Back from Little India with a big haul of spices!? Can’t wait to make chicken biryani! Hmm, why do I always get so excited when I go shopping at Mustafa Centre, lol.?
It’s a spice galore
It’s because I’m always drawn to the huge masala section at Mustafa Centre (Level 2) where there is a plethora of different Indian spices! Seriously, I really doubt you can find another place in Singapore like this where you can basically find all ingredients that are needed to whip up some legit home-cooked Indian food. Chicken biryani, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, curries and daal – you name it, they have it.?
Tooba spice mix
This Tooba brand of spice mix is one of my favourites. I like that it doesn’t contain any MSG or preservatives. I’ve been using this brand for a few years now. So convenient and inexpensive. Most importantly, the taste is pretty legit.
Check out my Tandoori Chicken Recipe using Tooba spice mix.?
Save money on spices
Price is relatively cheap too. The box of Tooba Biryani Masala costs only $1.40 and it comes with 2 packets of spice mix which you can use for two meals. In fact, every packet is sufficient for a serving size of 6-8 pax so if you have a smaller family, you can further divide the portions and make each box last for four meals.
Spices lose potency over time
If you don’t cook Indian food all the time, then I highly recommend that you buy these pre-mixed spices as it’s more cost-effective than buying individual spices (such as cumin, cardamom, cloves, etc) that are normally sold in bigger portions than what you need. Spices and herbs do lose their fragrance and potency over time especially ground spices and dried leafy herbs. Therefore it’s pointless to stock up on them (waste of money too) if you don’t intend to use them regularly.
Chicken biryani can be made healthy too
For my Chicken Biryani Recipe, I try to make it as healthy as possible. For example, by using brown rice that is low in GI and high in fibre. Its slightly chewy texture and nutty fragrance also add dimension to the dish. The Greek yogurt that I had used contained no added sugars. I didn’t add any extra salt as the spice mix already had sufficient salt in it. Skin from the chicken was removed and any visible fats were trimmed away as well. I used a non-stick pan to prepare the chicken so there wasn’t a need to add too much oil.
See, eating healthy isn’t difficult at all. Just need to make little changes like these.?
Pair the biryani with a delicious onion raita
I served my chicken biryani with hard-boiled egg (or you can do sunny side up), cucumber chunks and onion raita. Check out my Onion Raita Recipe which is really easy to make. It’s a must-have as it pairs beautifully with the biryani. Really cuts the heaviness of the rice dish and also refreshes the taste buds at the same time. Enjoy!
- 1kg chicken, skin removed & chopped
- 700g brown rice, rinsed
- 300g red onions, peeled & sliced
- 4 tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges
- 250g natural Greek yogurt with no added sugar
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 handful of coriander leaves
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 packet Tooba Biryani Masala spice mix (60g)
- cucumber chunks & onion raita as sides