Rich, aromatic and flavourful, Hyderabadi-style biryani
Biryani is the kind of dish that instantly creates a hunger craving, thanks to its fascinating aroma and delicious spice-infused mix of rice with succulent pieces of meat. The next few days will see Muslims all around the world feasting on lip-smacking delicacies on the occasion of Eid-Al-Adha or Bakri Eid. So, if you are celebrating the weekend in the comfort of your home, take your tastebuds on a flavour-rich ride with this mouth-watering recipe of Hyderabadi-style kacche ghosht ki biryani.
Ingredients:
1000 gms basmati rice
500 gms yogurt
20 gms green chilie, crushed
100 gms ginger-garlic paste
100 gms mint, chopped
200 gms fresh coriander, chopped
700 gms onion, fried
1500 gms lamb, cut (50gms piece each)
100 gms refined oil
200 gms salt
2 bay leaves
5-6 cloves
10 gms cardamoms (green)
15 gms royal cumin
100 gms clarified butter (ghee)
2 gms saffron
Method:
1. For garam masala, mix together bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms and royal cumin together.
2. Make powder and keep it aside.
3. Wash the basmati rice in cold water 2-3 times and then soak the rice in water for 45 minutes.
4. Soak saffron in 50 ml (a bowl) of warm water and keep it aside.
5. Take a 5 liter deep cooking vessal or casserole.
6. Add coriander, mint, garam masala, oil, salt, fried onion, ghee, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt and lamb in it. Mix them well and keep aside.
7. Strain soaked rice and remove excess water.
8. For biryani, layering of rice is important on top of marinated chicken. Method is in three batches to get the perfect biryani.
9. Boil four litres of water with salt in the pot.
10. After one boil add strained rice in it. Stir the rice on slow flame.
11. In 1st batch, use conical strainer to take out 30 percent rice within 2 minutes and layer on top of marinated chicken and line it in level.
12. 2nd batch, again stir rice and wait for another four minutes to take out 30 percent rice and layer on top of rice and chicken.
13. For 3rd batch, wait for another two minutes; strain rest of rice in colander and layer on top of rice and chicken.
14. Now pour saffron water and ghee on top of the meat and rice.
15. Seal casserole with lid or silver foil.
16. For cooking process, use flat iron griddle on cooking range and keep the casserole on top of iron griddle.
17. Make the flame high so that the steam gets out of the vessel and then make the flame low. Cook for another hour.
18. Keep the biryani aside for another 30 minutes. Now open it gently and serve.
Recipe and image courtesy: Executive Chef Raheel Ahmad, Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield.
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