference - my pre-mixer cupcake attempts always fell flat. But these look perfect!

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
A little less than 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

In a stand mixer, beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy and smooth. Chill the frosting for 10-20 mins till it has set up enough to spread smoothly on the cupcakes.

Verdict: I made these while DH was away, traveling for work. Not sure if that was the best or worst decision I ever made. You see, that meant I was left alone for three whole days with these cupcakes. And I wanted to save some for DH for when he got back. Do you see the dilemma? The sheer torture?! Dear readers, I would not make a good spy - I caved in too easily. A mere cupcake was responsible for me losing all semblance of dignity and self-control. But let me correct myself - this was not a mere cupcake. It was the best bite of carrot cake I've ever had. Ever. I'm hooked. I'm addicted. Even after 3 days it was as moist and fragrant and delicious as when it first came out of the oven. I'll be making these again and again throughout this season. Even DH was willing to wrestle me for these cupcakes - and that's saying something, because I'm a scrappy little fighter, and I have nails. If you can't remember a single word from this rambling post, just remember this - Best. Carrot Cake. Ever.

Moist and tender, thy name is carrot cupcake!

I want to give a gold medal to whoever came up with the idea of combining cream cheese frosting (flavored with maple syrup, no less!) with a carrot cake. Pure effin' genius.

I made 12 of these darlings just the night before, but there's only 9 here - what do you suppose that means?!

I've decided to submit these luscious treats to Meeta's Monthly Mingle: High Tea for this month, hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen.