Ingredients
Rice ingredients
- 2 cups (400g) white basmati rice
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 large stick cinnamon
- 2.5 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon oil
Garnishing ingredients
- 1 handful fresh coriander chopped
- 1 handful fresh mint chopped
- other garnishing see notes
- 0.5 teaspoon orange/yellow food colour
- 1 tablespoon kewara water
Other
- 2 medium (220 g) onions sliced
- oil for deep frying the onions
- leftover curry see notes
Instructions
- Prepare the rice by first soaking it in water for at least half an hour. Drain and then add to a pot along with all the rice ingredients and plenty of water. Bring to a boil and cook on high until the rice is 80% cooked. Drain in a colander
- As the rice is cooking, heat a good amount of oil in a pan. Fry the onions till golden brown on a high heat and set aside for the garnish.
- Now the fun part! The layering. Begin with half of the curry. Then add half the rice, then garnish with half of the garnishing ingredients and any other garnishing you are adding (see notes).Repeat this layer a second time.
- Turn the heat to the lowest possible and cover the biryani with a firm-fitting lid, allowing it to steam for 15-20 minutes
- Serve hot and fresh with a side of raita and salad
Notes
- You will need enough curry to make two layers. This is largely done by 'andaaza', estimation. A general rule of thumb is to have a bit more rice than curry. The curry shouldn't be runny, like a shorba. If you want a hot biryani, add red chilli powder or biryani masala powder to taste before the layering
- Other things you can use for garnishing include lemon slices, tomato slices, saffron, nuts and fresh green chilli.
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