biriyani Archives | The Indian Foodie

I vaguely remember the first time I had Biryani. It was for a special celebration in Bangalore, South India at my grandparents’ home. I remember a houseful of mother’s relatives! For us kids, a large square Dari (cotton carpet) was spread on the floor. Fresh banana leaves, washed and cut into oblongs, were placed before us. Then the women in the family came around, serving us heaped spoons of Biryani. No utensils were provided, and we ate with our fingers (hands duly washed and using the tips of our fingers to scoop up the rice)! It was delicious! Mama always fixed it for New Year’s lunch with Channa Dal Curry and Raita. I continue the tradition when able!

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Mama's Biriyani

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2 10

Servings 12 people

A mouth-watering, savory main dish brought to India by the Mughals.

Ingredients

2 lbs rice (wash and let soak in water for 15 minutes before you drain it)
3 lbs beef or mutton (ite-sized bits—wash, drain, and set aside)
3 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp green coriander (take 1 bunch, leaves only; remove stems, though a bit of stem is okay—wash and grind smooth)
3 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp tumeric powder

Other Ingredients

¾ cup oil
4-5 large onions (large onions—peeled and chopped real fine.)
2 whole Serrano chilies (washed and almostslit in half—to taste)
4 sticks cinnamon
4 large black cardamom
4 small green cardamom
6 cloves
4 large tomatoes (chopped fine)
1 tbsp poppy seed (ground smooth—optional)
1 coconut (white part only, ground smooth with the poppy seed, or you can use a can of coconut milk)
1 cup yogurt (well-beaten )
2 tbsp mint leaves (chopped fine)
salt (to taste)
2 fresh limes (juice only)
2 cups peas and carrots (optional)
fried cashews and raisins (for garnish—see notes)

Instructions

To Prepare

Gather all the ingredients before you start. Wash and soak the 5 cups of rice for 15 minutes before you drain it.
Heat ¾ cup of oil. You need extra when you make biryani.
Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Add cut onions and slit green chilies. When half fried (about 10 mins) add meat and salt to taste. Cook in its own juice for about 10-15 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.
Add the ground ginger, garlic, spice powders, and green coriander. Fry until the masala is done. That is, until the water has evaporated and the oil starts to surface at the bottom of the pan. It takes about 10-15 mins.
Now add enough water to cover and cook the meat until three-quarters cooked. (You can use a pressure cooker if you like but make sure the meat is not overcooked). When the meat is three-quarters cooked, and the oil starts to surface on top, remove the pan from the stove. Drain out the excess oil into a measuring cup or bowl. Set aside.
Put the meat back on the stove. Add the beaten yogurt, tomatoes, coconut, and cook until you have a nice thick gravy, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from stove.
To the excess oil you set aside, add the finely cut mint and juice of the lime. Set aside.

For the Rice

Boil 10 cups of water (two cups water to one cup rice). When the water comes to a boil, pour the rice into the boiling water, and add the salt.
Add the peas and carrots, if desired.
When the is almost cooked, drain off all the water. (To test if the rice is almost cooked, remove a few grains and press on them between your finger tips. Most of it will feel soft, but should still feel grainy).

To Cook the Biryani

Turn the oven to 250°F.
In a large roasting pan or oven-safe pot, place a layer of rice, then a layer of the korma curry. Continue in this fashion until the korma is used. The last layer should be the rice. Now drizzle the oil, lime, and mint mixture all over the rice. Cover the dish and cook at 250°F for 20 minutes.
Pull the roaster out of the oven, uncover, and gently toss the rice with a fork so it blends well. Test if the rice is completely cooked. If it still feels grainy, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°F and cook the rice until it is done. Cooked, but not mushy.
Garnish with fried cashew nuts, raisins, and Chandi kawarak (silver foil- available at an Indian grocery store). You can also slice and fry an onion and sprinkle it on top. I have even used boiled eggs, slit lengthwise.

Notes

To Fry the Cashews and Raisins:

Add 1-2 tbsps oil into a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the cashews and let fry for about one minute until a pale golden color, then add the raisins, about 15-20 seconds, until puffed. Immediately remove the cashews and raisins from the pan and place in a dish until you need to use them. This prevents them from burning.

To Serve:

Biryani is served with Channa Dal (Split Chick Pea) Curry and any raita of your choice.

Raita is yogurt mixed with any of the following: grated cucumber, grated coconut, or a fresh chopped blend of onion, tomato, green chili, and cilantro.

Making It Easy:

Sometimes I make it easy on myself, and after making the korma, I just add the rice and the required amount of water. I learned this from a biryani recipe my eldest sibling makes. Just make sure you also take into consideration the amount of gravy when pouring in the water. If there is too much liquid, then the biryani becomes a curried rice porridge!

