BIRYANI/YAKHNI PULAO…Mingling with ‘One Dish Dinners’

“In the childhood memories of every good cook, there’s a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom.”
Barbara Costikyan

LAMB BIRYANI/YAKHNI PULAO

Decided to make a biryani/yakni pulao for lunch last weekend. Have been procrastinating making it for long as it is just a bit involved. Then I thought, might as well, & went off to dust the cob-webs off my biryani utensil which hadn’t seen light of day for a while. Life seems to be all about eating & drinking…so I got on with tying my bouquet garni!! In a strange quirk of fate, after eating the Mughlai dish for lunch, we unexpectedly got invited to see a special screening of the film ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ that night. The film was a tad disappointing for a period film. It’s based on a 16th century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess. The high point of the film was beautiful glimpses of extensive shooting done within the palaces of Rajasthan. Absolutely stunning…unbelieveable that such interiors could have been made by man, & that too centuries ago!

Back to the foodie issue then…The recipe is one my mother has been making for years, & the kids love it because the stock flavours the rice beautifully. I made a small change to it by using half milk/half water to make the stock. Had read about that in a Hyderabadi coffee table book by Pratibha Karan. And yes, I also added some star anise since the flavour is nice & subtle. This preparation is a cross between a biryani & pulao; more a pulao because the rice is cooked in stock, & a bit like biryani because I slow-cooked it on dum!

Historically, Biryani and Pulao were ‘rice and meat’ dish.
In Pulao, the ‘meat and rice are stirred’ before cooking. For Biryani, meat and rice are layered during cooking. Pulao is of Persian origin. Pilaf is another common name used in India. Mutton was cooked in water with aromatic spices. Once the meat was cooked, rice and more water were added to finish cooking. The broth with yogurt was called Yakhni.
Biryani in Farsi means ‘fry before cooking’. To make Biryani, mutton is fried in ghee and par-cooked (Cooked half way). Separately, the rice is fried in ghee, and par-cooked (cooked half way). The rice and meat were layered (cluster of rice on top of cluster of meat) in a cookware called handi. The handi is sealed with dough. It is dum cooked (baked) on low heat.

IMG 3595 It’s delicious served with a ‘Garlic Raita (yogurt)’

Ingredients:

Lamb – 750gms (ribs & shoulder cuts)
Rice – ½ kg (2 steel glasses)/ soaked for 30 minutes
Onions – 4 (3 whole; 1 sliced)
Garlic – 1 whole bulb
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Ginger grated – 1 tbsp
Whole Coriander seeds – 3 tbsps
Whole Fennel – 3 tbsps
Star Anise -2-3 (optional)
Star Anise powder -1 tsp (optional)
Green Cardamom -3
Yogurt – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1 1/2 glasses
Bay leaves – 2
Cinnamon sticks – 2 pieces
Saffron – 1 pinch soaked in a few tbsps warm milk
Cashewnuts for garnishing

Method:

  • Make a bouquet garni with 3 onions (whole) + whole coriander seeds + whole fennel + star anise + garlic bulb + grated ginger. Tie firmly.
  • Put the lamb in the cooker with the bouquet garni + 1 1/2 glasses of water + 1 1/2 glasses of milk + 1 tsp of salt.
  • Cook under medium pressure for 15 minutes. Open only once cool. (Adjust cooking time according to your need; the lamb shouldn’t get overdone, otherwise it will fall into pieces while roasting later! CAREFUL!).
  • Once cool, pour through a soup strainer & collect stock (yakhni) in a bowl; pick out the lamb pieces & reserve in another bowl. Squeeze out the bouquet garni through the strainer. Dispose off the bouquet garni .
  • Now measure the stock/yakhni (if rice 2 glasses then stock should be 3 ½ glasses); make up the shortfall with water if required.
  • Heat ½ cup oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add sliced onion & fry till light brown.
  • Remove & keep for garnishing. Repeat with cashews.
  • Add the green cardamom & fry till light brown.
  • Add the lamb pieces, yogurt & garlic paste. Roast gently.
  • Now add the stock + bay leaves + cinnamon sticks + salt for rice & bring to a rolling boil.
  • Add the rice & let it get 2-3 rolling boils, then cover & simmer for 10-15 minutes till the rice is almost done.
  • Open & sprinkle the saffron & milk mixture evenly over the top.
  • Cover with a snug lid sealed with some dough & leave to cook on dum on a girdle/tava on low heat for about 15-20minutes. ( or in the oven at 150 degrees C for 30 minutes).
  • Don’t open immediately; let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes.
  • Garnish with fried onions & cashews.
  • Serve with a Garlic raita. (Whip a bowl of yogurt with 1 level tsp garlic paste; add salt & red chili flakes; mix well;chill)
    Notes: Always reheat biryani with a little sprinkle of milk.
How familiar those words are for all of us… ‘What’s For Lunch Honey?‘. It’s mingle time once again at Meeta’s & this time she’s looking for yourOne-Dish Dinners…”the only rule is your entire dinner should come out of ONE pot!” Sit pretty in the pot, dear biryani…it’s time to be sent off for the ‘Monthly Mingle’!

