Sabzi Cheese Biryani, Banana Chocolate Bread And Cold Soup by Zarnak Sidhwa

Ingredients For Banana Chocolate Bread:

• Unsalted butter  1/2 cup
• Flour  1 2/3 cups
• Baking soda  1 tsp
• Salt  1/2 tsp
• Sugar  1-1/4 cups
• Eggs  2
• Mashed bananas 1-1/2 cups
• Cream  2 tbsp
• Lemon juice  1 tbsp
  
• Vanilla essence  1 tsp
  
• Chocolate  6 oz

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
2. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
3. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs, one at a time beat in bananas, cream, lemon juice and vanilla essence.
4. Beat in flour mixture and chocolate.
5. Pour batter into loaf pan.
6. Bake until a skewer inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
7. Let bread cool in pan 10 minutes.
8. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
   

Ingredients For Cold Soup:

• Extra virgin olive oil  2 tbsp
  
• Onions finely chopped  2
  
• Garlic finely chopped 1 clove
  
• Potatoes  400 gm
  
• Peas  450 gm
  
• Cucumber  450 gm
  
• Chicken vegetable stock 500 ml
  
• Lemon juice  1 tbsp
• Mint freshly chopped 1 tbsp
• Milk 50 ml
• Silvered Almonds A few
• Mint chopped  to garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil cook the garlic and onions till translucent.
2. Add the cucumber, peas and potatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes coating them well the oil.
3. Add the mint, lemon juice.
4. Salt, pepper and stock and let it come to a boil.
5. Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for 10 -15 minutes till the potatoes are tender.
6. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down.
7. Once cooled puree it in a blender till smooth.
8. Put the puree back in the same pan and heat it without boiling it, adding the milk.
9. Turn off the heat and garnish with some mint and almond flakes before you serve cold.
   

Ingredients For Sabzi Cheese Biryani:

• Rice  2 cups
  
• Mixed vegetables 100 gm
  
• Onion 2
  
• Tomatoes  2
  
• Thick curd  200 gm
  
• Cashew paste  3 tbsp
  
• Cheese grated  100 gm
  
• Cheese cubes  3
  
• Green cardamoms 2
  
• Black cardamom  1
  
• Cinnamon stick  1 inch
  
• Bay leaf  1 small
  
• Ginger garlic paste  1 1/2 tbsp
  
• Coriander powder  1 tsp
  
• Red chili powder  1 tsp
  
• Turmeric powder  1 tsp
• All spice powder  1 tsp
  
• Oil or ghee  4 tbsp
  
• Salt  to taste
  
• Lemon 1/2 lemon
  
• Milk  some
  
• Coriander  for garnish

Method:

1. Boil rice in water.
2. Add some ghee and salt to the rice when the rice is about 3/4 th done, take out from heat drain it on a colander and let it cool for a while.
3. Take out a large spoonful of the rice and keep aside.
4. Add 1/2 tsp of the turmeric powder to the milk and stir well.
5. Pour this milk on the rice that has been kept aside and mix well.
6. This will give the rise a nice yellow color.

For the gravy:

1. In a pan add the oil.
2. Once the oil is hot add in the whole spices and add the onions and cook till the onions are nicely browned.
3. Add in the ginger garlic paste and cook well.
4. Add in the chopped tomatoes let cook and then add in coriander, red chili, turmeric, garam masala powder and cook well.
5. Add a little water if required.
6. Now add the mixture has thickened a bit.
7. Add in the curd and let it simmer.
8. Add in the vegetables, salt and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Finally, add in the lemon.

For the assembling:

1. Line a  deep pan with oil or ghee and pour in half the cheese on top the rice.
2. Also, add some of the colored rice to this repeat the layering process with the other half of the gravy, rice and cheese.
3. Slice the cubes into fine squares and layer on the top.