Rice cooker-school lunch box mock biryani.

Make this easy biryani for a kids school meal or pack it up for your work lunch.

All you need is a rice cooker, a little prep work to make this mock biryani.

Not only is this mock biryani a school lunch box meal, but it’s also an easy meal made in a rice cooker.

Sandwiches and buns are quick options for kids’ school meals but knowing they’ll need something filling to keep them going for a few hours, I tend to rotate the weekly menu, including a few noodles and rice dishes as well.

One of the lunch box meals I make is this easy version of the biryani. 

The reason I call it a mock biryani is because it has all the flavors of a typical biryani except for a few ingredients I’ve left out, adapting the biryani recipe for a school lunch box meal.

The changes are…

1/using regular rice(keeri samba)instead of basmati to make this mock biryani.

2/while trying to maintain the flavors of your typical biryani, I’m keeping the use of spices to a minimum.

Maybe your next weekend meal…

And if you feel it’s too much work to make this lunch box biryani for the kids to take to school, no worries, you can make the biryani as a weekend meal.

What are some of the side dishes I can add to the mock biryani?

This meal is about keeping things simple, so you can make one of your favorite salads with a spoon of mango or pineapple chutney(a must)should do.

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Making it easier to make the rice cooker-lunch box biryani in the morning.

Part of the reason why this lunch box meal works for me is that the base of the biryani which is the mix of spices and marinated chicken is done the previous night.

Morning comes, all I need to do is wash a bit of rice, add the cooked chicken with spices to rice cooker and let it cook.

How to pack this rice cooker school lunch box mock biryani.

Once the mock biryani is cooked in the rice cooker, serve the rice into individual lunch boxes. you have to make sure the rice is completely cooled before you cover them with the lids.

Place them in the refrigerator to cool, this would take 15-20 minutes.

To check if the mock biryani is completely cooled, place your hand underneath the box, if it feels warm then don’t cover the lunch box with the lid but let it cool further.

Can I substitute the recommended rice variety with Basmati rice, jasmine rice or any other type of rice?

Please do not substitute the recommended rice with any of the types of rice mentioned above. cooking time and the amount of water varies according to the type of rice used. 

School lunch box mock biryani.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

For the marinade

700g boneless chicken

3 tablespoons of yogurt (you can buy a small cup for this purpose)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon of garam masala

Salt to season

For the biryani spice paste

4 tablespoons of oil

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 large onion finely sliced

1-inch piece of cinnamon

3 cardamoms slightly bruised

1/2 teaspoon pepper powder

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon garam masala 

Salt to season

2 cups of rice(keeri samba or white medium grain rice)

3 cups of water

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Have all the ingredients assembled and ready.

Marinating and cooking the chicken

In a medium-sized bowl combine the pieces of chicken with turmeric, yogurt, salt and garam masala, marinate for 15-20 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, set a cooking pan over medium heat, pour in the oil followed by onions, ginger garlic paste,  cinnamon, cardamom and cook for 3 minutes until the onions turn slightly brown on the edges.

Add tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, garam masala, pepper powder and continue to cook and build the biryani paste.

Once the ingredients in the pan turn into a liquid paste of spices, add the chicken to it, reduce heat to low-medium and continue cooking the chicken in this paste for 15 minutes.

Once the chicken is semi-cooked in the biryani paste, let it completely cool and refrigerate until you use it in the morning.

Cooking the biryani in the rice cooker.

Wash and rinse the rice 2-3 times to remove any impurities. set aside.

Pour in a tablespoon of oil into the rice cooker.

Arrange the cooked chicken with the biryani semi-liquid paste on the bottom of the pan.

Once the chicken is placed evenly on the bottom, add the washed rice and water with salt to season(1/2-1 teaspoon).

Switch on the rice cooker and let the mock biryani cook until the rice cooker switch turns to warm.

As soon as the rice cooker turns to warm, open the rice cooker lid, you need to be careful here as there will be steam.

Leave the rice cooker lid open for 3-5 minutes then using a wooden spoon or fork gently combine rice while bringing the chicken on the bottom to the surface, spend a few minutes mixing the rice well so the seasoning and chicken are distributed evenly.

Serve the mock biryani to individual lunch boxes, follow instructions on how to pack the biryani into lunch boxes given above, then add a cucumber salad and mango chutney to the box.

                     

Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love towards readers who want to cook food for their family. It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

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