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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Recipe

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani is famouse in South Asia. It is the most ordered in Indian restaurents. Let's prepare for healthy and tasty Chicken Biryani

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani


Total Time: 1 hr + 3 hrs Marinating 
Serves: 3

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups Basmati Rice
  • 3/4 kg Chicken Pieces
  • 1 cup beaten Yogurt (curd)
  • 3 sliced onion
  • 1 medium Tomato chopped 1/2 cup Tomato Puree
  • 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder 
  • 1 tsp Turmeric Powder 
  • 1 tsp Roasted cumin powder 
  • 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder 
  • 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom Powder 
  • 1 tsp Coriander Powder 
  • 1/2 cup Warm Milk
  • Saffron a pinch
  • Salt to taste 
  • 7 tbsp Ghee / Oil Grind to Paste: 1 tsp Ginger Paste
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Paste
  • 1/4 cup Coriander Leaves 
  • 1/4 cup Mint Leaves 
  • 3 -4 Green Chillies
  • For garnish 2 tbsp Green Coriander Leaves 
  • 2 tblsp Mint Leaves (Pudina)

Procedure:
  • First make a fine paste of all the ingredients under the Grind to paste using a tablespoon of water.
  • Mix tomato puree, yogurt, green paste made earlier, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, roasted cumin powder, garam masala, coriander powder and salt. Stir well.
  • Marinate the chicken with this mixture and keep aside for 3-4 hours in refrigerator.
  • Heat oil in a pan. Fry the onions until golden brown.
  • In a small bowl take the warm milk and soak the saffron in it and keep aside.
  • Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Now add the beaten curd and chopped tomato and cook further till the oil separates.
  • Check the salt at this stage as later you cannot add the salt.
  • Now add the rice and mix well with soft hand as not to break the rice grains.
  • Add 4 cups of water to the rice. Mix saffron in milk and add to it.
  • Add cardamom powder. Stir once.
  • Cover the lid and cook on low flame till the rice is done.
  • Take it out on a rice platter.
  • Garnish with green coriander and mint leaves and serve hot.
  • This chicken biryani goes well with mix vegetable raita.

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