BIRYANI







This, I feel this has to accompany the last 2 recipes, right?? and if you're wondering how I'm generating these recipes so quickly, I actually have a little folder with "originally" written recipes that I'm now transfering to this blog!! (No cut and paste or downloading from the internet!!! All recipes are my mum's!!!)


This is just the recipe for the rice....without any meat in it. Serve this with the Rendang and Tomato Chutney and you'll see what a Malaysian Biryani experience is about. (German cloudy beer helps too!!!)


So here goes...


INGREDIENTS:


4 large onions sliced thin
4 cloves of garlic
2" ginger
1/2 cup almonds
6 tbsps ghee
1" stick of cinnamon
5 cloves
3 pods cardamom
8 peppercorns
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 cup yoghurt
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsps finely chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup roasted almonds
1/4 cup raisins
Salt to taste
2 cups Basmati rice


Method:

1. Blend almonds, garlic and ginger.
2. Heat the Ghee in a pan and add the whole spices - cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns.
3. Fry the spices and 2 onions till your kitchen smells like little India!!
4. Add the ginger-garlic-almond paste and spice powders and fry for another 2-3 minutes. (By now...you'll also smell like an Indian cook!! )
5. Now add the rice (wash the rice first la....) and stir for a minute or two.
6. Kill the fire!! (Yup!! Switch the heat off!! and if you're hot and sweating, now's the best time to grab that German beer!! hehehehe!!)
7. Dump all the stuff from your pan into a rice cooker.
8. Add the yogurt and lime juice and water to cover the rice by about an inch or two. (depending on your rice cooker.)
9. Add salt to taste.
10. Let the whole thing cook as you would with normal rice.
11. As a garnish, add fried onions (Remaining from the initial 4 that you had chopped earlier) , finely chopped coriander and mint leaves, roasted almonds and raisins before serving.