Nasi Briyani - The Malaysian style without the layering

Not the best picture, I also ran out of Saffron
but you could see a speckle of yellow.

Nasi Briyani
3 cups long grain basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for about 20 mins
4 cups water
1 Tbsp corn oil
1 Tbsp butter/ghee
1 tsp of salt (adjust to taste as different types of salt have different intensity)
1 stick 2" cinnamon
1 star anise
5 green cardamon pods
4 cloves
3 cloves garlic, skinned
3 shallots, or 1 medium onion
1 pinch saffron strands (soaked in 2 tbsp hot water) or saffron powder diluted in 2 tbps of water

Method:

• Heat a pan or a deep cast iron pan (with cover). 
• Add oil and ghee until uniformed then brown onions in the pan.
• Once onions are close to being ready reduce heat to low, put in the garlic and spices (except saffron) and stir to fry until fragrant.
• Drain the rice and pour it into the pan with the onion and spice mix.
• Increase the flame a little and fry the rice until all the spice is incorporated.
• Tip water and allow to boil, then bring it down to a simmer and close it with a lid. Then you can choose Rice Method A (No rice cooker) or Rice Method B (Rice cooker)

Rice Method A:

• Lift the lid to check the texture of the rice (if you press on the rice it will break into three pieces, sort of Al dente)
• Cover the lid with a tea towel and cover the rice to allow to cook through on the lowest heat.
• Open the rice in between and tip in the saffron essence in a quick swirl. Turn off the heat and leave the cover on for about 5 mins to allow the rice to absorb the saffron. 
• With a ladel stir around the rice to create lovely multicolour Briyani rice

Rice Method B:

• Alternately you could then tip the entire portion into a rice cooker and let it do the rest.
• You could open the lid to check the progress of the rice and tip in the saffron essence in a swirl and leave it at 'keep warm' or off for a few minutes before fluffing up the rice.

Serve rice with curry of choice.

The above ensemble is Briyani rice with Chicken Curry - Fenugreek Leaves. Thanks to Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Nation. I've included the recipe for Fenugreek Chicken at Good Food Channel.

Alternatively you can find it at my blog with the version I've changed a little:
Chicken Curry with Fenugreek Leaves

Chicken Curry with Fenugreek Leaves

Chicken Curry with Fenugreek leaves

Chicken Curry - Fenugreek leaves

1 Tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp of Ghee

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tsp garlic, finely grated or crushed

1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2½ cm chunks

4 tbsp canned chopped tomatoes

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric

¼ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt

A pinch dried fenugreek leaves

Method (adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Nation)

• Set a deep  pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and when it’s hot, tip in the onion. Fry for 10 minutes, or until it is light brown, then add the garlic and ginger. Fry for 2 minutes. 
• Add the chicken and brown for 2 minutes. Put in the tomatoes and green chillies. Stir for 2 minutes, then add the turmeric and ½ teaspoon of salt. 
• Mix well for 5 minutes before adding the chilli powder and garam masala. Stir and crumble in the dried fenugreek leaves. 
• Mix in 360ml of hot water, or enough just to cover the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, then serve.

Please go here for the original recipe

Banana Cake/Bread (as some people want to point out)

The Spotted D*ck! xD

The over ripen banana dilemma is a sad thing. Not if you know what to do with it. I have a few good recipes for ripe bananas or call for ripe bananas. These recipes uses items that you should have readily available in your kitchen cabinet if you cook and if you don't, it's okay to stock up on these items you never know when you may need them again.

What the banana cake looks when sliced.

Banana Cake

120 grams Butter (you can use salted or unsalted)
1 cup of sugar (reduce if you don't like things too sweet, I reduce about 3 tablespoons)
2 Large eggs
1 large very ripe banana (smashed about 150-200 ml)
1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla essence
1 1/4 cup of sifted flour (any plain flour will do)
3/4 teaspoon of baking sofa
1/2 teaspoon of salt (omit if using salted butter)

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla to the mashed banana mixture before pouring it into the creamed butter-sugar mixture. Mix well with beater (about 30 seconds would do) Mix all dry ingredients together and sift to the banana mixture. Mix on low speed to prevent flour from exploding all over the kitchen. Pour into a greased loaf pan or a 9x9x2 inch pan. Bake at 180 degrees C for 30 -35 mins. You can test it with a toothpick, if the stick comes out clean it's ready to be removed from the oven. Allow to cool for a few mins and remove the banana cake/bread from the pan and enjoy warm. If you like you can add a dollop of ice-cream or vanilla pudding. It's just amazing!