Curry leaves Biryani

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice          -  1 cup
Curry leaves           -  a handful
Onion                     -  1 no
Garlic                     -  1 full
Ginger                    -  1 inch
Green chilies           -  1 no
Cardamom             -  1 no
Cloves                    -  3 - 4 nos
Dal chini                 -  1/2 inch stick
Bay leaves(Tej pati)-  1 nos (Crushed and broken into pieces)
Ghee                      -  2 table spoons
Sugar                     -  1/2 tea spoon
Salt to taste

1.  Wash and soak rice in 1 & 1/2 cups of water.
2.  Clean curry leaves and grind it into a paste along with ginger, carlic and green chilies.
3.  Hear ghee in a kadai, add cardamom, cloves, finely broken dal chini pieces and bay leaves.
4.  After they turn to brown colour add the ground paste and stir continuously till they cook well.
5.  Drain the water from soaking rice and keep the water aside.
6.  Add the drained rice to the kadai and stir fry till the rice becomes light pinkish.
7.  Add the drained water, salt and sugar and cook in low flame till the rice is cooked well.
8.  Serve hot with kurma, raita and papad.

Generally Curry leaves when used in cooking, are removed from the food and thrown away.  They have many medicinal values which are not fully used because of this.  In this biryani its medicinal values are fully used.

Properties of curry leaves:  It is known as an anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,  anti-hypercholesterolemic etc. Curry leaves are also known to be good for hair, for keeping it healthy and long. They also contain iron..