REQUEST Biriyani (sp?)
Peter Olin
I have a couple of Indian cookbooks, but none of them contain a
recipe for Biriyani. Chinken-, mutton-, vegetarian-, Biriyani
anyone will do (i guess they are pretty similar).
Could someone please help me by providing a recipe or just a
list of ingredients and approximate amounts?
Thanks in advance,
Peter
--
Peter Olin ! Email: ol...@sics.se
Swedish Institute of Computer Science ! Tel: +46 8 752 1557 (direct)
Box 1263 ! or: +46 8 752 1500
S-164 28 KISTA, SWEDEN ! Fax: +46 8 751 7230
Anant Kartik Mithal
Meera Taneja. ISBN 0 85223 270 EBURY Press, London. My comments
are in parentheses.)
(The other Indian word for Biryani is Pula-oo or pulav, and I'd
suspect that it is etomologically linked to the word pilaf. This
recipie is for lamb, but other meats are similar expcet for the
changes in cooking time.)
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Lucknowi Biryani: Biryani from Lucknow.
Lucknow, the capital of Central India (now the capital of the state
of Uttar Pradesh, which is the second largest state in India by
size, and the largest by population, is bordered on the north by
the Himalayas and Nepal), has long been famous for its rich
Mughuali cooking (Mughal = Mughal emperors, who did things like
build the Taj Mahal, also in Uttar Pradesh), a tradition that the
Nawabs [lords] kept alive by employing the best chefs and promoting
cooking as a highly specialized art. This biryani is such a dish
and requires no additional accompaniments other than plain yogurt.
It is a highly spiced dish (but not hot!) in which the meat is first
boiled and then fried to golden brown, then cooked with rice perfumed
with a little rose water or kewra, and finally sprinkled with an
infussion of saffron. It is a classic dish that requires a fair
amount of preparation: it simply cannot be made in a hurry.
(If you don't have rose water or kewra, ignore them. You might be
able to get them in an Indian grocery store. Saffron will also be
available in such a store, but be warned that it is very
expensive... If you leave all of these out, you should still get a
good dish.)
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 30 minutes' soaking
Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves 4-6
450g / 1 lb boned tender lamb [with a little fat] cut into 4 cm /
1.5 inch pieces. (You could use beef, and if you use lamb, I'd
use a few small bones: the meat cooks very well around
thebones)
2 medium onions, skinned and roughly chopped
5 ml / 1 level tsp salt
900 ml / 1.5 pints water
1 large onion skinned and chopped
1 garlic clove, skinned
2.5 cm / 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
450g / 1 lb basmati rice (using Indian basmati really makes a
difference. I didn't believe it till I tried something else.
Basmati has a fantastic aroma which most other rices don't. Bas =
scent, basmati = that which has scent/[perfume.)
45 ml / 3 level tbsp Ghee / clarified butter / butter. (Again, ghee
makes a difference, butter is a reasonable substitute.)
2 medium onions, skinned; chop 1 finely, slice the other. (Why
couldn't she put all the onions together???)
2.5 cm / 1 inch stick cinammon
1 bay leaf
1 black cardamom (use 3 green if you can't find the black)
2 green cardamom (well, use 4 green in all if you can't find the
black)
2.5 ms / 0.5 level tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
5 ml / 1 tsp rose or kewra [see page 138] (:-) water
pinch saffron
15 ml / 1 Tbsp warm water water
Method:
Wash meat well under a cold tap. Place the meat, chopped medium
onions, salt and water in the heavy-based saucepan. Bring it to
the boil, and remove any scum that may form on top. Cover, reduce
heat and allow to sommer rapidly for 1 - 1.25 hours until the meat
is almost tender. Strain through a sieve, reserve the stock and the
meat and onion pulp separately. (You could do this in a pressure
cooker for 25 minutes after the first whistle.)
In a blender or food processor grind the chopped large onion,
garlic and ginger. Put the rice in a sieve and wash throughly
under a running cold tap until the water runs clear. Soak in plenty
of cold water for 30 minutes. Heat 30 ml [2 level tbsp] ghee in a
large heavy-based saucepan, add the roughly chopped onion, and
stir fry for 3-5 minutes to a golden brown. Add the ground onion
mixture and all the whole spices. Stirring frequently fry the
mixture for 4-5 minutes to a pale golden color, then add the
strained meat and onion. Increase heat slightly and stirring
continuously, fry the mixture for 5-10 minutes to a deep golden
brown color. THe meat should brown well; if it tends to stick to
the bottom of the pan add about 30 ml [2 Tbsp] of water at a time
to prevent this.
