The Story Background
The word Biryani is derived from the Persian word Birian, which means ‘fried before cooking’ and Birinj, the Persian word for rice. It is believed that Biryani originated from Persia and was brought to India by the Mughals in early 1400s. There are several methods and recipes across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The type of Biryani that I am used to is called Mughlai Biryani. I like it very much, but it is not a staple dish in the community, and it rarely gets cooked in the daily routine. Restaurant cooked Biryani is ok, but not done perfectly. With experience you can cook it to your liking and continue to improvise over time. I was thinking and craving for it for a few days, so decided to cook it myself. However, I was skeptical of getting it right because it is a little complicated to cook as compared to cooking lentils. I have been dabbling with cooking for a few months with good success and decided to take a plunge into this adventure on one of the Friday evenings (I occasionally cook on Fridays only).
First – Cooking the Chicken Curry
For majority of the Indian dishes, you make Tarka as a starting point. I added (two scoops of a medium ladle) cooking oil in a pan, added two-inch Cinnamon stick, four Cloves, three Green Cardamoms and two medium sized finely diced Onions and sautéed the Onions until they turned golden. Then added one pound Chicken pieces (you can add whole leg pieces and/or thighs cut in to two pieces). Next added finely diced (two medium sized tomatoes, two Garlic cloves and two pieces of Ginger), one spoon each of paprika and turmeric powder. Added one spoon of lemon pepper powder (now this spice is not part of the regular tarka but felt necessary for this dish). Cooked all these ingredients together for a few minutes (about 5-10 minutes until Tomatoes looked cooked and mushy). Finally added one cup of boiled water or enough to top off the chicken pieces.
This was my first time of cooking a meat dish, so I consulted my executive chef for instructions. When asked how many pressure cooker whistles are needed to cook chicken and the answer was that chicken is not cooked in a pressure cooker. Then asked how many minutes to cook it in the pot and the answer was that there is no exact timing, just taste it after twenty minutes to see how it is coming along. When tasted after twenty minutes, it was not cooked properly. At this tasting, I discovered a big blunder that I had not added salt (can you imagine, missing this important ingredient?), so added one spoon of salt. Also added some more paprika and cooked for another twenty minutes. When tasted at 30-minute interval, it was cooked properly. So, there you have it, i.e., 30 minutes to cook chicken curry after tarka is done (so, total duration is about 45 minutes).
➡️ Taking a Little Detour
I watch travel and cooking shows on YouTube usually on Friday evenings across various nationalities (awesome shows). A few weeks ago, I watched a cooking show, set in a hilly Iranian village. Let me share this particular show where a young lady cooked their version of Biryani. She added some condiments of some sort in minced meat (could be goat or lamb meat). Made hamburger sized patties and deep fried them on a saucepan. This cooking took place in an open makeshift stove by burning wood sticks. She added those patties in the middle of rice and added a few nuts (pistachios, raisins, cashews, and such) in the pot. I have noticed that they brew a liquid concoction with a few condiments (they look like flowers) that turns out to be a yellowish juice that is added to the dish, usually around the perimeter. While the cooking was going on, a beautiful doggy was giving company to the young lady, sometimes walking around enjoying the hilly scenery and sometimes sitting down, enjoying the aroma wafting around him and intently looking at the cooking pot in anticipation of savoring the feast. When the dish was cooked, it was served to the family. They all sat together on wooden benches and enjoyed the meal. I am sure, it must have been delicious. Thanks to the generosity of young lady, she presented the cooked feast to her doggy who must have enjoyed it as much as his hosts.
Second – Cooking the Biryani
⬇️ Sorry for the detour, I hope that you like it.
When the chicken curry was primed, added rice and one cup of water in the pot. Then collected split Pistachios, Cashews, Almonds, and Melon Seeds. Gave them a spin in the blender and added them in the pot and finally added Raisins.
After adding all the nuts, put a lid on the pot and let the dish cook for about fifteen minutes on low heat. Taste a small sample to feel that rice is cooked properly. Switched off the stove keeping the lid on the pot to let the steam and heat to bring the dish to perfection.
I have to say that the dish came out to be fairly good. I asked executive chef about her opinion and the response was that it is tasty with a critique that pistachios should not have been added, but this nut adds nice flavor and crunch to the dish.
You can add Cilantro leaves and finely cut Onions (across the circumference) to enhance the decoration and eat Biryani with plain yogurt. Yum! Yum! Yum!
If anybody would like to share their version of recipe, please do. I hope that whenever you eat Biryani, you will remember this story.