This recipe is my mum's recipe which she learnt from her bengoli cook, its my absolute favourite biryani made with goats meat, but you can make it with any red meat (or chicken if you please, but traditionally biryani is always made from red meat). Be warned this recipe is long and time consuming to make and will use practically every equipment you own, but totally worth it!


INGREDIENTS:
Serves 5-6 peoples

Meat 350grms
Rice 3 cups
Water 5 & 1/4-1/2 cups (boiling water for rice, the water line should be an inch above the rice line when added to the pot)

Onions x 2 medium finely sliced
Potatoes 8 – 10 peeled and quartered
Water for Boiling potatoes
Oil/ghee 1/3 cup

Yoghurt 200grms
Ginger paste 2 tblspns
Garlic paste 1 & ½ tblspns

Biryani masala powder/paste 1 & ¼ tblspn
Salt to taste
​Nutmeg Powder 3 pinches
Mace Powder 2 pinches
Food colouring, yellow/orange 3 pinches (can be replaced with saffron)
Cinnamon stick one 3 inches long
Clove x 3
Cardamon x 3
Peppercorn x 8
Black cumin 1 pinch
Green chillies x 5 whole wash and pierce each with tip of knife- so they don't "explode"
Milk 1/6th of a cup (can be replaced with water)
Sugar a couple of pinches


EQUIPMENT:
High sided bowl for soaking rice
Bowl for marinating meat
Small pot for boiling potatoes
Frying pan for frying potatoes
Medium-large heavy bottom pot for cooking meat
Large heavy bottom pot for cooking rice, needs to be big enough to add meat and potatoes to the rice
extra pot/bowl for holding hot rice in temporarily
Various number and sizes/shapes of spoons
Tawa pan/oven
Small bowl/cup for milk mix
Electric kettle

METHOD:

FIRST STEPS:


Firstly in a high sided bowl wash and leave the rice to soak in water; there should be enough water in the bowl so that there is at least two inches of water above the rice line. ( this can be done well in advance as the more hours the rice has to soak the better the rice cooks- aim for at least 4-5 hours)


Marinade the meat with:
yoghurt
ginger paste
garlic paste
“Biryani spice” paste/powder
nutmeg powder
mace powder
whole green chillies x 3
salt to taste ( I recommend about 1/2-3/4 tspn)


This can be done at the same time as rice to also allow marinating time of few hours.


ONIONS:


Next fry the thinly sliced onion in a heavy bottom pot in oil/ghee, until golden brown, switch off the heat and remove the onions from the oil with a slotted spoon and dish out on to a tray lined with kitchen roll leaves (at least 2!) Spread out the onions to cool nicely to allow them to retain their crispiness. Keep the oil for the next stages!
Remove about 4 table spoons of the onion oil/ ghee and place into your rice pot for using later. Pour half of the remaining oil, into a frying pan for using later for the potatoes, leave the remaining half in the same pot for using later with the meat.


Top tip:
This can be done well in advance (and in bulk) as the oil and onions can be kept for few weeks without a problem! Onions once fully cooled can be stored (as is or crushed by hand depending on its future use) in an airtight container at room temperature and the oil as well can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature- the oil should be aimed to be used within three weeks after which it can start to have a stale smell, onions can be kept easily for up to 6 weeks.


POTATOES:


In a separate pot, par boil baby potatoes that are peeled and cut in quartets until the are cooked but still firm.
Then in the frying pan, (which has a portion of the onion oil), turning the potatoes regularly, evenly shallow fry the par boiled potatoes with a bit of Biryani powder sprinkled on it and/or yellow/orange food colour until a nice crispy crust starts to form, this should take about 10 mins on a low heat. Once ready switch off and keep on the side.


