Chickpeas Coconut Milk Biryani / Channa Biryani with coconut milk

For Day 2 of Blogging Marathon under the theme "Pick one Cook All" with chickpeas/channa as my star ingredient, we are going to see a Main course entree, yummy Chickpeas Biryani with coocnut milk. Its been so long time i made biryani using coconut milk. Due to calorie conscious i completely stopped using coconut milk in my cooking. For a change, i tried this chicpeas coconut milk biryani. I marinated the chicpeas with yogurt n other spices like chicken/meat and cooked in non-veg biryani style. Biryani turned out so delicious, still the taste n flavor lingering in my mind. Now to the recipe...

Ingredients

1. Basmati Rice   2 cups
2. Coconut milk   2 cups
3. Onion   2 large(sliced)
4. Tomato 2 meidum(chopped)
5. Green chilli   4-5 no.s(slitted)
6. Mint leaves    1/4 cup(finely chopped)
7. Ginger Garlic paste    2 tbsp
8. Red chilli powder    1-2 tsp
9. Corinader powder    1tsp
10. Turmeric powder    1/4 tsp
11. Salt   to taste
12. Cilantro     few finely chopped

To Temper

1. Oil    3-4 tbsp
2. Shahi Jeera/Black cumin seeds    1/4 tsp
3. Fennel seeds    1/4 tsp
4. Cinnamon   2" stick
5. Clove   4-5 no.s
6. Cardamom   4no.s
7. Marathi mokku   2 no.s
8. Bay leaf     1 big or 2-3 small

To Marinate

1. Chickpeas    1 cup
2. Yogurt   1tbsp
3. Ginger garlic paste    1 tsp
4. Chilli powder    1/2 tsp
5. Turmeric powder    a pinch
6. Salt    pinch

Method

• Wash n soak chickpeas overnight, then cook but not mushy, drain n keep ready.

• Take cooked chickpeas in a small bow, add all the marinating ingredients and mix well and keep covered.
• Wash n soak basmati rice for atleast 30 minutes.Chop onions n tomatoes n keep other things ready.

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add the tempering ingredients one by one allow to splutter, then add sliced onions n green chilli and saute for 1-2 minutes.

• Then add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell leaves and add chopped mint leaves n tomatoes and saute till tomatoes turns soft n mushy.

• After that add marinated chickpeas, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

• Then add soaked n drained basmati rice and stir fry for 1 minutes.

• Now add coconut milk, 1 cup water n enough salt n few finely chopped cilantro leaves...stir well and pressure cook for 1 whistle  or cook without pressure until rice done.
• That's it...Tasty Chickpeas Cononut milk biryani ready. Serve Hot with any Raita.

Notes:
I used freshly prepared coconut milk.
For real flavor n taste, always add equal amount of  coconut milk n rice...ie., if u use 1.5 cup rice add 1.5 cup coconut milk+water.
Instead chickpeas you can also use chicken/mutton/mixed vegs/soya chunks.
If using panneer biryani, fry the marinated paneer in tawa n add it to the biryani after rice gets cooked...combine n enjoy as Paneer Biryani with coconut milk.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 16.