Biryani page 2 of 4
2 lbs meat
1 lb Basmati rice
1/3 cup of Ghee
¼ pint dry white wine
2 cups of plain yogurt
2 sticks of cinnamon
12 -15 whole cloves
8 cardamom pods
Some hot chilli oil
6 fat cloves of garlic
Peeled fresh ginger 1½ inches
1 tablespoon of fennel seed
1 large onion
1 cup raisins
1 cup unsalted nuts
2 teaspoons salt
1 generous pinch saffron threads
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one orange
Chives
Cilantro (coriander leaves)
Ingredients:
Lamb is good (and traditional) but chicken is also excellent.
(No substitutes here – especially not Uncle Ben’s Quick Cook long grain
or anything like it)
(This is clarified butter. You could use a mixture of Olive oil and
regular butter but we need the high smoke point as well as the buttery
flavor)
(do get regular ‘greek’ yogurt, not fat free or ‘lite’)
(each around 3 or 4 inches in length)
It’s possible to find just the seeds in which case
just 15 to 20 seeds will do and in fact some people prefer this since they
don’t like having to deal with the somewhat inedible pod)
(this ‘to taste’ – sometimes you or your guests might like a little more
hotness – but remember, Biryani is meant to be a mild, fragrant dish)
Choose cashews, but pine nuts or slivered almonds work well too.
This will give the rice component a wonderful fragrance and golden
color. Some people think that turmeric is a substitute but it has quite a
different earthy aroma and a greenish yellow color.
Use one of those little ‘claw’ zesters rather than grating since the visual
appearance is important too and we only want the oily skin, not the
bitter pith.
Optional garnishing ingredients