MEAT:


In your heavy bottom pot (that you have your onion oil in) now add the marinating meat. Cook on medium flame until tender if it still has quite a bit if water cook it off until its a thick gravy consistency then put to the side.
once the meat is tender take out the green chillies before you stir around too much so that they don't break (if they break then it will get chillier. )


RICE:

Fill up fresh water in the kettle to boil and switch it on.
make a mixture of milk and a couple of pinches of yellow/orange food colouring with a couple of pinches of sugar and leave it on the side. In total it should not be more than 1/6th of a cup


In your big heavy bottom Rice pot, that has your onion oil, add:
black cumin seeds
black peppercorn
cardamon
cinnamon
clove


Fry the spices on a medium heat until they start to brown. Now switch off the heat and let it cool, this step of cooling although not necessary from its cooking point of view, is very vital for safety, as if you add the rice to the very hot oil you will get lots of oil violently spitting out which can burn you!
Now drain all the water from your rice and add the rice to the pot and two green chillies. Switch the heat back on this time on full. Stir-fry the rice in the oil for a couple of minutes, now add the freshly boiled water,using the above mentioned ratio and salt. Cover the pot with its lid and cook on high heat for about 8-10 minutes. When you remove the lid you should be able to see the water has absorbed quite a bit and you should be able to see bubbles being formed on the surface of the rice. Take out a couple of grains of rice using a spoon and when you squeeze the rice between your finger n thumb it should feel firm but be able to still be mashed to a degree indicating the rice is 3/4s cooked. Now remove the rice from the heat.




Take out 2/3rds of the rice into a pot/heat proof bowl; evenly spread out the remaining 1/3 of rice in the rice pot.
-Then evenly lay on the rice ½ the meat and ½ of the potatoes potato and a handful of the fried onions then a few tspns of the milk and food colouring mix sprinkled around.
-Then add ½ of the 2/3rd of rice you have set on the side evenly layered on to the meat and potato layer.
-Next add the remaining of the meat and potato in an even layer as before with a handful of fried onions and sprinkles of the milk mix.
- Add the last layer of the remaining rice evenly
-Finish off with remaining milk mix sprinkled around and a final handful of the fried onions.
In total you should have three rice layers n two meat n potato layers.
-Put a "tawa" fry pan on the stove on a medium-high heat and the layered biryani rice pot on the tawa for about 15mins or until the steam comes all the way threw to the top (if you have a cooking thermometer you can use it to check that it has heated past 82 degrees Celsius) and the rice is at the right softness to eat if not leave on for a bit longer. Alternatively the pot can be put in the oven at gas mark 4 (180 degrees celsius ) for 15-20mins to achieve the same result.
-Once rice is ready remove from the heat source and mix well all the way through with a big flat rice spoon before you serve.
-Garnish with fried onions n coriander if you please


EXTRAS:


One can add a sliced tomato to the rice when u add the rice to the oil and some dried plums before you add the water to the rice. These things are not necessary but add to the flavour if you like them.


SALAD:
1 large grated carrot
1/2 cucumber cut cross-sectionally then thinly sliced in semi-circles and then cut those semi-circles into thin stripes so they compliment the grated carrot shape ( do not grate the cucumber it will get messy)
-Whip 300grms yoghurt; mix with carrot n cucumber, add a good squeeze of plain mayo, a couple of pinches of salt, a pinch of red chilli powder and if you like about half tea spoon of dry roasted white cumin seed powder.
( you can not buy it off the shelf, you have to roast on a skillet tawa (or a deep stainless steal ladle also works) roast about a tspn of white cumin seeds till they are brown then take off and grind in coffee grinder or pestle n mortar, alternatively you can roast them and grind them in bulk and keep for up to two years. It is lovely in salads, as well as, you can try and add them to your baked beans with some red chilli powder or my favourite dish I make with them is cumin chicken!) ​

Ginger and Garlic paste the two "G" must haves of sub-continental food

Homemade fresh ginger and garlic paste.

I normally make these two together. Always make garlic paste first and then ginger. Saves up on one washing up round.
Every dish that calls for ginger, also calls for garlic, but every dish that calls for garlic, does not call for ginger. Hence the order. Make garlic paste then without the need of even a rinse go straight on to ginger paste.



Garlic paste

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic- 5 pods
Salt about- ¾ tblspn
Oil about 1⁄3 cup
Water ¾ cup 


TOP TIP:
The oil and salt work as a preservative so do not skimp on them otherwise you end up with green garlic paste which although is not harmful, it's just not very appealing and most probably will not last as long in the fridge.


