January 31, 2009

Brown Basmati Egg Biriyani with Chickpeas

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This recipe is for a friend who asked me once... "How do you eat brown rice, I just can't seem to get used to it!"
I am sure she would be reading this today :) And I hope I can convert her from White to Brown with this recipe.

Brown rice has a lot of benefits. For one, it is very filling and you would tend to eat less. Well, there's a start!
It falls under the whole grain variety which seems to be recommended a lot these days. You must have seen those "Get more whole grains into your diet for a healthier you" appearing everywhere. If you haven't seen it, then you are looking at the wrong places, er... defnitely not in a fast food place.

So, what exactly is the difference between a brown and white rice, you may ask...
When only the outer husk is removed you get brown rice, and when the inner bran layer is removed you get white rice. Seems simple, but the bran layer is what packs all the nutrients. All that remains is white rice and carbs after stripping the grain of all its actual goodness.

Nutritional benefits of brown rice: They are rich in fiber, fatty acids (that lowers cholesterol), certain vitamins and Iron.

How to prepare brown rice:
If you have a rice cooker, then put it on "Brown rice" setting and forget it. Most modern rice cookers have this setting.

If you are using the conventional method, then wash the rice. Soak in warm water for at least an hour or two. Add water in the ratio of 1:2 (or in some cases 1 1/2). Depending on rice and texture preferences, these ratios might change. Always check your package instructions for how much water is recommended for one cup of rice.
Cook using a microwave cooker or cook on stove top like you would normally do for white rice.

Soaking brown rice is important. It allows germination and making it much more nutritious.

Changing from white to brown, does take time and you may not enjoy the fuller taste and feel of brown rice initially. But if you care more about your health, then more power to you!

This is a easy recipe to make especially if you are trying out brown rice for the first time. Egg Biriyani is an Indian dish normally prepared with rice, some vegetables and eggs of course.
I added chick peas to give it that added bite and flavor.
This is only kind of biriyani I make at home and I just love it.

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Brown Basmati Egg Biriyani with Chickpeas

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4
Brown Basmati Rice - 3 cups
Garbanzo/Chickpeas - 2 cups (canned or soaked and cooked)
Red onion - 2 cups (chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 cups (chopped)
Egg Biriyani masala - 2 tsp
Ginger - 2 tbsp chopped
Garlic - 4-5 cloves sliced
Bay Leaf - 1
Cloves - 2
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 4 to 5 torn by hand
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Fried Onions - 2 tbsp (To garnish, optional)
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - To taste

Method:

Hard boil eggs and keep separately.

Cook brown rice according to package instructions, which includes soaking in warm water and then cooking it with rice cooker or on the stove top.
The cooked rice should be al dente, not mushy. Cool completely.

In a wide pan on medium-high heat, heat oil, add cloves, bay leaf, curry leaves, ginger, garlic and saute well.

Add onions and saute till slightly brown. Add turmeric and salt.

Next add the tomatoes, pepper and saute for at least 5 minutes on medium high heat.

Add the egg biriyani masala and saute again. Add the garbanzo/chickpeas and mix well. Let the chickpeas cook for a while in the masala.

Score the eggs with a knife, or split them in half and add it to the masala.

At any point if you think the masala is too thick, add a little water. I normally don't do this, since the rice tends to become soggy when mixed together.

Turn off heat and then add the cooled cooked rice and mix well with a little oil to keep the rice grains separate.
Make assessment as to how much rice will be needed for the masala you make. Add more or less rice according to taste and heat level.

Mix thoroughly. Just before serving, add the fried onions and serve it along with yogurt raita.

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This dish goes to:

Alexandra's Chefspiration's Healthy Choices
Ms's JFI Chickpea
Sudeshna's Harvest: The Festival of Rice

102 comments:

  1. I made tomato rice with brown basmati rice and it turned out to be a disaster. With your assurance, I am going to try it another time.

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  2. sooper pics :)
    I am thinking of shifting to brown rice :)
    hey... is there a place where we can get a small quantity if brown rice? I do not want to buy too much and finding out that I don't like it...

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  3. im not a fan of brown rice either...but i think this recipe ought to convince me about brown rice. The pic looks gr8!

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  4. Sounds great, I love using day-old brown rice and egg substitute to make fried brown rice. This looks quite similar!

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  5. Wow!! Love this egg biriyani.I have never tried using eggs in any of my dishes.But am tempted to try this one.Hey what egg biriyani masala did u use?Is it homemade or store bought?

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  6. Cilantro - The key is cooled rice when making any mixed rice varieties if mushy was the problem.

    Indhu - FredMeyer, PCC, WholeFoods all carry brown basmati, brown long grain and short grain in the bulk section. You can get as little as you want.

    Lakshmi - There was only one brand of Egg Biriyani masala at the store. I don't remember the name of it, but if you find more than one, it should all work well.