Phirini / Saffron Indian Rice Pudding … think spice, think SAFFRON!

“Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.”
Anonymous

PHIRINI/RICE PUDDING

Looks like it’s time again for ‘beyond baking’, and this time I’m hitting the saffron trail! This recipe has finally been typed and blogged thanks to Sunita’s World, who runs a really interesting spice event every month. I think it’s a pretty neat idea, and also a great learning experience. I missed the last few spices due to the ‘tension’ of trying to blog. I feel a little more confident now, and a bit more organised of course! Got a loooooooooooooong way to go, but am getting there.

Strands of Saffron…with the flowers of the Indian ‘Haar-Singaar’ tree

This months’ spice is ‘SAFFRON‘…the world’s most expensive spice by weight. I’ve just used a few strands, and they seem to work the magic. The recipe is for a creamy, delicious pudding/phirini made out of ground rice. A great vegetarian dessert option which can be set it in individual bowls too!! This is a recipe I have made over and over again, and is a firm favourite after dinner. A bowl of this was always reserved for a dear friend who LOVED it…but sans raisins. She is now in Babushka land for a while, and gets her bowl over the net!! The flavour of saffron is gentle and complements this dish beautifully. I make this with condensed milk too…another of my own recipes, which I will post another day.

Ingredients:

Rice – 3/4 cup (I use Basmati)
Milk – 1 1/2 litres (full cream/whole fat)
Cardamom – 5-6 (seeds ground in pestle & mortar)
Saffron strands – 1 pinch (soaked for 10 mins in 1 tbsp warm milk)
Raisins – ¼ cup (optional)
Almonds – ¼ cup
Sugar – ¾ cup (Start with ½ cup and increase if required)
Cream – ½ cup (optional for a GREATER tasting phirini /pudding)

Method:

  • Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and peel them. Reserve for later.
  • Wash the rice well, drain, and run in a blender with about 1 cup of cold milk.
  • Mix this into the rest of the cold milk, and put to boil. Stir constantly, to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
  • Once it comes to a boil, add the cream if using, reduce to low heat, and cook for about 30-45 mins till the rice is cooked, and the pudding starts to thicken. Stir now and then…
  • Meanwhile, crush the cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar to release their fragrance. Once done, add a few strands of saffron, and about 1 tbsp of warm milk (I took it out of the pan while cooking); grind gently, and then leave to soak. This enhances the flavour of the saffron.
  • Once the rice is cooked, take off the heat. When this isn’t very hot, run the hand-blender through it. This will grind the rice completely, and thicken the pudding too.
  • Put back on low heat. Add the saffron mixture, raisins and almonds, reserving some raisins and almonds for garnishing. Also add the sugar and adjust taste as required. At this point if you think the pudding is too thick, you can add some more milk.
  • Take off heat, and allow to cool for 15-20mins. Turn either into 1 big serving bowl, or individual bowls. Garnish with almonds, raisins, saffron strands, beaten silver parchment (chaandi ka vark) etc.
  • Chill well for 4-6 hours (or overnight) before serving.. (Keep covered with wrap/foil in fridge).

Note: Varieties of rice differ…one kind may have more starch than the other. If you want the pudding thicker (or if it doesn’t thicken enough), add a tsp of cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp of cold milk once the rice is cooked. Give it a rolling boil. Do remember though that the phirini/pudding will continue to thicken as it cools once done.

And yes, you guessed it! Am on the THINK PINK trail still…

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