Drain the rice in a sieve and let it stand for a minute or two. Add
to meat and onion mixture and continue frying for another few
minutes so that the rice begins to turn a plae golden color.
Leave the rice and meat in the pan, carefully pour in the meat
stock and top it up with enough water to cover the rice by 2.5 cm
[1 inch]. Cover the pan with a close fitting lid, reduce heat and
allow to cook for about 20 minutes until both the rice and meat
are almost tender. Stand well back to avoid the steam, remove the
lid and sprinkle the rose or kewara water on top. Replace lid
quickly and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
In the meantime infuse the saffron in the warm water. Once again
remove the lid, pour in the infused saffron water and cover.
Continue cooking the rice for another 3-4 minutes until it is
tender and the water has been absorbed. Turn off the heat and let
the rice stand, covered, for a few minutes. Remove the lid and
gently fork the rice. This will also help to distribute the
saffron color.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining ghee in a small frying pan, add
finely sliced onion, and fry quickly to a crips golden brown. Serve
the Biryani hot with the crisply fried onion sprinkled on top.
Serving suggestion: serve accompanied only by plain yogurt.
(I'm a little leary of her 1 Tbsp = 15 ml conversion.)
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Enjoy!
kartik
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If you quote my article remember to trim it down to the essentials.
Anant Kartik Mithal, a...@cs.uoregon.edu
Network Manager, Ph.D. Student (503)346-3989
Comp. Science, U of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 (503)346-5373 (fax)
Mary Kay Petersen
> Thanks in advance,
:
Very Minty, Very tasty, Vegetable Biryani
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups rice (basmati preferred)
2 med-large onions, sliced real thin
To soak: in 2 cups thick yogurt,
(good if homemade but store bought will do)
FOR BEST RESULTS: soak for 2-3 hours.
6 med tomatoes, diced
6 cardadmoms
6 cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn garam masala
2 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn red chilli powder
1 bunch chopped coriander
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, torn
5 green chillies, slit
Grind to paste: (and add to above
yogurt mix to soak)
4-5 cloves garlic, 4 green chillies,
inch ginger.
Preparation
1. Fry half the onions in a little ghee/oil until transluscent,
add washed drained rice, stir till oil coated and a little
crisp. Cook on low, low heat till 3/4 quarters done.
Remove from heat.
2. Sliver veggies. (carrots, beans) (cauliflower in small
florets)
3. Warm 4 tbspns oil and a litle ghee for flavor. Drop bay
leaves, fennel, star anise (a must!). Fry onions till clear.
Add veggies, stir until crisp cooked. Add yogurt mix. Salt
to taste. And cook it down till thick and spoonable.
4. Pre-heat oven to 400.
5. Spread some rice in a large aluminum baking pan, then
alternate by spreading some of the yogurt mix. Repeat,
alternating rice and yogurt mix till everything is used up.
Cover tightly with foil wrap by crimping foil over edges of
pan. Bake for 30 mins.
Note: Water for cooking basmati is two times the measure of rice.
Removing rice off heat after it is three-quarters done should
leave some fluid content that will get absorbed in the baking
process. Baking allows the flavors to seep in evenly as well as
make the rice fluffy.
Serve with a raita and a light curry of your choice.
This dish takes some planning and a few hours of your time but
is worth the effort. Enjoy!
- Shyamala Parameswaran
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mary kay petersen/ mk...@sequent.com +-----+
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Crossly the Glad-Eyed Bear
so here it is, just to get it over with. She calls for long-grain rice,
probably as a concession Americans whom she supposes can't find basmati.
***************************
***** Chicken Biryani *****
***************************
Categories: Chicken Indian Main dish
Calories per serving: Number of Servings: 6
Fat grams per serving: Approx. Cook Time:
Cholesterol per serving: Marks:
INGREDIENTS ------------------------------------------------------------
6 ea onions, medium sized
4 ea garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 piece ginger, 2 inches long, peeled and chopped
10 ea cloves, whole
20 ea peppercorns, black, whole
seeds from 8 whole cardamom pods
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp cumin ground
1 tsp poppy seeds, whole
1/4 tsp mace, ground
4 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
8 oz plain yogurt
8 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 ea bay leaves
4 ea cardamoms, large, black (if available)
2 lb chicken legs and breasts
2 tsp leaf saffron, roasted and crumbled
2 Tbsp milk
2 cup long-grain rice
**** Garnish ****
2 Tbsp golden raisins, fried
2 Tbsp blanched almonds
2 ea eggs, hard-boiled, sliced or quartered
DIRECTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------
Biryani is perhaps one of our most elaborate rice dishes. Of Moghul
origin, it is cooked with lamb or chicken, streaked with saffron, and
garnished with raisins and nuts. The chicken is first marinated for
at least 2 hours in a delicious paste of ginger, garlic, onions,
yogurt, lemon juice, and spices. It is then cooked briefly. Partially
cooked rice is placed over it, and the chicken and rice are allowed to
steam for about an hour.
First you have to make the marinade for the chicken.
Peel and coarsely chop 3 of the onions. Place chopped onion, garlic,
and ginger in an electric blender, along with the cloves, peppercorns,
the seeds only from the 8 cardamoms, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, poppy
seeds, mace, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the lemon juice. Blend all of
these at high speed until you have a smooth paste. Place this paste
in a large bowl. Add the yogurt and mix well.
Now peel the 3 remaining onions. Slice them into very fine rings, and
halve all the rings.
In a 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium flame.
When hot, add the bay leaves and 4 black cardamoms. Fry for about 10
to 15 seconds. Now put in the onions and fry them, stirring, for
about 10 minutes or until they get brown and crisp (but not burned).
Remove them carefully with a slotted spoon, squeezing out as much of
the oil as possible. Reserve all the onion-flavored oil, the black
cardamoms, and the bay leaves. You will need them later. Mix in
two-thirds of the fried onions with the marinade paste. Place the
rest on a paper towel to drain. Set aside for garnishing.
Remove skin from the chicken legs and breasts. Cut the legs into two
pieces each (drumstick and thigh), and quarter all the breasts. Pierce
the chicken pieces with a fork and place in the bowl with the marinade
paste. Mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2
hours. Turn occasionally.
After 2 hours (or more), remove the bowl from the refrigerator and
place all its contents in a 3-4-quart heavy-bottomed pot. Bring
slowly to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove
only the chicken pieces, place them in a 5-quart casserole dish, and
cover. Set aside. On a medium flame, boil down the marinade paste,
stirring, until you have about 9 to 10 tablespoons left. Spoon the
paste over the chicken. Cover again.
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons hot (not boiling) milk.
Bring about 13 cups water with 3 teaspoons of salt to a boil in a
4-quart pot, then add the rice. After it has come to a boil again,
cook 5 minutes, timing very carefully (the rice must not cook
through). Drain the rice in a colander, then place it on top of the
chicken in the casserole. Pour the saffron milk over the rice,
streaking it with orange lines. Spoon out the onion-flavored oil from
the pan, reserving a level tablespoon to fry the raisins if you like.
Sprinkle the oil, cardamom, and bay leaves over the rice. Cover the
casserole dish with aluminum foil, cut 2 inches wider than the rim of
the dish. Now put the lid on and use the protuding foil edges to seal
the dish as best you can by crinkling it and pushing it against the
sides. Bake 1 hour.
Garnishes: There are several garnishes that can ber used for biryani;
you can use them all, or only what you like, but the fried onions are
a must. If you wish to use raisins, you can fry them in a tablespoon
of the onion-flavored oil just after you have fried the onions.
To serve: As you lift the cover off your casserole dish, you will see
beautiful saffron streaks on the white rice. Spoon the rice and
chicken out onto a large platter. Sprinkle fried onions and other
garnishes of your choice over, and serve hot. With biryani, serve
Koftas and some yogurt dish--Yogurt with Tiny Dumplings, or Yogurt
with Potatoes. If you wish to serve a vegetable, Cauliflower with
Ginger and Chinese Parsley would be very good.
Biryani is quite definitely not an everyday dish. It is served at
weddings and important dinners. Try serving it at a late supper
party. It was, and is, a dish worthy of a king.
Note: Ideally, saffron stigmas, or "leaf" saffron, should be lightly
roasted in a hot skillet, crumbled, and allowed to soak in a
tablespoon or so of warm milk for half an hour before being used.
Source: Madhur Jaffrey
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