METHOD:

-Soak garlic cloves in a bowl with water, once the peel has soften you can quite easily and quickly remove all the peels.
-Peel and wash the garlic cloves.
-Pop them into your blender
-Usually it come to about 6-7 cm high in the blender
-Add oil so that you have about a cm of oil sitting at the bottom of your blender. (As blender sizes vary this is just a visual guide).
-Add the salt
-Add about ½ cup of water
-Start blending
-Add a further ¼ cup of water and then continue blending until you get to a smooth paste.

( If your blender is struggling to reach a smooth paste, add a touch more water, but refrain from being tempted to add too much water, as this will result in a very watery paste which:
a) will dilute you measurements of the paste plus
b) also will result in it going off more quickly due to the change in ratio.

-Using a spatula, or the likes, decant the paste to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

(Depending on how regular your consumption, if it is not too much, then it might be worth dividing it up into a few pots and keeping one in the fridge and others in the freezer. It lasts about 3-4 weeks in the fridge and can be kept up to a year in the freezer). 



If you are going on to make ginger paste you can continue on straight to make the ginger paste in the same jug without the need of washing the blender jug.




Ginger paste

INGREDIENTS:

Ginger 300g
Salt about- ¾ tblspn
Oil about 1⁄3 cup
Water 1 cup


METHOD:

-Peel and chop the ginger into small about 1 inch pieces.
-Wash the pieces, pop them into your blender.
Usually it come to about 6-7 cm high in the blender
-Add oil so that you have about a cm of oil sitting at the bottom of your blender. (As blender sizes vary this is just a visual guide).
-Add the salt
-Add about ¾ cup of water
-Start blending
-Add a further ¼ cup of water and then continue blending until you get to a smooth paste.

( If your blender is struggling to reach a smooth paste add a touch more water, but refrain from being tempted to add too much water as this will result in a very watery paste which:
a) will dilute you measurements of the paste plus
b) also will result in it going off more quickly due to the change in ratio.

-Using a spatula, or the likes, decant the paste to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

(Depending on how regular your consumption, if it is not too much, then it might be worth dividing it up into a few pots and keeping one in the fridge and others in the freezer. It lasts about 3-4 weeks in the fridge and can be kept up to a year in the freezer)

Ginger and Garlic paste are the bases of most sub-continental cuisine, but are also called for in other cuisines too, so it is quite a handy item to have in your fridge!
​

​Harre Masale ki tikkiya kabab
"Green curry" chicken kababs

Please note this dish requires shallow frying and should be only made by someone who feels they can competently handle hot frying. Children should not be anywhere near a hot oil pan!!

Children may be able to assist with adding in ingredients. However it is also best for children not to handle raw chicken with their hands, as they may not wash thoroughly afterwards, unless properly supervised.

½ kg  Chicken breast Minced (once minced)
6-8 tblspn Coriander Chutney depending on how strong you want the flavour. 
1 ½ tblspn Ginger paste
1 tblspn Garlic Paste
Salt to taste (about ¾ tblspn)
Chilli powder to taste (about ½ tspn for mild heat)
1 slice of bread soaked in a little bit of water (about 6-8 tblspns) once soaked mush up by hand.

***
Coriander Chutney:
1 bunch thoroughly washed and roughly chopped including stems
½ lime's juice
½ lemon's juice
1/4- 1/3cup Water 
Garlic 3-4 cloves
Salt to taste ( about ½ tblspn)
***

METHOD:

Firstly prepare the Coriander Chutney
In a blender add all the ingredients for the chutney and blend.

If you feel it is not blending and needs a bit more water add little bit at a time, but be careful not to be tempted to add too much water! We are looking to make a thick smooth chutney otherwise the kabab mix will get too watery.


Next in a high sided mixing bowl, add all the ingredients to the chicken mince and mix well using a wooden spoon or clean hands. 

Please note if using hands you MUST wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw chicken with anti-bacterial soap, as raw chicken may contain harmful bacteria.

Also all utensils and equipment that come into contact with raw chicken need to be thoroughly washed to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria.

Cover bowl with cling film (or the likes) and leave to marinade in the fridge for about half an hour.


COOKING:

-Remove chicken mix from fridge.
-Place a medium frying pan with about 1/2cm depth of cooking oil on medium heat and allow to warm up.

