BIRYANI |
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BIRYANI The traditional ratio of rice to meat in a biryani is that the meat should be double the weight of the rice. You can increase the proportion of rice by a third without altering the quantities of the other ingredients if you want to make the dish stretch a little further. You can make either a chicken or lamb biryani. The first step is to make the quorma. 2lb chicken or lamb cut into cubes 8oz onions, peeled and coarsely chopped 8oz clarified butter or 10 tblsp oil 4-5 large cardamoms 10-12 small cardamoms 6-8 garlic cloves, crushed 1.5 inc cube fresh ginger, grated 1.5 tsp ground coriander 1tsp red chilli powder 1.5 tsp salt 8oz natural yoghurt, whisked a pinch of saffron - as much as you can afford! Brown the onions in oil or ghee. When they have turned a golden brown, remove from pan leaving a few strands behind in the oil. Place onions in a blender and pulse to a rough paste. Grind both cardamoms enough to reduce to a rough powder. Mix the cardamom powder with the onion paste and reserve for use later. Add the lamb or chicken to the pan which you used for the onions and stir over a medium high heat. When the meat is sealed, add the garlic, ginger, coriander, chilli powder and salt. Keep stirring briskly to prevent the spices from sticking. As soon as the spices are evenly distributed and begin to turn a shade darker ( usually a few minutes), pour in the yoghurt and stir to mix the ingredients well. Cover and cooker on lowest heat for approx 1 - 1.5 hours. (Until meat is tender). Check on the sauce during cooking, and add a little water if necessary. When the meat is close to being done, add the onion and cardamom paste and cook gently until the lamb is very well done. The sauce should be thick, if it is too runny, increase the heat and evaporate some of the liquid. 5 minutes before serving, add the saffron strands and cover with a well fitting lid so that the aroma is absorbed by the meat and sauce. Now to turn the quorma into a biryani....you'll need 2 cups basmati rice 3-4 large cardamoms 1 tsp black peppercorns 2 bay leaves 2 cloves 1/2 tsp black cumin seeds a pinch of nutmeg and mace - not essential though pinch of salt 1 medium onion 2-3 tblsp oil or ghee 3/4 cup full cream milk (add cream to milk in ratio of 1:3) 8 oz natural yoghurt large pinch of saffron 2-3 green chillies, or to taste, finely chopped 3-4 tblsp fresh coriander, chopped finely Garnish - crispy fried onions & fresh coriander leaves Wash rice well under cold water. Bring to the boil approx 8 cups of water in large covered saucepan. Allow 3.5-4 cups water for each cup of rice and put it on to boil with all the whole spices, nutmeg, mace and salt. Allow rice to half cook over high heat. (approx 5 minutes) DO NOT OVERCOOK THE RICE. Drain rice, then place half in the bottom of a heavy bottomed saucepan or casserole. Place quorma - including sauce - in the middle of the rice, and cover it with the remaining rice. Brown the onions in oil/ghee, removing from pan when done. Pour the oil/ghee remaining in the pan over the rice, and place onions on top of rice. Pour milk into the rice and spread the yoghurt out evenly over the surface. Sprinkle on the saffron. Place chopped green chillies and fresh coriander over the top of rice. Cover with a well fitting lid. Place saucepan back onto high heat, and allow steam to build up inside the saucepan/casserole. A heavy based pan is essential as this will assist in preventing rice sticking/burning on bottom of pan. Alternatively you could use a heat diffuser. Once the heat has built up steam, turn heat down to low and leave for approx 20 minutes. Serve on large serving plate with additional fried onions and coriander leaves as garnish. I must admit that a well done biryani is a taste delight... |