Home-style Biryani for the festive season
Biryani resonates with feast and undoubtedly is one of the most favorite dishes of the food-loving population of the world. The medley of rice, spices, and fresh herbs is simply mouth-watering.
I remember my mother preparing Biryani for almost every festival in the year, be it Deepavali, Christmas, or Ramzan.
The plum cake, kalkals, church services, and aroma of Biryani take me to Christmas in Bangalore.
The dish is renowned for its beautiful complexity. Here’s a relatively easy-to-cook Biryani. This is one of my signature dishes loved by all my friends.
Ingredients
- 1-kilo mutton
- 1-kilo basmati rice
- 150 gm oil
- 2 tsp ghee
- 4 red onions
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 10 green chilies
- 1 bunch coriander
- 1 bunch mint
- 4 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- Whole spices-4 cloves, 1 piece cinnamon stick, bay leaves, 1 tsp fennel seeds
Method
1. Wash and soak rice for ½ hour.
2. Wash the meat and marinate with 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp chili powder, turmeric, and salt.
3. Add 2 cups of water and cook the meat in a pressure cooker for about 4 whistles.
4. Heat a pan and add oil. Then start adding the whole spices and sliced onions.
5. Cook the onions until they turn light brown and then add chilies, and ginger-garlic paste.
6. Now add the tomatoes, finely chopped mint, and coriander. Wait until it is cooked about 5 mins.
7. Add chili powder, turmeric, salt, and cooked meat.
8. Add 4 cups of water and cover it with a lid. Allow it to boil.
9. Add rice at this stage and cook on medium flame.
10. Once the water is absorbed, reduce the flame to a minimum and put the lid on. Cook for about 10 mins.
11. Add 2 tsp of ghee on top and it is now ready to serve. That’s it!  Biryani ready to devour. Enjoy with Raita.
–Sudha Suresh is a healthy meal enthusiast, living in Melbourne, who loves to recreate recipes straight from her grandma’s kitchen
