This biryani, which uses beef, is a speciality of the Muslim community. The
recipe may seem long, but biryani is one of the easiest and most relaxing ways
of cooking, especially when you are entertaining. Once the dish is assembled and
placed in the oven, it looks after itself and you can get on with greeting your
guests.
Serves :4
Ingredients:
2 large onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2.5 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 fresh green chilli, seeded and chopped
small bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)
4 tbsp flaked (sliced) almonds
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp ghee or butter, plus 25 g butter for the rice
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp sultanas (golden raisins)
500 g braising or stewing steak, cubed
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground fenugreek
good pinch of ground cinnamon
175 ml natural (plain yogurt, whisked
275 g basmati rice
about 1.2 litres hot chicken stock or water
salt and black pepper
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered, to garnish
chapatis, to serve
Method:
1. Roughly chop one onion and place it in a food processor or blender. Add
the garlic, ginger chilli, fresh coriander and half the flaked almonds. Pour in
the water and process to a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a small bowl and
set aside.
2. Finely slice the remaining onion into rings or half rings. Heat half the
ghee or butter with half the oil in a heavy flameproof casserole and fry the
onion rings for 15 minutes until they are deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate
with a slotted spoon.
3. Fry the remaining flaked almonds briefly until golden and set aside with
the onion rings, then quickly fry the sultanas until they swell. Transfer to the
plate.
4. Heat the remaining ghee or butter in the casserole with a further 1 tbsp
of the oil. Fry the cubed meat, in batches, until evenly browned on all sides.
Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.
5. Wipe the casserole clean with kitchen paper, heat the remaining oil and
pour in the onion, spice and coriander paste made earlier. Cook over a medium
heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time, until the mixture begins to brown
lightly. Stir in all the additional spices, season with salt and ground black
pepper and cook for 1 minute more.
6. Lower the heat, then stir in the yogurt, a little at a time. When all of
it has been incorporated into the spice mixture, return the meat to the
casserole. Stir to coat, cover tightly and simmer over a gentle heat for 45
minutes until the meat is tender. Meanwhile, soak the rice in a bowl of cold
water for 15-20 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 325°F/
Gas 3. Drain the rice, place in a pan and add the hot chicken stock or water,
together with a little salt. Bring back to the boil, cover and cook for 5
minutes.
8. Drain the rice, and pile it in a mound on top of the meat in the
casserole. Using the handle of a spoon, make a hole through the rice and meat
mixture, to the bottom of the pan. Place the fried onions, almonds and sultanas
over the top and dot with butter. Cover the casserole tightly with a double
layer of foil and secure with a lid.
9. Cook the biryani in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes. To serve, spoon
the mixture on to a warmed serving platter and garnish with the quartered
hard-boiled eggs. Serve with chapatis.
