Today afternoon, I was discussing about Indian food with my *pastry* colleagues, who are not Indians or not even related to them--when I uttered the name Biryani, their faces conveyed me a message, that they love Biryani. I promised, that I will cook it soon & let them savour the famous legacy of Dum Pukt Cuisine[ foods which are slowly cooked in a sealed handi].
Even I love Biryani-perfectly cooked in "Dum" for about an hour in slow fire & the end result.....is heavenly. Biryani is perhaps the most famous legacy left by the Moghuls, before they continued to be the Emperors & continued to be ruled by English. There is no proven history of Biryani--who brought it in, how was it cooked, however, the Royal Cooks of Awadh[Present day Lucknow, UP, India] & of Nizam[Of Hyderabad, India] seems to have perfected it. Hyderabad is said to have 108 types of Biryani!!
Generally, Biryani is classified according to its mode of preparing, chiefly, the Kacchi Biryani, where rice, mutton & the masalas, pastes & several ingredients are being mixed together & then cooked on slow fire till done, while Pakki Biryani is made by half-cooked rice & half cooked meat being layered in a sealed container & cooked till done.
Biryani must have the following ingredients, without which it cannot be called "Biryani", chiefly, Rice[ long grain Basmati rice, being the most used one], meat[you can replace with fish or any other meat, in strictest terms, Vegetable biryani is impossible!!!], spices etc.
Awadhi Biryani or Lucknawi Biryani is pretty flavourful, as before the biryani is being cooked by dum, the rice on top is drizzled with some Kewda essence, some rose water & concentrate of Sweet Edible Ittr-which makes it aromatic. Saffron is used too....for some colour.
The Kolkata Biryani or the Calcutta Biryani[the place I belong to] is also excellent, at par with Lucknawi Biryani, only difference is addition of a whole big potato in the Biryani.
Biryani in Chennai is pretty spicy, due to the local preference & influence...& they add tomatoes!!! Mumbai Biryani is also some kind of spicy, but to my experience, perhaps horrible Biryani I have ever had....Chicken Curry & Rice being layered, cooked in micro & served right away....is that what you call Biryani???Well, as long as those Biryani eaters are happy, I should not & must not object them....
Hyderabadi Biryani is less flavoured, only you get the flavour of rice & the meat..often served with a garnish of boiled egg & some salad perhaps.
Raita has been served with Biryani for ages, may be simple cumin raita, to Burhani Raita[ a kind of cooked raita], I personally prefer Cucumber & Mint Raita, as it suits my tasting buds. The reason for raita going with the biryani is simply to aid in digestion. Anything sour is being served with something heavy or high in fat, so that it cuts down the fat & helps in digestion[ this is for the same reason, you serve Mint Sauce with Lamb roast, Red Currant jelly for Mutton Roast or Orange sauce for Roasted Duck....]
Any gravy is not required for Biryani, unless the rice is too dry. In Kolkata, we get "Mutton Chaanp"[ the last word being pronounced in a nasal tone...], in which the mutton ribs are slowly cooked with lots of ghee and array of masalas & pastes...& goes excellent with Biryani--this is how I eat, when I am in Kolkata[Calcutta].
Now I am feeling hungry, whilst discussing about Biryani with you all...let me make some biryani soon & share a recipe with you, which I use...its with Mutton....
Ingredients
1 kg Lamb leg, boneless, trimmed, cut into 1.5 inches chunks
500g Rice, white, long-grain, Preferably Indian Basmati
50 g Clarified butter, Actually Ghee
200 g Onions, sliced
25 g Ginger root, grated
25 g Garlic, finely chopped
200ml Yogurt, plain
5g red chilli powder
Salt- To taste
5g whole hot garam masala, consisting Green Cardamom, Bay
Leaf,Cloves, Sha Morich, Cinnamon, nutmeg & mace, all to be used whole+1 tsp of garam
masala powder
25 g Mint leaves
10 mL Water, rosewater & kewra water.
0.5 g Saffron threads
Method:
1. First wash the rice for three-four times & soak them in plenty of water for at least 1/2 hr.
2.Make a fine paste of ginger-garlic. Marinate the lamb pieces with yoghurt(leave 20 ml of the yoghurt),half of ginger garlic paste, salt,
red chilli powder/paprika & keep aside for 45 minutes.
3.Heat some 50 ml oil in karai & fry the onions until brown, but dont allow them to burn. Meanwhile take a stockpot & fill it water.
Season with salt & put half of the whole garam masala in the water & put it on a boil.
4.Once you are done with the onions, allow them to cool & make a fine paste, (of half of the fried onions) adding a very little water.
5.Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the rice after draining the water & cook until it is done by 75%(once u bite the rice, you feel that it is still raw.)Drain the rice immediately & keep in a colander.
6.Heat half of ghee in a karai, temper with the left over whole garam masala, add the rest of the ginger-garlic paste & cook until the raw flavour is no more. Add the fried onion paste, red chilli powder, lamb pieces & continue cooking until the Lamb is almost done. Season the curry & then strain the juices, separate the mutton & keep aside.
7.Now in a thick bottomed dekhci(or a stock spot)put in the strained curry, line the lamb pieces & add half of the mint leaves & some
salt. On top the lamb pieces, arrange the undercooked rice. Put the rest of the mint leaves on top, the fried onions, some salt, rest of
the ghee, garam masala powder, some salt. To the left over yoghurt, add the saffron threads, & mix well. Now pour this on top of the
rice in zig-zag motion. Pour in the rose & kewra water in same way. Add 2 drops of sweet edible ittr if you have. If you dont have, no
issues. Even you can make biryani without any essence, if you dont like.
8.Cover the stockpot with a tight fitting lid, & if possible, either put a weight on top, or seal the edges/rim of the stockpot with atta dough
& put on slow fire for about 15 minutes. Then put on high-flame for about 10-15 minutes & then keep aside for 15 minutes. This allows
the flavour to develop & gives an excellent biryani.
9.Before opening the lid, give nice toss, & serve with kachumber raita.
Generally, I round it off, with a sweet note..."Phirni"[ kind of rice pudding but with powdered rice, milk & Sugar]however, you can have anything...or even nothing--the choice is yours. During my good old days of training, in ITC Sonar Bangla, Calcutta I had a spoon of Mutton Biryani, being made by the old Grandmaster Chef of India & Master of Dum Pukht Cuisine--Chef Imtiaz Mohammad Qureshi & the taste...well I cant describe it..the mutton melts in the mouth leaving a sweet aroma.......
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