Biryani, biriani, or beriani is a family of primarily South Asian rice dishes made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and meat/vegetables. This dish was widely spread throughout the Middle East and South Asia (and Southeast Asia to an extent) by Muslim travellers and merchants, and is very popular in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The name is derived[1] from the Persian word beryā(n) (بریان) which means "fried" or "roasted". Today there are many kinds of biryanis, Dhum Biryani, Malay style Biryani, Burmese, Indian Sri Lankan biryani, and much much more. I still remember how my mother used to take many hours to prepare the spices which firstly would be cleaned, air dried pounded before actually going into the pot. But now pre-mixed biryani spices from different commercial names are easily available in markets these days, which reduces the preparation time though the taste differs considerably.
As I mentioned earlier , the various types of biryani available now differs from one another because of the types of spices used in these dishes. The usual spices and condiments used in biryani may include but are not limited to: cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander and mint leaves. For a rich taste many choose to cook with ghee. The other ingredients which is a must are ginger, onions, garlic and yoghurt. The premium varieties include saffron. For a non-vegetarian biryani, the main ingredient that accompanies the spices is the meat—beef, chicken, goat, lamb, or shrimp, though vegetable biryani varieties are also popular. The dish is served with dalcha in Malaysia, whereas in Indian restaurants it served with chutney or Raita, while some middle Eastern dining serve this dish with meat korma, curry or a sour dish of eggplant (brinjal).
My recipe today is a simple biryani. I got this recipe from a friend, who is doing catering business. She is a Pakistani and I guess this Biryani could be Pakistan version Biryani. I had opted to make it without any chicken in it. But you can still add chicken or meat in this dish. My other dish is Dalcha. The base of this curry dish is lentil/dhal cooked with utton/chicken and a variety of vegetables.It's a south Indian recipe.My Dalcha is a family recipe and no matter how many times I cook it I still think the best Dalcha is my Mom's. And finally is the spicy chicken. well this is my own concoction. I don't follow a strict recipe for this. You can add and adjust to your liking. Here are the recipes and happy cooking.
Biryani
Ingredients:
A
2-3 cm cinnamon stick
4 coardamoms
1 star anise
4-5 pieces of cloves
B
2 large onion chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
1 bunch of coriander leaves chopped
1 spray mint leaves chopped
3 screwpine leaves
3tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup cashew nut grind to a paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2tbsp yogurt
4 tbsp ghee
4 cups of Basmati Rice ( soak them in water for half an hour )
some roasted cashews and raisins for garnishing
Method
1. In a large pot put the ghee and fry onion till golden then add A.
2. Fry for a couple of minutes then add mint, coriander and screwpine leaves. Saute till there is a fragrant.
3. then add ginger garlic paste and all the tomatoes and cashew paste,turmeric and yogurt.
4. Now add the water,( which is 1 1/2 cup of water for one cup of rice ) and the evaporated milk. Put some salt and simmer for awhile before adding the rice. Lower the heat to a minimum and cook till the rice is well done.
5. Garnish with cashew raisins and more chopped coriander.
Dalcha
Ingredients
A
2-3 cm cinnamon stick
4 coardamoms
1 star anise
4-5 pieces of cloves
1/2 kg mutton/chicken
3-4 tbsp curry powder added with some water and stirred to a paste
1 tbsp tamarind with some water to form a paste
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsp garlic ginger paste
2 green chillies, sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 Brinjal, sliced according to taste
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 tomato, cut into quarters
1 unriped mango, unpeeled, seeded and sliced (optional)
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 bowl of water
1 cup full Dhal or yellow lentils, soaked in water for 30 minutes then boiled and partly mashed
1 bunch of coriander chopped
some mint leaves chopped
some curry leaves
Salt to taste
Method
1. Heat oil in a big pot, when the oil is ready add in A.
2. Add sliced onions and curry leaves, fry for a while, till onions are yellow and fragrant.
3. Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the mutton and the curry paste. Cover and leave it for 10 minutes.
4. Now add the vegetables except mango.
4. Add the water and cook till the vegetables are done.
6. Now add the tamarind, the cooked lenthis and coconut milk.
7. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add mango and seoson with some salt.
8. Finally garnish with chopped coriander and mint. Serve hot with Biryani or Pilau.
