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RICE

Basic biryani

A WORLD-RENOWNED INDIAN DISH USING FISH, MEAT OR VEGETABLES

Preparation time: 30 minutes 2 large onions 1 tbsp fresh crushed garlic
Cooking time: 40 minutes 2 cups rice (Basmati) 1 tbsp red chilli powder
Serves 4 ¼ tsp saffron Salt to taste
1½ cups plain yoghurt 1 small chicken cut in
You will need: 1 tbsp cumin seeds pieces or 300g fish fillets cut
2 cinnamon sticks
in pieces (Bream, Tilapia or
4 small potatoes 3-4 cloves Cod) or 300g aubergines
Cooking oil 1 tbsp fresh crushed ginger ¾ cup ghee

Method
1 Peel the potatoes, cut in half and boil so that at the bottom. On top of this, add some fried
they are partially cooked. onions, and potatoes then add some rice to
cover. Sprinkle some soaked saffron and repeat
2 Drain and then shallow fry them to further this layering process and finish off with a layer of
cook and brown. Leave aside. rice on the top.

3 Slice the onions thinly and cook in a small 8 Finally, add the browned onions and sprinkle
amount of oil until browned. Leave aside. the saffron mixture over the top.

4 Wash the rice and boil with 1 tbsp salt. Drain 9 Then add the rest of ghee or 2 tbsp oil and
off the water when half cooked and leave aside. ½ cup water over the top.

5 Soak the saffron in 1 tbsp water and leave aside. 10 Cover the lid of the pot with a clean cloth
and close the pot tightly. Place this pot over a
6 In a large dish, place yoghurt, cumin seeds, high heat for a few minutes until it sizzles and
cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, garlic and chilli then lower the heat to a minimum and cook for
powder and add salt to taste. Mix well. To this add about an hour allowing the moisture to cook the
the chicken pieces (braise the chicken pieces in oil rice, potatoes, vegetables, or fish or chicken. Chef’s tip
with salt, garlic and chilli to taste) or the fillet of fish
(marinate the fish in some lemon juice and salt) 11 Serve this hot with an onion and tomato salad Alternatively, you can also layer
with 2 cups boiled masoor
or the aubergines (cut the aubergines into long and some plain yoghurt. (whole black lentils). When
pieces and boil with 1 tsp salt). layering, add the masoor as well
The yoghurt can be diluted using 1 cup yoghurt as the yoghurt mixture.
7 Using a large pot, start the layering process by with ¼ cup water. Add salt, diced onions and
putting ½ cup ghee or 3 tbsp oil and ½ of the coriander and serve this with the biryani.
yoghurt mixture (with chicken, fish or aubergine)

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