Heart Warming Biryani Rice

Spices

Jul 20, 20205 min read

Updated: Aug 7, 2020

During the cold winter evenings, enjoy the warmth of Goat Curry Biryani Rice with your family.

While the name Biryani Rice implies the main ingredients to be rice but as a matter of facts the flavor of the is achieved by the curry sauce. The balance mixture of the spices, the sweetness from caramelized onion, broth from the meat bones, the meat that is moist, falls off its bones and melts in your mouth is what makes a good Biryani Rice.

Once you choose your meat and cooked a good curry, you are 90% successful in making Biryani Rice.

Today we are making Goat Curry Biryani Rice. Of course the star of he dish is the Goat curry therefore it is important you got that right.

Before making the curry itself, it is very important that you prepare the meat. What i mean by preparing the meat is not simply washing it, season it or marinate it. I am talking about boiling the meat in a small amount of water just enough to cover your chosen meat with a pinch of salt, one or two teaspoon of oil of your choice, two cloves of crushed garlic and small amount of ginger on medium heat and let it simmer and reduced. As the water reduced add more water, just enough to cover he top of the meat. Repeat this process until the meat is tender. You don't need for the meat to fall off the bones at this state.

At this stage we want to add some bay leaves. As the meat becomes soft, turn the heat down to low. If required, add a little more water to your meat. We want to be able to make curry sauce that will mix through the rice so its important the meat have some broth remaining.

Second main ingredients is definitely caramelizing the onions. Starting with high heat, using one tablespoon of oil and one table spoon of Ghee, caramelize onion until it starts to get golden then turn the heat down to medium.

Once the onions are brown and caramelized, you can start adding the spices and mix them thoroughly before adding it to the reduced boiled meat. Turn the heat down to either low or turn it off once you are ready to add the spices. We don't want the spices to burn.

Once the spices are mix nicely with the caramelized onion, add this to the meat pot and mix it through. Then add diced tomato and small amount of water if required. As mentioned before we want the curry sauce so we don't want the meat broth to reduced right down. After this we can cover the lid and continue to reduce the sauce.

You are almost there. Now to the last but not least, the Rice. While the curry sauce is getting cooked, washed and boil the rice with some spices such as cinnamon stick, star anise, Cardamom pods and caraway seeds.

Occasionally stir the rice. Once the rice is cooked sift it then put it into the curry pot. Make sure you do not mix the curry and rice at this stage. Get two tablespoon of Ghee and place bits in between the rice. Also place coriander on top of the rice or covered it under the rice. Then you can put some food coloring of yellow and red. You can use saffron powder to make yellow color as an alternative to food coloring. Now you are almost there and only the most important step remains.

We want the rice to be cooked through but firm. So to get the right texture, cover up the pot then on low heat Let it sit for the next 10 -15 min. During this time make sure you turn the port around so different part of the base of the pot will be right above the fire.

Once this is done, you are ready to plate it up.

Well done.

Ingredients

for 8-10 Servings

Goat curry

1.5 kg of Goat meat

2 teaspoon Oil of your choice (vegetable/sunflower/olive oil)

2 cloves of Garlic

Small amount of Ginger

3 dried Bay Leaves

2-3 diced fresh Tomatoes

A Pinch of Salt

Caramelized Onion

1 tablespoon oil of choice

1 tablespoon Ghee

3-4 white Onion depending on the size

3 sticks of Cinnamon sticks

10 Cardamom pods

5 Star Anise

15-20 Clove buds

1 teaspoon Caraway seeds

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 teaspoon Mace ( or nutmeg)

2 teaspoon Cumin

1.5 teaspoon smoked Paprika powder

1.5 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1.5 teaspoon Curry powder

A pinch of salt

Rice

5 cups Basmati rice

1 Cinnamon stick

4 Cardamom pods

2 Star anise

Small amount of cumin

2 tablespoon Ghee

Saffron powder or food coloring (Yellow and Red)

Some coriander

Recipe

Boil the washed and cleaned goat meant in a small amount of water just enough to cover your chosen meat with a pinch of salt, two teaspoon of oil of your choice, two cloves of crushed garlic and small amount of ginger on medium heat and let it simmer and reduced.
As the water reduced add more water, just enough to cover the top of the meat. Repeat this process until the meat is tender. You don't need for the meat to fall off the bones at this state.
Once the meat is cooked and soft, add 3 dried bay leaves and some more water as required and turn the heat on low to reduce the broth.

While the meat is cooking, in a pan put one tablespoon oil, one table spoon of Ghee and start caramelizing your Onion on high heat.
Once the color of the Onions are golden turn it to medium heat to continue the caramelizing process. At this stage add a pinch of salt.
Once the onion are caramelized, turn the heat to low or totally turn it off then add the spices. First add 1.5 teaspoon smoked Paprika powder, 1.5 teaspoon Turmeric powder and 1.5 teaspoon Curry powder then mix it thoroughly.
Then add the rest of the spices; 3 sticks of Cinnamon sticks, 10 Cardamom pods, 5 Star Anise, 15-20 Clove buds, 1 teaspoon Caraway seeds, 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon Mace ( or nutmeg), 2 teaspoon Cumin. Mix it through.

Once the spices are mix nicely with the caramelized onion, add it to the meat pot and mix it through. Then add diced tomato and small amount of water if required. As mentioned before we want the curry sauce so we don't want the meat broth to reduced right down. After this we can cover the lid and continue to reduce the sauce.

While the curry is getting cooked, its time to cook the rice. Measure 5 cups of Basmati rice, wash it 2-3 times then cook it with some of the spices.
Place 1 Cinnamon stick, 4 Cardamom pods, a pinch of Cumin and 2 Star Anise.
Occasionally stir the rice and check whether its cooked as we don't want to over cook the rice but we want it just cooked.
Once the rice is cooked, drain the water then simply place it in the curry pot, on top of the curry. At this stage we do not want to mix it through.

Get 2 table spoon of Ghee and place it in between the rice. Place the Coriander on top of the rice or you may choose to cover it with rice.
Sprinkle red and yellow food coloring. (You can also use Saffron powder as alternative)
As we want the rice of right texture, cover up the pot then on low heat Let it sit for the next 10 -15 min. During this time make sure you turn the port around so different part of the base of the pot will be right above the fire.
Once that's done, you can mix the curry and rice, plate it up and enjoy it with your family and friends.