Sindhi Biriyani
Sindhi biriyani is truly that one of a kind biriyani, so unique for it’s hot, spicy and heartwarming flavor . One whose taste bud really longs for hot, spicy flavors , this is the perfect biriyani !!!!!!
Ingredients:
For the rice:
Basmati Rice 3cups ( 1 cup=250ml)
Ginger, matchstick cut 1 and half tbl spoon
1 small black cardamom
1 Star anise
1 cinnamon stick ( 2″)
3 green cardamoms
2 bayleaves
ghee 1/3rd cup
Salt to taste
Warm water
For the Meat:
Beef/ Mutton 700 gram
Yogurt little more than 1/4 th cup ( don’t take the water)
Matchstick cut ginger 3 tbl spoon
Garlic paste 2 teaspoon heaped – 1 tbl spoon
Fried Onion 3/4th cup
Coriander Powder level half teaspoon
Red chili powder 2 teaspoon
Turmeric 1/6th teaspoon ( very little amount)
Dried plum ( alu bokhara) 5/ 6 (Soaked in water for at least 1 hour)
1 Black Cardamom
4/5 green cardamom
2 stick of cinnamon ( 2″ each)
1 star anise
Paprika 1 teaspoon
Orange/ red food color , a tip of your finger(just dip your one finger into the food color , that’s enough ), optional
Oil
Salt to taste
Special Masala ( take the amount given below)
Special Masala :
Cumin 1 teaspoon
2/3 green cardamom
Shah jeera more than half teaspoon
6/7 cloves
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Whole coriander half teaspoon
Mace/ javetri half teaspoon
Nutmeg 1/4th teaspoon
Fennel 1 teaspoon
4 or 5 dried chili
Grind them together into a fine powder. Don’t dry roast them.
Other ingredients:
3 potatoes
2 tomatoes
1/4th cup of mint
Fried onion or bereshta 1/4th cup
15/20 whole green chili
Procedure:
1. Soak the rice for at least half and hour .
2. Marinate the meat with the ingredients mentioned for meat , except oil.
3.Cut the potatoes and rub some food color on them . Deep fry them for a while .
4.. Heat oil and add the meat . Cook on medium low flame until tender and there are little gravy, around 1 cup remaining, . You may add little water , little by little , if needed. You have to add the potatoes in a way that when the gravy comes into desired consistency, the potatoes are 80% done . It must be firm .
5. In another pot , heat ghee and add the rice . Don’t fry the rice.Add 4 and half cup of Warm water. Add the ginger ,black cardamom, green cardamom, star anise, cinnamon stick and salt . Cover the lid and cook on medium low flame . Don’t stir.When the water dries out , turn off the heat. The rice must not be fully cooked . It should be 80% done too.
6. Now the layering part . Take another pot and add the meat. Layer with half of the rice . Add sliced tomatoes, green chilies ,potatoes, half of the mint over it .Now cover them with the remaining rice . And on top of it put frid onion , remaining mint and some green chilies. Cover the lid tightly and put it on “dom”.
For “Dom” , I always follow double boiler method . Put you biriyani pot over another same sized pot filled with water . Turn on the stove on medium flame. The steam will do the wonder . Those who will put it in the oven , cover the lid tightly or wrap with double layer of aluminium foil .In a bake mode , keep it in the preheated oven for 20/ 25 minutes at 350 FH.
Serve with raita , tikki or salad !!!
Notes:
1. In cooking biriyani , normally the rice is boiled in water with few whole spice and then drained out . But I’ve noticed that if you do so ,the aroma, flavor and nutritional value ,everything gets drained out too . When the rice is cooked like Pulao or pilaf , it becomes more flavorful, aromatic , the ghee is coated evenly and the rice doesn’t stick together.sometimes , while mixing the biriyani , if you use boiled, drained out rice ,it may happen ( if you are not that expert in mixing) that some of the rice remain dry , without masala and ghee . But if you use my method , you will see the difference. More flavorful and aromatic version of course.
2. While making the rice , don’t ever fry them on oil . Just put them on heated oil and add water and the whole spices immediately.
3. Try to take out the whole masala from the rice and from the meat before layering out .
4. Here , in this recipe , the ginger we used are not either chopped nor paste . The ginger should be cut in matchsticks. The taste really matters because of this cut .That is what we call matchstick cut,
Khadiza's Kitchen 