Biryani, briyani or biriyani is a South Asian Basmati rice dish with its origins in India. Meat and spices flavour the rice, giving it a heady aroma and rich taste from, but not limited to, mint, coriander, fried onions, and yogurt. These ingredients are combined with meat (chicken, goat – which is known in India as mutton, or beef) and marinated with lime or lemon juice for at least half a day, before cooking. Kacchi biryani is where the marinated meat is placed at the bottom of a heavy based pot. The rice is half-cooked in another pot, drained and placed over the meat in alternating layers of finely sliced fried onions (an essential ingredient to prepare biryani), coriander, and mint etc. before being very slowly cooked. Simply served as is with simple red onion, herb and/or nut garnishes as Biryani is essentially four parts; al-dente rice, meat or vegetables, marinade and spices, it also pairs well with a chopped salad, called a cachumbar, containing tomato, red onion, lettuce and vinegar, and with a yoghurt raita containing mint and cumin.

 

Ingredients;

1 kg Diced Goat Shoulder

40 grams My Souk Drawer Biryani Spice Mix

1 tsp. Crushed Garlic

1 tsp. Crushed Ginger

1/2 bunch Mint Leaves

1/2 bunch Coriander Leaves

2 large Brown Onions (finely sliced with a Mandolin or similar)

1 cup Basmati Rice (White or Brown)

2 tbsp. Lime Juice

60 g Unsalted Butter or Ghee

200 grams Plain Yoghurt

Vegetable Oil

1 cup Vegetable Stock

1 – 2 Green Chillies

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 gram Saffron strands

Murray River Salt

50 – 100 g Roasted Unsalted Cashews

 

Method; 

Cut the meat into large 2cm+ chunks. Remove the seeds from the Chilli and slice finely. Marinate the meat with Chilli, Ginger, Garlic, Lime Juice, Yoghurt and Biryani Spice Mix for at least half a day, preferably overnight if possible in an airtight container or snap-lock bags.

Just prior to cooking the meal, slice the onion paper thin, and separate them manually. Deep fry the onion slice in vegetable oil over low to medium heat. Stir the onions occasionally until they turn golden brown. Drain away the excess oil on absorbent paper. Put to the side.

Chop/shred roughly the fresh Mint and Coriander leaves and put them aside in a bowl. Soak the Basmati rice in water for 45 minutes before boiling in fresh water approximately three times the volume of the rice. Add some salt to the water and half cook (able to break it into half by finger pressure) – about 3-5 minutes for White Basmati, 5-7 minutes for Brown. Drain well and after mixing in the Saffron to the warm milk until it turns yellow, combine together with 40 g of the butter until melted and all integrated uniformly.

In a heavy based pot with a very good sealing lid, wipe or spray some Vegetable oil on its inner surfaces and arrange the marinated goat on the bottom of the pan and cook on medium heat for five to eight minutes to seal. Turn down the heat and add 1 cup Vegetable stock and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Layer the drained rice, onion, and fresh herbs on top, reserving some herbs for the garnish, and cook the Biryani over very very low heat for about 60 minutes on the stove top or in the oven at 140 degrees Celscius. After 60 minutes, switch off the stove and let it stand for another 10 minutes before serving. Do not open the lid until the end.

10 minutes before serving melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat and add the cashews stirring continously until golden. Do not let them catch and burn. Ladle the Biryani into bowls and garnish with herbs and cashews. Serve with flatbread and a buttery, full-bodied Chardonnay.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: