Long grain basmati rice cooked with herbs, spices and flavouring agents with choice of meat over slow heat in a closed vessel is called biryani. The ‘biryani’ word is derived from a Persian word ‘Beryan’ which means fried or roasted. Biryani was believed to have been invented in the kitchen of Mughal emperors. It is very popular in the Indian subcontinent.
The spices and condiments used may include, but are not limited to, ghee, nutmeg, mace, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint leaves, ginger, onion, garlic, saffron ... The choice of ingredient varies from one region to another and depends of the chef’s choice.
For a non-vegetarian biryani, the main ingredient that accompanies the spices is the meat — beef, chicken, goat, lamb, fish or shrimp. The dish may be served with yoghurt chutney or raita, korma, curry, a sour dish of eggplant (brinjal), boiled egg and salad.
The difference between biryani and pulao is that while pulao may be made by cooking the items together, biryani denotes a dish where the rice (plain or fried) is cooked separately from the thick sauce (a greatly reduced curry of meat or vegetables). The curry and the rice are then brought together and layered, resulting in a dish of the contrasting flavours.
Potli biryani
This one is my signature style. The biryani is encased in a bread dough which is also eaten along with the biryani. Potli denotes the shape of the biryani which is in the shape of a bag.
Ingredients
(Serves 2)
Chicken 1 no
Onion, sliced 1 cup
Ginger, chop 1 inch piece
Garlic, chop few cloves
Coriander powder 3 tsp
Green chilies 3 no
Chili powder 1 tsp
Poppy seeds 1 tsp
Cardamom, cloves 3 no each
Peppercorns 5 no
Cinnamon, stick 1 inch
Yoghurt 1 cup
Salt to taste
Desi ghee 3 tbsp
For rice
Basmati rice 2 cups
Onion ¼ cup
Cloves 3 no
Cinnamon 1 inch
Cardamom 3 no
Bay leaf 2 no
Salt to taste
Desi ghee 5 tbsp
Saffron few strands
Rose water 2-3 drops
For bread
Wheat flour 2 cup
Semolina ½ cup
Curd 1 cup
Caraway 1 tsp
Desi ghee 1tsp
Salt to taste
Method
Wash and marinate the chicken pieces with red chili, ginger garlic and salt.
Roast and powder cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns.
Grind together red chillies half the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies.
Heat desi ghee, add sliced onions and sauté, add ground spices.
Add chicken, sauté well, add ground poppy seeds.
Pour in remaining curd and season cook gently till chicken is cooked.
Sprinkle powdered spices and remove from fire.
For the rice
Heat oil, fry onions and remove, add whole spices.
When spices crackle, add rice and fry for a few more minutes
Add salt and double the quantity of hot water.
When rice is cooked and all moisture has evaporated, remove from fire.
For the bread
Mix all the ingredients together and then mix to form dough.
Make sure the dough is soft and not too dry/soft.
Knead well and then divide the dough. Now with a rolling pin, roll it out into circles.
For the biryani
Place some prepared rice on the flattened dough and layer with chicken and then again with prepared rice, sprinkle some rose and saffron water on it and add some mint leaves and fried onion on it wrap the sides of the dough on top and make into the shape of a bag. Place on a baking tray and bake over medium heat for 10 minutes so that the bread is cooked and has nice golden brown colour.
Serve hot, garnished with fried onions, chopped coriander, mint and fried nuts and raita.
Spinach coated grouper
Grouper (hammour) is one of the widely eaten fishes of the world. The word “grouper” comes from the word for the fish, most widely believed to be from the Portuguese name, garoupa. The origin of this name in Portuguese is believed to be from an indigenous South American language. In the Middle East, the fish is known as Hammour, and is widely eaten, especially in the Gulf region. The fish has a very mild but unique flavour and can be called a cross between seabass and halibut. Mainly there are two varieties red or black. Chefs and grouper lovers choose the red one instead of the black one.
This recipe is healthy and unique, involving spinach and mustard oil, and has a flavour which one can’t easily forget.
Ingredients
(Serves 2)
Grouper fillet 600g
Mustard oil 2 tbsp
Yellow mustard 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
Yellow chili powder 1 tsp
Green chili paste 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Cumin powder ¼ tsp
Gram flour 2 tbsp
Spinach leaves 1/ 2 bunch
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Garnish
Onion rings 30g
Coriander sprig 2 no
Lemon wedge 1 no
Method
Cut and marinate the grouper cubes with salt and lemon juice and keep aside.
In a pan, heat oil and add gram flour and stir till light golden in colour.
Remove from flame and add ginger garlic paste, green chili paste, yellow chili powder and cumin powder and make a paste.
Marinate the fish cubes in the prepared marinade and leave in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
At medium pre heated coal fired tandoor or pre heated domestic oven put fish skewers and roast evenly.
In the meantime take oil in a pan and saute washed spinach leaves and add salt and lemon juice to it.
Once the fish is cooked remove from skewer and toss in the pan containing sauté spinach.
Serve hot garnished with onion rings, beet root curls, coriander sprig and lemon wedge.