Kala’s Beef (Bull) Biriyani for Christmas

India banned cow slaughter in 1977, so my husband’s friend used to refer to beef dishes as bull dishes as bull slaughter was (and is) allowed. My family loves the rich flavour of beef and I have been making this biriyani for 4 decades, especially for the Christmas feast. I created a beef biriyani recipe as mutton prices had soared and good mutton was hard to get. I have refined this recipe over the decades and it is now a sumptuous, satisfying, and irresistible treat. I serve it with my Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala and Thayir Pachadi (Yoghurt and Onion Salad). I have now begun serving this biriyani with a boiled egg as well, as all the restaurants serve biriyani this way and it makes this biriyani extra festive.

Kala’s Beef (Bull) Biriyani for Christmas

Steamed Chocolate Pudding for Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I always wanted to have pudding for Christmas. Indians enjoy having a sweet as dessert after a fine meal, so I wanted it to be a chocolate pudding and it also had to be a steamed pudding because most Indians do not have a baking oven at home. I combined features from various recipes to arrive at an easy-to-make pudding in an Indian kitchen. I serve it with Vanilla Ice Cream or gelato, but you can use any flavour of your choice. Combined with ice cream, this makes an ideal dessert to end an Indian Christmas feast, because we have a fairly warm December. You can also pour chocolate sauce over the pudding if you do not want to serve the pudding with ice cream.

Steamed Chocolate Pudding for Christmas

Thirunelveli Mutton Pulav with Inji Thuvaiyal (Ginger Chutney)

This recipe was a Christmas treat in my family when I was growing up in Thirunelveli, but my mother did not make it on Christmas as there was already so much work to be done. Instead she would make it between Christmas and New Year. I simplified this traditional recipe a lot, allowing me to easily make it on Christmas Day as the main dish in the feast. This is traditionally served with the hot and sweet Inji Thuvaiyal (recipe below) and Thayir Pachadi.

Thirunelveli Mutton Pulav with Inji Thuvaiyal (Ginger Chutney)

Thirunelveli Kari Vadai (Thirunelveli Mince Patties)

Christmas is the special time of year when people suddenly remember you and drop in hoping for a tasty bite or two 🙂 Carol singers may also pop by to delight you with their enthusiasm if not their talent 😀 This Kari Vadai is my grandmother’s recipe, which I used to enjoy in my Thirunelveli days; it is easy to make and a delight to consume – a guaranteed guest pleaser! It can be served as a snack or as an accompaniment to the Christmas feast along with onion rings and lemon wedges.

Thirunelveli Kari Vadai (Thirunelveli Mince Patties)

Kala’s Christmas Chicken Biriyani

Biriyani is a choice festive dish or perhaps THE choice festive dish for most occasions. During Christmas, chicken or mutton biriyani is prepared in Christian homes. There are varieties of biriyani in India, every part having its own speciality. This chicken biriyani is Tamilian and my own version and a big favourite with the family. My children say the aroma from the kitchen makes them drool and become ravenously hungry when I make it.

Christmas Chicken Biriyani with Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala and Thayir Pachadi

Cookies for Santa

Today is Advent, and I will be starting a series of recipes for Christmas and the New Year to help you with your holiday weight gain 🙂 Here is a lemony shortbread cookie recipe developed by my daughter and myself.

Lemony Shortbread Cookies for Santa

Coconut Burfi (Toffee)

Deepavalli, the festival of lights, is celebrated on November 10^th this year. Various kinds of sweets are made in households and the children love taking the sweets to their neighbours, dressed in their new outfits. Nowadays most of the sweets are typically bought from stores, but some sweets are still made at home and the coconut burfi is one of those. It is also made during Christmas in Christian households.

Coconut Burfi (Toffee)