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  7. Looks yum, thanks for the tip about soaking brown rice, I never do that...great pictures as usual :-)

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  8. At last,you appeared.I would love this without egg.Rice looks great.Never tried brown basmathi,thgh,it is in the works.

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  9. Hey, though am a vegan, i could not take my eyes from your post because of the benefits you have mentioned about brown rice. Really new to me..have to try it out..Thanks dear for sharing such a wonderful info..

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  10. I guess this needs to be tried brown rice sounds very healthy.. may be this shopping trip i will pick up pack

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  11. ..only if my hubby listens to me..He hates the taste of brown rice..:(..I have seen this in FredMeyer's..I am gonna buy the small pack this time..
    Biriyani looks fab as usual..:)

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  12. @ your comment on my blog - I was talking abt the king county library at Kingsgate..i live in Kirkland!

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  13. Briyani using brown rice is a cool idea,making me to think of trying brown rice :)

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  14. TH doesn't like brown rice but I think I could try this with basmati.. why didnt I think of making egg biriyani before?!

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  15. Thanks for the comment :) After a little forum-browsing, I found that many people sprinkle nutritional yeast on their popcorn and add it to their salad dressings. I will try these out and see which ones I like best (a ton of vegan bloggers can't be wrong!)

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  16. he he he...will surely change to brown rice :) luv the biriyani...looks very tempting...

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  17. My hubby is crazy over brown rice,he's ready for the switch ,but only if it was sold in bigger quantities at affordable price.I brought the same kind of brown organic basmati,making a biryani is certainly a smart idea,looks very appetizing with eggs:)

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  18. I'm okay with brown rice.. my husband's not a fan though.. hoping to convert him sometime. This egg biryani looks awesome. Always a favorite at home.

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  19. you have sure converted me...i keep hesitating to use the brown rice in my kitchen, but the biryani looks lip smacking!

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  20. I dont take eggs, but those two eggs in the first pic look very cute :) Anyways, i'm gonna try this without the eggs. I haven't tried brown rice either.

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  21. In sake of diet i made twice brown rice veg biryani with jasmine long grain. I got to tell you they were like pillow and hard to swallow. I ended up mixing for adai the rest of rice! The basmati brown rice got to try so for ratio is 1 : 3 for basmati?
    I would love to taste ur egg biryani, looks so yummy!

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  22. biriyani looks yummy.feel like making it right away :)

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  23. Great recipe! Never tried brown rice before.. My husband bought the brown basmati rice by mistake last month, and I didn't feel like returning it. I was planning to be innovative and cook something healthy with it, and here comes your timely post! Thanks!! Looks delicious.. will sure try this..

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  24. I love brown rice, it is so healthy, but I never made biriyani with it.. brown basmati is also new to me, and I don't have a 'brown rice' setting on my rice cooker. will try to find the here in the stores and try a biriyani recipe with it (I don't eat eggs) the conventional way. Thanks for the post!

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  25. I never tasted this rice before. Love to prepare this biryani which makes me drool. Bookmarked for weekend....

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  26. never tried brown rice..should try biryani..sounds good

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  27. Great flavors...I love brown basmati rice.

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  28. Mmm I remember hating brown rice when I was a kid. Now I adore it! I've never seen brown basmati in Australia that isn't pre-cooked, but hopefully I'll come across some soon. This dish looks wonderful!

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  29. Never tried anything with brown rice, brownrice egg biriyani looks delicious n gorgeous clicks..

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  30. These looks so good and yummy! I prefer brown rice to white its more crunchy and filling. Didn t know about the soaking though thanks for the info :) good day or night :))

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  31. Egg Biryani in Brown rice makes it a healthy option and with chick peas wow Muh mein paani aagaya :)

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  32. Egg Biryani in Brown Rice makes it a healthy option and with Chickpeas makes it more mouth watering....

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  33. Never tried brown rice. We won't eggs, let me try with vegetables. Your picturesa are awesome and great info about the nutrional value. Thanks Anu for sharing.

    Regarding the besan laddu, it will yield approximately 40 nos in mmedium size.

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  34. Never tried brown rice before.. Biriyani looks yummy& very tempting...

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  35. Love the benefits of brown rice though I have never made it myself.Good thing you always try really healthy stuff and make us all aware too.

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  36. Have not yet tried brown rice but your recipe makes me want to try it.

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  37. Looks delectable. Lovely clicks!

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  38. mmmm wish i could taste some,..specially such a tiring day,,,.

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  39. My husband was anti-brown rice at first, but I convinced him that it's good after some time. This looks great!

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  40. Thanks for the comment.. Anuvidya..
    rice looks yummy.. the pictures are inviting.. I am gonna try brown rice too..

