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Biryani originated from Persia and
is a combination of meat and rice. This is a favorite dish for
dinner parties and for festive season.
Ingredients
- Basmati rice - 270 grams/10 oz
- Cooking oil - 30 ml/ 2
tablespoon
- Onion (thinly sliced) - 1 piece
- Garlic (crushed) - 1 clove
- Green chili (chopped) - 1 piece
- Root ginger (chopped) - 2.5 cm/
1 inch
- Chicken breast fillet (cut into
small cubes) - 680 grams/1½ lbs
- Curry paste - 45 ml/ 3
tablespoons
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon
- Garam Masala - ¼ teaspoon
- Tomato (sliced) - 3 pieces
- Ground turmeric - 1.5 ml/ ¼
teaspoon
- Bay leaves - 2 pieces
- Green cardamom pods - 4 pieces
- cloves - 4 pieces
- Saffron Strands -1.5 ml/¼
teaspoon
Method
- Wash the rich in several changes
of cold water. Put into a large bowl, cover with plenty of water
and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a
large heavy-based frying pan and fry the onion for about 5-7
minutes until lightly browned.
- Add the garlic, chili and ginger
and fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken and fry for
about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the curry paste, salt and
garam masala to the chicken mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Gently
stir in the tomato wedges and continue cooking for another 3-4
minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 190˚C/375˚F/
Gas 5. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Drain the rice and
add it to the pan with the turmeric.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, or
until the rice is almost tender. Drain the rice and toss together
with the bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves and saffron.
- Layer the rice and chicken in a
shallow, ovenproof dish until all the mixture has been used,
finishing off with a layer of rice. Cover and bake in the oven for
15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Serves 4.
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