Soya-Chunk Biriyani

One fine day, too lazy to cook I stepped into the kitchen. I had cooked the soya-chunks the day before and kept back in the refrigerator. So anyway thought of cooking the soya-chunk masala but was too lazy to cook rice and the different curries for that. A spark came into my mind relieving me from too much of cooking on that very-lazy day. I thought of cooking some white rice which can be easily made in 10-15 mnts. Then mix them each other to form a biriyani. ALl I need to do is a salad as a side for that. Pickle and pappad are already in the box. I was so glad. Thought of sharing the same with you since it was really a successful dish.
Soyachuks are really good for health and it is a vegetarian version of the red meat, beef. This is really a meat analogue in taste as well as look.

Ingredients:
1.Soya chunks-2 cups
2.Oil 4 tbsp
3.Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp
4.Aniseeds(Perinjeerakam) 1 1/2 tsp
5.onion 2 chopped
6.Ginger-Garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp
7.Green Chillies 2 chopped
8.Chilly Powder 1 1/2 tbsp
9.Coriander Powder 1 tbsp
10.Garam Masala 2 tbsp
11.Pepper Powder 1 tbsp
12.Salt,to taste
13.Vinegar 2 tsp
14.Curry Leaves, a few

1. in a vessel, boil 4 cups of water with some turmeric powder,salt and soya-chunks. Once cooked keep aside to cool. Once, cool press each soya chunk firmly to drain all the water content in it. Keep aside.
2. Heat Oil in a pan,splutter mustard seeds.
3. Add aniseeds (perinjeerakam).
4. Once it is brown,add the sliced onion.chopped green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Saute well.
5. Once the onion turns translucent, add soya-chunks and salt.
6. Add chilly powder,coriander powder,vinegar,half of the pepper powder and the home-made garam masala. Add some of the curry leaves and fry nicely.
7. Add 1 glass full water and mix well. When it starts boiling,keep the lid on and cook.
8.Once cooked, reduce the excess water if left over by keeping in medium flame and the pan open. Add the rest of the curry leaves and sprinkle some pepper powder on top and mix once and switch of the flame.

For rice:
1. In a vessel, take cups of water, add all the garam masala items like cardamom, cloves etc. Add some oil too.
2. Add salt to taste and when the water is boiling put the washed,cleaned rice into this.
3. Strain and keep aside when its 3/4 th done.

4. Now in a deep vessel like cooker, Layer the bottom with half the soya masala, then the next layer with half the cooked rice , repeat the same till the masala and rice is finished. Top it with some fried onion if you have them, I used store- bought fried dry onions. On each layer of the rice ghee of 1-2 tbsps can be poured.
5. Cover and cook in medium-low flame till some fumes starts coming from the cooker. Keep for 5 more minutes in very low flame. Donot burn the bottom by keeping in too much flame.
6. Open the lid before serving, transfer it into a flat pan, mix well without mashing the rice. Serve hot with raita,pappad and lime-pickle.