Biryani is one of my favourite things to eat in the whole world. Basically a one pot meal of curry and rice in fragrant layers, I have been fortunate enough to have eaten it in it's native India, where it, (like all of the food there) was incredible with the power to make you think, yes, that's what it really should taste like. The 17 year old Eminem loving chef certainly knew his stuff. It was full of whole cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon, the aromatic basmati scented with saffron and sprinkled lightly with rose water, interspersed with chunks of juicy but well charred chicken and onions fried until crispy and the colour of gold. I ate it poolside for lunch with a bottle of Kingfisher and still remember every taste. It is not an easy or quick dish to make and therefore, rightly deserves it's traditional reputation as a meal fit for royalty and special occasions.
Before you give up on this entirely, be comforted by the fact that it's possible to cheat, a little. The original biryani would require the preparation of a meat or seafood curry specifically for the dish, but basically, any curry will do for a cheat's version. At it's most basic, this dish is several layers of rice and curry, a little saffron water used to subtly colour the rice and some sort of sliced vegetable such as cucumber used to garnish. In the UK, it's quite common to see an omelet also used to decorate. Due to my failing frying pan, I produced scrambled eggs instead, which actually worked quite well, emanating egg fried rice.
Recipe : Easy Biryani
So, to make this simple Biryani, you will first need a curry recipe. Here's several of my own to help you along:
Each of these recipes will serve about 4 people.
Rest of the ingredients:
1.5 cups of rice, preferably basmati
2 tbsp hot water
a pinch of saffron strands
1 tsp rose water
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp oil or ghee
1/2 cucumber, finely cut length ways
1/2 medium sized carrot, peeled and finely cut length ways
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp oil
First, make your curry as per link above or any other you choose. While the curry is cooking, boil the rice in plenty of salted boiling water until very almost cooked and soft. Drain well, setting aside to dry while you finish the curry. Sprinkle the saffron onto the 2 tbsp of hot water and set aside also. When the curry is completed, lightly oil or butter a baking dish and pre heat the oven to 375oF.
Spoon a layer a rice into the dish, completely covering the bottom and using about one third. Sprinkle a few drops of the saffron water evenly over the rice and then follow with a layer of one half of the curry. Repeat with another 1/3 of the rice, more of the saffron water and then the second half of the curry. Complete with the final 1/3 of the rice, the remaining saffron water and rose water, if using. Cover tightly with two sheets of foil, followed by the lid and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.
While the biryani is cooking, prepare the garnishes. Heat the 1 tbsp of oil or ghee in a pan over high heat and add the onion. Fry, stirring constantly until the onion is golden brown and crispy. Remove and lay on paper towels.
Mix the carrots and cucumber with the wine vinegar and sugar, stir well and set aside.
Heat the 1 tsp oil in a pan over medium heat and add the beaten eggs to make an omelet, flipping over once when one side is golden.
After 30 minutes, remove the biryani from the oven and serve, ensuring that you dig down through all the layers to get an even amount of curry and rice. Garnish with a piece of omelette laid on top, followed by some of the pickled vegetables and a few fried onions. Other popular garnishes include toasted cashew nuts, edible flowers and chopped tomatoes.
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