There are more biriyani recipes than there are Indian households. Each family has their own favorite and some, like mine, have more than one. The exact methodology and preparation changes from person to person. I keep changing my recipe depending on what I have at hand on home and what flavours I am in the mood for.
This is a basic recipe that you can experiment with according to the flavours that you enjoy.
Marinate chicken or meat in a yoghurt based marinade.
Add any spice powders that you like to the marinade.
Add salt to taste in the marinade.
You can even add semi fried onions to the marinade for a sharper flavour.
Ginger paste and garlic paste are other options in the marinade.
Marinate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.
You can even marinate and refrigerate it upto a week before you use it in a biriyani as long as you haven't added onions in the marinade.
In a large pan, add a teaspoon of ghee. Give a tempering with cinnamon, cloves, biriyani flower and or cardamom.
Then add finely sliced onions to the mix and fry until crisp.
Reserve half the onions for garnishing. You can even lightly toast some nuts for the garnish. Keep this aside.
To the second half of the onions which remain in the pan, add some chopped onions and green chillies and stalks of coriander.
You can also add some ginger paste at this point, if you haven't added any in the marinade.
When the tomato is semi cooked, add the chicken with all the marinade to the pan. (
Tip : Make sure the chicken and marinade have reached room temperature before adding it to the mix)
Cook until the meat is almost cooked.
You can add some boiled eggs at this stage.
When the meat has been semi cooked, add rice (washed and soaked for at least 15 minutes) to the pan.
Add enough hot water to cover the rice.
If you want the flavours evenly distributed, then stir well at this point.
If you prefer your biriyani to have chunks of masala mixed with lightly flavored rice, then do not stir the mixture.
Cover and let the rice and meat cook till almost done.
When almost done, open the pan, add the onions/nuts garnish.
If you have made a lightly flavored biriyani, it is a good idea to add saffron as a garnish.
Tip : The right way to add saffron is to warm a teaspoon of milk, drop a few strands of saffron into the milk. Mix well. Once the saffron starts dispersing, pour it over the rice.
Close and give it a final steam.
Serve biryani hot with Cold
Raita.
In a large pan, add a teaspoon of ghee. Give a tempering with cinnamon, cloves, biriyani flower and or cardamom.
Then add finely sliced onions to the mix and fry until crisp.
Reserve half the onions for garnishing. You can even lightly toast some nuts for the garnish. Keep this aside.
To the second half of the onions which remain in the pan, add some chopped onions and green chillies and stalks of coriander.
You can also add some ginger paste at this point, if you haven't added any in the marinade.
When the tomato is semi cooked, add the chicken with all the marinade to the pan. (Tip : Make sure the chicken and marinade have reached room temperature before adding it to the mix)
Cook until the meat is almost cooked.
You can add some boiled eggs at this stage.
When the meat has been semi cooked, add rice (washed and soaked for at least 15 minutes) to the pan.
Add enough hot water to cover the rice.
If you want the flavours evenly distributed, then stir well at this point.
If you prefer your biriyani to have chunks of masala mixed with lightly flavored rice, then do not stir the mixture.
Cover and let the rice and meat cook till almost done.
When almost done, open the pan, add the onions/nuts garnish.
If you have made a lightly flavored biriyani, it is a good idea to add saffron as a garnish.
Tip : The right way to add saffron is to warm a teaspoon of milk, drop a few strands of saffron into the milk. Mix well. Once the saffron starts dispersing, pour it over the rice.
Close and give it a final steam.
Serve biryani hot with Cold Raita.
1 comment:
this looks delicious!
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