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  41. Pic is so tempting divs...recipe also...aana biriyani epdi korachi sapdarathu?LOL...i have a small bag of brown basmathi rice bought l..o..n..g back...have to try ur recipe,if not with brown basmathi,will surely will do with basmathi rice :))))

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  42. OMG! That is fab looking dish, very nice. With eggs, my kids would love this. Bookmarked! :)

    See you next week, have a wonderful and safe weekend there.

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  43. Love Brown basmati.. Your egg biryani looks awesome. Will try this one soon. Thanks.. Have a great weekend.

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  44. I love brown rice, not converting needed here, but your recipe does sound delicious!

    I have a quick question. You mentioned soaking the rice, which I have never done, but I was a bit confused from the way you mentioned it after the rice cooker. I have an old/cheap rice cooker, no brown rice setting (just on/off). Do you recommend soaking when using a rice cooker too? Thanks!

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  45. Biryani looks very delicious Anu. I am also not a fan of Brown Rice I think by seeing ur biryani I will try brown rice

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  46. Cham - The ratio would be somwhere around 1:2 depending on how firm or mushy you want it, and the type of rice you buy. Following package instructions would be a good idea. I ideally would stay somewhere close to 1:2 or 1: 1 1/2. I will make a note of that in the post.

    Shreya - Don't worry if you don't have a "brown rice" setting on your rice cooker. Make sure to soak it before use, that should do the trick.

    Alisa - Brown rice needs to be soaked in warm water either way, rice cooker or not.
    If you have a setting on the cooker for brown rice, all it does is delay the start time for cooking. It allows the rice to soak for an hour before the machine turns to cook mode.
    Otherwise when using a normal cooker or stove top, you still have to soak for an hour or so and then put the rice in the cooker and start cooking. Hope that helps.

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  47. I saw brown basmati rice recently in Indian stores, though didnt buy it wondering how will it taste...this is a good idea Anu...great pictures.

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  48. I like brown rice. like the feel better than white. more than the taste i think what one needs to get used to is cooking it & the water amount:-) I make pulao with chana but never used egg, also I wasn't even aware that u get egg briyani masala! will go & look now. with something looking so delicious i bet ur friend will change her mine:-)

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  49. Brown rice and chaick peas sounds like a hit combo. Biryani is nice way to try brown rice. Looks delicious Divya.

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  50. Wow the egg biriyani looks so yummy delicious.
    Wish i had a plate of that.

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  51. I like brown rice, count me in...love this dish, looks good.

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  52. i have heard a lot abt brown rice, but guess what I havent tasted it before, cuz I always hear ppl say that its not as tasty, after reading abt it here, i might buy a pack & just try it once to see if Iam gonna like it.

    Nice pic

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  53. The reason i want to cook brown rice is as it is much healthier, no doubt. But, yes, the smell of polished white basmati rice is incomparable.
    Your brown rice recipe looks fantastic! never came across an eegg biriyani curry but i think im will try to make my own version. Have got quite many eggs at home. :)
    Yum yum yum yum! That's all I think on seeing your lovely pictures!

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  54. Anu, I publish just one post on every Wednesday at FH and 2 posts(only for events) at Aroma per week! It has become a tradition for my fellow bloggers who know me since 2 yrs now. Before I had just one blog ie FH and I used to post 4-5 every week! ;D

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  55. Briyani is my all time favourite. Pls pass it to me. Simple recipe but great picture.

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  56. I got brown basmati rice once, but didn't happen to cook it more than twice. Then used it all up for dosas and idlis. I will try again with ur recipe of Biryani. A healthier option anyway. Btw, pics are stunning.

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  57. I am a big fan of brown rice. I'd eat it any way its done. Ive never had a briyani with brown rice though. Great idea!

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  58. aree va divya..plzzzzzz let me tht plate..i am getting crazy watching my fav egg biriyanii...

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  59. Great to know the uses of brown rice. I m too getting used to it. Lovely Biryani . Tempts me a lot:)

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  60. Looks beautiful and tempting.I dont prefer brown rice too,after looking at ur recipe am tempted to use it for once atleast:)

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  61. I love brown rice, for the reasons in your recipe... it can have full bodies flavor all around... the dish really looks fantastic!

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  62. Looks Yummy :) Will definitely try. I love the pics.

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  63. hm such a big eggs u got there.. nice pic with egg on the top.. though i m vegan i cant take the eggs i ll take the rice bowl.. which looks n tastes yum yum yummy.

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  64. Hi,
    Brown rice egg biriyani with egg and chickpeas looks and sounds yummy! I use brown basmati myself and I might just make this today. Thanks for a lovely second entry to JFI Chickpea!
    best,
    ms

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  65. Hello,

    I enjoyed your recipes...specially the brown rice biriyani...:-)
    I publish an online interactive magazine for women across the world.http://www.bkhush.com
    Would you be interested in sharing some of your mouth watering recipes with the readers of b'khush?...If you do so...it'll be such a great pleasure for me and the readers of B'khush.
    Please let me know...:-)


    looking forward to hearing from you very soon...:-)


    Regards
    Antara

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  66. I'm guessing this biryani would be just as delicious without the eggs. Very nice, Divya!

