Egg Biryani
A simplified biryani recipe, which tastes great and is perfect for a leisurely Sunday meal
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs see notes on preparation
- 2 medium sized red onions finely sliced
- 1 tsp + 1 tsp Ghee butter can be used to substitute ghee
- 2 bay leaves 4 cloves, 4-6 pepper-corns
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp garic paste
- 1 to mato diced
- 1/2 tsp corriander powder
- 1/2 turmeric powder
- 2 cups basmati rice soaked for 20 mins (I used a rice cooker measuring cup which is 180 ml)
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Approximately 1/2 cup corriander leaves finely chopped
- Garam masala see notes
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1.5 cup water
- Rainsins and Cashewnuts optional
Instructions
- In a frying pan, fry the sliced onions in 1 tsp ghee, until lightly browned, turning them over every now and then to make sure they brown evenly
- In a pressure cooker or rice cooker, heat 1 tsp ghee, and on low heat, fry the whole spices - bay leaves, cloves and peppercorns
- Once the spices begin to release their aromas, add the garlic and ginger paste, and fry, stirring for a few minutes
- Add the diced tomato and let this cook with the whole spices and ginger and garlic, until the tomatoes are softened. Add the coriander powder and turmeric powder and saute this for a minute more
- At this stage, add the pre-soaked rice, along with the coconut milk, garam masala, corriander leaves, lemon juice, water and salt. gives this a good stir, ensuring the rice is mixed well and evenly with all the other ingredients in the cooker/ pot
- Cook the rice mixture for 7 minutes in the pressure cooker
- If you are using a stove-top pot, cook the rice for around 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring the rice gently, a couple of times, check to see if the rice and is sticking to the bottom. Turn off the heat and let the pot rest for at least 5 minutes before you open it.
- The rice should be fluffy, and the grains should be intact
- Once done, mix the browned onions into the rice and give it a gentle stir. reserve some onions to sprinkle on the top. Optionally, you could also fry some cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and sprinkle these on top of the rice.
- Peel the hard-boiled eggs, slice them in half, and keep aside
- To serve, plate the rice in a large serving bowl, garnish with extra browned onions, lime wedges, and the egg slices.
- Serve with a bowl of beaten yogurt.
Notes
To make hard boiled eggs, place eggs into a saucepan and pour in water to cover. On high heat, let the water boil, as soon as it begins boiling, turn off heat, cover pan with a lid, and let stand for 12 minutes
I make my own garam masala in small batches and store it in an air tight-jar for use. I follow my mothers's recipe for garam masala - in frying pan, dry-roast (without oil) the following spices: 1/2 cup fennel seeds, 5-6 cardamoms, 6-7 cloves, a 2 inch piece cinnamon, 2-3 pieces of mace. Once the spices are heated, grind them in a high power blender, or coffee grinder. Store the ground spice mix in an air-tight jar and use as needed
A note on using a stove-top pot for cooking the biryani - adding an additional teaspoon of ghee will help in ensuring the rice at the bottom of the pot does not burn
I make my own garam masala in small batches and store it in an air tight-jar for use. I follow my mothers's recipe for garam masala - in frying pan, dry-roast (without oil) the following spices: 1/2 cup fennel seeds, 5-6 cardamoms, 6-7 cloves, a 2 inch piece cinnamon, 2-3 pieces of mace. Once the spices are heated, grind them in a high power blender, or coffee grinder. Store the ground spice mix in an air-tight jar and use as needed
A note on using a stove-top pot for cooking the biryani - adding an additional teaspoon of ghee will help in ensuring the rice at the bottom of the pot does not burn