An Indian rice dish for special occasions
Rice is eaten in India. As different as the regional Indian cuisine is, all Indians know rice.
There is the high-quality long basmati rice, the slightly thicker rice in Kerala and also red rice in the Himalayan region (and besides, certainly hundreds of other varieties). Which rice is on the table is decided by region and budget: The rice trader sells rice qualities from 10 rs/kilo to 250 rs/kilo loose from large bags.
For today’s rice dish we need a basmati rice.
Preparing Biryani is expensive and not an everyday Indian dish, but is served on special occasions.
The most famous Biryani is Hyderabadi Biryani. Hyderabad is a big city in southern India. here the delicious fluffy spicy rice dish layered with juicy chicken or goat meat.
But today it will be vegetarian.
There are several work steps and you also need one or the other special spice. At the very end, the pre-boiled rice with spices is layered with the prepared vegetables in a blackened dish, finally finely decorated and then put in the oven.
This vegetarian dish is matched by either a yogurt dip or tandoori chicken.
The ingredients and preparation for 4 people:
Step 1 Pre-boil the rice
250 g Basmati rice
2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
3 gloves
2 Capsules Green Cardamom
2 flowers of the nutmeg
Bring the rice to the boil in enough water and cook for about 80%. You can be generous with the water, as you then pour it away.
Step 2 Preparation of the vegetables
2 tbsp ghee or butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 knife tip Asafotida (can also be omitted)
3 tsp freshly tossed ginger garlic paste
250 g yoghurt
1 tsp ground red chilli
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 onion, pre-fried in rings and oil
2 potatoes pre-fried in slices and in oil
200 g Paneer (Indian cottage cheese, alternatively tofu), diced and pre-fried in oil
200 g cauliflower, pre-fried in florets and oil
200 g peas
Heat the ghee in a wok or pan, then roast the cumin seeds in it. Then add asafotida, the ginger garlic paste and cook.
Now mix the yoghurt with the spices and add them to the pan and stir for 2 minutes.
Now comes the vegetables. Cook for about 10 min in the spice mixture.
Step Three Put everything in the top dish and bake
If you have an oven, please use a casserole dish and heat the oven bwfore.
If you dont have an oven. The stove and a pot will work.
We now alternately layer rice and vegetables in the mold. How many layers and in what thickness is up to you. It is important that you start and end with rice.
Now it get’s exciting again. For the very upper layer you need:
200 g grapes
Core seam a half pomegranate
200 g fresh chopped mint
200 g fresh chopped coriander
3 slices of cubed and oil-fried toast breads
1 toasted onion cut into rings
2 sliced tomatoes
100 ml milk and in it 2 threads of saffron dissolved
1 tbsp ghee
Sprinkle all the ingredients colorfully over the last layer of rice and finally give the saffron milk and spoon ghee on top.
Put a lid on the top dish and close the pot with dough (water and flour) between the pot and the lid.
Put the cask tin in the oven for 15 min at 180°C degree and place the pot at low level/flame for 15 min on the stove. After 15 minutes take the dish out of the heat and let it cool down for 10 more minutes. Do not open!!!
The Biryani is now ready and should be served warm. To do so, place the rice in a serving form and decorate with pomegranate.
Enjoy your meal.