To Adjust the Serving Size to 4 Large or 6 Medium Portions:

Main Ingredients

1 lb rice (wash and let soak in water for 15 minutes before draining)

1.5 lbs beef or mutton (bite-sized bits—wash, drain, and set aside)

1.5 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp green coriander (ground smooth)

1.5 tbsp coriander powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

Cooking & Flavoring Ingredients

6 tbsp (or ⅜ cup / ~⅓ cup) oil

2 to 2.5 large onions (peeled and chopped real fine)

1 whole Serrano chili (washed and almost slit in half—to taste)

2 cinnamon sticks

2 large black cardamoms

2 small green cardamoms

3 cloves

2 large tomatoes (chopped fine)

½ tbsp poppy seeds (ground smooth—optional)

½ fresh coconut (white part only, ground smooth) OR ½ cup canned coconut milk

½ cup yogurt (well-beaten)

1 tbsp mint leaves (chopped fine)

Salt (to taste)

1 fresh lime (juice only)

1 cup peas and carrots (optional)

Fried cashews and raisins (for garnish)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: biriyani

Streets of Bangalore Photo by Andrea Leopardi on Unsplash

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This recipe is morphed from Mama’s Biryani recipe. Sometimes, I would serve Vegetarian Biryani instead of Biryani with meat or chicken. This saved me the hassle of fixing two types of pilafs for a lunch or dinner party. I would pair it with channa dal, two different styles of sabzis (Indian sauteed vegetables), a paneer curry, and a non-vegetarian dish. Along with that came the usual array of pickles, raita, and rotis. It made quite a meal!

There is a less elaborate Vegetarian Pilaf, which I shall share as well.

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Vegetable Biriyani

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings 6

An array of exotic spices infuse this layered dish of Basmati rice mixed with chicken, beef, or vegetables to tempt the most fastidious eater.

Ingredients

5 cups Basmati rice
½ cup oil (plus a little extra, if needed)
2 Bay leaves
4 cinnamon sticks (or ½ tsp cinnamon powder)
1 large black cardamom
6 small green cardamoms
6 cloves (or ¼ teaspoon clove powder)
3 large onions (peeled, cut in half, and sliced thin)
2 medium Serrano chilies (washed, remove stem, and slice in half)
3 tbsp ginger paste (freshly ground is best, but ready-made is fine, too)
2 tbsp garlic paste (freshly ground is best, but ready-made is fine, too)
½ cup fresh green coriander ground fine (mainly leaves, but a portion of stem is okay)
3 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder (or to your taste—remember this and the green chilies will add heat to the pilaf)
6 medium tomatoes (finely chopped or puréed)
1 tbsp poppy seeds ground smooth (optional)
1 can coconut milk (or the fleshy, white part of 1 fresh coconut ground smooth with the poppy seed)
8 cups water (plus a little extra)
2 cups peas and diced carrots (you may combine it with other vegetables such as cauliflower, cut into flowerets, or diced beans)
2 tbsp mint leaves (finely chopped)
2 tbsp chopped fresh green coriander leaves
Salt (to taste)
2 limes (juice only)

Garnish

½ onion (or use pre-fried store-bought onions to make it easy)
sautéed cashews (or use cocktail cashews)
sautéed raisins

Instructions

To Prepare

Gather all the ingredients before you start.
Wash and soak the 5 cups of rice for 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Mix coconut milk, ground poppy seed(optional), and 8 cups water.
Together they should measure 10 cups plus 2 tablespoons of liquid.
Combine chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves with the juice of 2 limes in a small bowl.

To Cook

Heat ½ cup of oil in an 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat. You may need a tablespoon or two extra as you start to sautée.
Add the whole Bay leaf cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
Add cut onions and slit green chilies.
When half-fried (about 6 minutes), add the ground ginger, garlic, spice powders (including the ground cinnamon and cloves, in case you decided to use them instead of the whole ones), and green coriander paste.
Fry for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant, then add the chopped and pureed tomatoes. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
Now add the drained rice and sauté on medium heat, stirring carefully to not break up the rice grains. About 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the water, coconut milk, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
Once the water starts to boil (10-15 minutes), add the vegetables and cook on medium-low until the water is almost evaporated and you see little pits on top of the rice.
Stir gently. Sprinkle the chopped mint, coriander, and lemon mix over the rice.
Put on low and cook another 10 minutes until the pits disappear on top and the rice is cooked. You can test by testing a grain between your thumb and forefinger. If it's grainy, let it cook for a little more, but make sure the underside is not getting burnt.
Fluff with a fork and plate on a rice platter or serving dish.
Garnish with sauteéd onions, cashews, and raisins.

Notes

You can also finish cooking the rice in the oven. When pits start forming on the rice’s surface, stir carefully. Your pot should be oven-proof. If not, pour the rice into a roaster pan or oven-proof dish large enough to hold the rice. Sprinkle with the chopped mint coriander and lemon juice mix. Bake for half an hour at 200°F. Remove from oven and fluff rice before transferring to a serving platter. Garnish with the sautéed onions, cashews, and raisins.

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Basmati, biriyani, vegetarian

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