Biryanis appear to be lavish affairs. However, there are simply four stages to most biryanis. Cooking the base sauce, partially cooking the rice, assembling the sauce and rice in layers and then baking it.
INGREDIENTSMETHOD
Ingredients:
- 400g Basmati rice
- 2 onions, sliced
- 5 tbsp butter or ghee
- 250 ml/1 cup natural yogurt
- 4 drops Cinnamon Spice Drops®
- 4 drops Cardamom Spice Drops®
- 2 drops Clove Spice Drops®
- 6 drops Cumin Seed Spice Drops®
- 1 drop Garam Masala Spice Drops®
- 2 drops Red Chilli Spice Drops®
- 500g/1lb vegetables: peas, green beans, cut into 2cm/1 in pieces, and carrots, cut into batons or a pack of frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)
- 8-10 cashew nuts
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 5 drops Saffron Spice Drops®
- Mint leaves, chopped
- Boil the rice in just over 675 ml/2¾ cups boiled water for 10 minutes.
- Fry the onions in the butter or ghee for 7 minutes in a saucepan till golden brown.
- Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Tip in the vegetables and cashew nuts and fry for 5 minutes.
- Leave some of the fried onions for garnish. Put the remaining onions along with the yogurt, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Cumin Seed, Garam Masala and Red Chilli Spice Drops® along with the salt and garlic and blend till it becomes a coarse paste. Add to the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.
- Put the milk in a bowl and add the Saffron Spice Drops®. Mix well and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease with butter or ghee, a deep oven proof casserole with a lid.
- Place a layer of vegetables on the bottom of the dish and cover it with a layer of the cooked rice and sprinkle about a teaspoon of the saffron milk on top.
- Repeat until all the ingredients have been used up ending with a layer of rice.
- Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Garnish with chopped mint leaves and extra fried onions.
- Serve hot with cucumber raita.