Flour & Oil
Biryani
The Journey
For as long as I can remember, my mom’s biryani has been a family favourite. The smells and flavours being like nothing I’ve tasted in other kitchens. I recall the day quite clearly when my mom said that I could finally have the recipe to her biryani, and her thorough step by step instructions.Â
Even when I make it today, I don’t feel like I made it. It feels like my mom’s. Smells like my mom’s… and I’m so glad, taste’s like my moms. I hope that you, like me will enjoy her biryani!
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Biryani
This deeply satisfying biryani will ensure that there your guests will be happy! This meal is packed with flavours with a mild to moderate heat. You will want to make a double batch so that you have leftovers.
Equipment
- 1 heavy based pot
- 1 Oven proof dish with a lid, or tinfoil
- foil
Ingredients
- 1 Flour & Oil Biryani Spice Pocket
- 1 kg chicken/beef/lamb
- 1.5 Thinly sliced onions
- 2 Chopped tomatoes
- 4 Pealed & quartered potatoes
- 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
- 60 mls lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 Tbsp crushed ginger
- A good grind of pepper
- 0.5 cup Oil
- 0.5 cup dry lentils That have been cooked (with stock, 1/2tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of turmeric)
- 1 cup parboiled rice I cook my rice for 10 minutes from boiling, and then drain.
- A hand full fresh coriander
Instructions
Place your meat into a large mixing bowl or casserole.
- If Chicken - you can use braai pieces - cut up further into smaller pieces. Don't worry about using long drumsticks
- If Lamb or beef, cut into 2cm chunks. You can use marrow/shin bones, or stewing cuts.
Gently remove the whole spices from the top of the spice pocket.
- Keep whole spices aside.
- Crush the coriander seeds (round, brownish seeds) to expel flavour, and pour over meat.
- Add the colourful ground spices at the bottom of the spice pocket to your meat.
- Mix in lemon juice, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onion, yogurt and pepper to your mean, and marinate for a few hours, preferably overnight.
Day 2 / A few hours later
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
- Par cook 1 cup of rice. And cook 1 cup of lentils. Leave both aside.
- Add potatoes to the meat, and mix well.
Start Cooking
- To a large heated pot, add whole spices that you kept aside with the onions.
- Cover the base of the pot with ordinary cook vegetable oil, and stir fry for a couple of mins - on medium heat, until onions soft and fragrant (around 10 mins). Use sufficient oil, we will be browning our meat in it.
- Remove 3/4 of your onion, your cinnamon sticks, and star aniseed and keep them aside. Allow the rest of the onions to go a deeper brown.
- Slowly add your meat mixture into the fragrant oil, and mix in meat well.
- Cook for 15 - 20 mins, stirring frequently. (For chicken - 5 - 8 minutes) You want to brown well, but not let it burn. You also want to keep at least half of the sauce that went into the pot, so don't let it dry out.
Let's Layer
- Place all of your meat with the gravy into a deep casserole or oven dish.
- Then cover the meat with your lentils like a layer. Next, spoon over your rice to cover the lentils.
- Finally, take the fried onions & whole spices that you kept aside and rake it over the top of your rice
- Cover the dish tightly with foil, and place in the oven for 1h30 mins for beef/lamb (60 mins for chicken). Check after an hour (40 mins) to ensure it is still moist. Check the readiness of rice, potatoes, and tenderness of meat.
- Remove from oven, and allow to rest with foil on for 15 mins.
Notes