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  67. I love brown basmati, but preferably for salads and rice side dishes. The texture is more chewy than white stuff I find.

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  68. I only like brown rice. It is the best! Great looking dish!

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  69. hey anu..that looks great..health and taste in a single package!!

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  70. Hi, pls trail back to me, got somehting for u in my blog.

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  71. Hi da..
    Biriyani looks delicious ..i never made egg biriyani ...will try for sure ...

    love
    veena

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  72. My hubby is a gr8 fan of brown rice..he will love this recipe for sure!
    thanks for sharing

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  73. hi anu,

    Biryani with brown rice is a fantastic idea. The Pics look damn cool, will try this healthier option sometime.
    TC

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  74. hi anu,

    Biryani with brown rice is a fantastic idea. The Pics look damn cool, will try this healthier option sometime.
    TC

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  75. i have heard of brown rice but havent ever used it for cooking... mite just start with this recipe!!
    mandira

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  76. Amazing blog.. Mouth licking dishes. I will try one of your dishes.

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  77. Even me never tried brown rice.
    Looks catchy.

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  78. Never tried using brown rice. Will try soon...Lovely pictures

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  79. I loves biryani! In Malaysia there is alot of Indian Restaurant or we called it "mamak" serve this kind of dishes.Are these same as what they call "bukhara" rice?They come with verity like with chicken or lamb.Is it the same?

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  80. Thanks for the recipe. This definitely makes for a satisfying and hearty meal especially with the chickpes.

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  81. Great recipe! We often eat red rice. My five year old likes it because it's fun; we like it because it's nutty. The bonus is that it's healthier. Although we like to keep it a secret from the kid :)

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  82. Divi.. I'm back! Wonderful click and chickpea in egg briyani is new for me.. will surely try out!
    Do visit my space, hav some new stuff!

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  83. Great flavor with eggs and channa. Brown rice always make us fuller than regular white rice. It's best to use it only for pulaos and biryani's. Healthy post, Anu

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  84. Great flavor with eggs and channa. Brown rice always make us fuller than regular white rice. It's best to use it only for pulaos and biryani's. Healthy post, Anu

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  85. Hi Divya!
    Not to long ago I got into the "Brown rice" and have cooked very little from the big brown bag. N doesnt seem to have a major taste it so I gonna try your egg biryani and try my luck one last time!
    Keep blogging gurl:)
    TC
    Prasanthi

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  86. Anu, that eggs are very tempting! I really loved your Amma's blog too.Will comment there later..See u :)

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  87. Anu:
    Glad you are promoting brown rice. We have been eating it for a decade and absolutely love it!

    I didn't know about washing or soaking it; but i do it in the cooker as for regular rice, but add and extra half cup of water extra: Thus 1 cup rice get 2 and 1/2 cups water. Comes out nice and fluffy!

    Will try soaking it first; perhaps it will improve my running and make me faster?

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  88. Brown rice biryani seems quite interesting and innovative.

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  89. hello im new 2 your blog actually new to blogspot ...........so making the rounds hoping to befriend new people........that egg biryani sure looks delicious........i have tried brown rice.......its got this nutty toasted kind of flavor which is different and nice and the end result is that the rice is rather heavy and not light as the polished rice......we are so used to having huge quantities of white rice it was surprising how full we got with so little brown.........

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  90. First time here Anu....You have a nice space too...recipes are new and interesting, Have bookmarked you :)

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  91. Very nice blog with delicious recipes.

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  92. I love brown rice and I love biryani-so,I'm sure going to love this dish! I try to add veggies whenever I make biryani-that way,we get our fair share of veggies too ;)

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  93. am not brown rice fan,bt ur recipes looks too tempting....nice pic n recipes....will try soon,thx for sharing

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  94. Nice post Divya :) For the first time I'm seeing a recipe for biriyani with brown rice. Looks tempting :)

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  95. I'm a newbie here. I read your profile and the catch phrases were " cook healthful and nutritious food" and "healthy twist". u got me at that. Now, I guess i'm hooked to ur blog.
    Cheers!

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  96. Forgot to mention that I will defintely be checking out ur MIL's space too :)

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  97. Hi,
    this looks so yumm and love the perfectly cooked basmati!.

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  98. Biriyani is so yummy... Sure i am gone give a try....

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  99. wow what a delicious biryani..loved any kind of biryanis..
    not tried the brown rice..nice picture dear
    sure like to come back to see ur new recipes. following u yaar

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)