Fish Biriyani
(With 2tsp Oil)
When we think about Biriyani, the picture we get in mind is of a rich food with no compromise in fat. When we exercise our diet, we can not afford to have the oily/buttery Biriyani. I like Biriyani a lot; my favorite is fish Biriyani. I am not ready to give up my favorite dish in order to maintain a healthy weight, and vise versa, so I found a solution for this predicament, a low fat alternative for Fish Biriyani with out compromising in taste. Now this can add a bit cal if you eat a good serving, but I would say not to worry; satisfy your taste buds, and balance the calorie with rest of the meals on that day. It looks so lengthy for a recipe, but is really not that difficult, and doesn’t take more than an hour to make 2 – 4 servings.
So here goes the Recipe (2servings):

For the Fish Masala:-
Fish fillets (Tilapia/Salmon or any fish which can be made fillets) – 2 cut into small pieces, Onion–1 finely sliced, Tomato – 1 big , sliced, Green chilies – 1 sliced, Garlic & Ginger paste - 2tsp, Almond paste – 2tsp, Rasin paste – 2tsp, Coriander powder- ½ tsp, Red chili powder – 1 tsp, Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp, Coriander (Cilantro) leaves chopped – ½ cup, Salt – 1 tsp, Oil – 1tsp
Method: Clean the fish pieces, and marinate them with ½ tsp salt, turmeric powder, and ½ tsp red chili powder. Heat a non stick pan, add ¼ tsp oil and shallow fry the fish on both sides, and keep aside. Add the other ½ tsp oil to the pan and add onion, green chilies and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic & ginger paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the tomato and fry for another 2minutes. Add coriander powder and ½ tsp red chili powder, salt and fry for a minute. Now add the fish and almond paste and mix well (be careful not to break the fish pieces). Add the rasin paste and mix, and keep for another minute. Add the coriander leaves on top and remove from fire.

For Rice:- Basmati rice – 1 cup, Cardamom – 4, Cloves – 6, Cinnamon – 2 sticks, Oil – 1tsp, Salt – ½ tsp, Hot water – 1 ½ cup
Method: Soak the rice in water with a pinch of salt for 5minutes, wash and drain and spread it on a paper towel or dry cloth to get rid of the water. Heat a deep pan, and add 1tsp oil, Add cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. When they start popping add the rice and fry for 2 – 3 minutes without burning it. Add 1 ½ cups of hot water and ½ tsp salt. Mix well, when it boils simmer the heat and cook until the all the water is absorbed (about 5 minutes).

Baking:- Pre- heat the oven to 300 degree F. In a baking dish layer the rice and fish masala in the order, Rice- fish masala – rice. Cover with an aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve hot with spicy Pickle.