Once the oil has heated up, takes about 5 mins depending on your equipment, (Check by placing your hand now and then for a couple of seconds about a span above the oil, when you feel heat on your palm coming from the oil it is ready) turn the heat down to a medium-low flame.

 
-Next using a table spoon (or your hand), scoop up a small ball sized portion (about 3-4cm in diameter) from the main mix.
-Gently and very carefully place the portion into the heated oil, then using a table spoon flatten out the ball into an even disc.
Keeping going until the pan is full.

TAKE IMMENSE CARE THAT YOU DO NOT DROP IN FROM TOO HIGH OTHERWISE THE HOT OIL WILL SPLASH UP AND MAY BURN!
Ideally you can "drop in" from about a finger's thickness above the oil. if you do it slowly and carefully it will not splash back. 

-Let cook on one side for about 3 mins
-Next using a flat slotted frying utensil, turn the kabab over on to the other side to cook other side for about 3 mins.
-Keep turning and cooking for further couple of minutes on both side until golden brown.


You may need to adjust your heat as you are cooking:

-If they are cooking too fast it is important to turn the heat down and let the kebabs cook through thoroughly.

**It is dangerous if food is not cooked through properly**

-If you have cooked for 10 minutes and the kebabs do not appear to be colouring at all, Turn up the heat to a medium flame and continue cooking and flipping in between as you have been doing.

In total roughly it takes about 15 mins to cook a batch depending on your equipment.

When you feel that your kebabs are cooked carefully remove one with a slotted frying utensil and place on a plate. Using a knife, carefully (remember it will still be piping hot!) cut in quarters to see if the kebab is cooked through and is white all the way through, there should not be any pink left inside.

Once fully cooked and golden brown in colour using your slotted frying utensil carefully remove the kebabs from the oil, draining any excess oil and place on a dish which has been lined with 2 leafs of kitchen towel. This will help soak up any excess oil. ( A chip drainer or cooling rack work fine too.)

Continue frying the rest of the batches of the kebabs as above.

(The chicken mince mix can also be frozen, but prior to the addition of bread. Raw Chicken mince should not be kept in the freezer for more than 6-9 months)

Serve Hot as a snack with the left over coriander chutney (or any other choice of sauce) or as part of a meal with rice, daal, your left over coriander chutney and another curry dish as well if you like. 

Bon appetit!

Inspired from My Majhley phophi's (paternal aunt's) famous mouth watering chicken pakoray


Please note this dish requires deep frying and should be only made by someone who feels they can competently handle hot deep frying. Children should not be anywhere near a hot oil pan!!

Children may be able to assist with adding in ingredients. It is also best for children not to handle raw chicken with their hands, as they may not wash thoroughly afterwards, unless properly supervised.
​

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kg Minced Chicken Breast (minced through once)
2 Eggs

Salt to taste (about 1/2-2/3 tblspn)
Black pepper to taste (about 1/3 tspn)

1/4-1/2 tspn Chilli Powder ( depending on how hot you want them)
1 tspn Whole White Zeera
2/3 tspn White Zeera Powder
1 tspn Corriander Powder
1 pinch Garam Masala Powder

1 tspn Ginger Paste
1 1/2 - 2 tspn Garlic Paste

1 tblspn Soya Sauce
1 tspn Apple Cider Vinegar (or any other vinegar)

3-4 tblspn Cornflower Powder


METHOD:

-In a high sided mixing bowl place in your prepared chicken mince.
-Add all dry spices to the chicken mince.
-Next add the soya sauce and vinegar.

-Break in the eggs in a separate small (preferably clear "pyrex" style bowl) so that you can see if there are any shells that may have slipped through, remove any shell and then add to the mince mix.

-Next mix well with a wooden spoon or with a clean hand.

Please note if using hands you MUST wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw chicken with anti-bacterial soap, as raw chicken may contain harmful bacteria.

-Cover with cling film (or the likes) and place in the fridge for about half an hour (or until ready to cook)

PLEASE NOTE:
Raw chicken should not be kept out of the fridge for longer than necessary and should not be stored in the fridge for more than 48 hours

TOP TIP:

If you are planning on leaving the mix for more than 2-3 hours, its best not to mix in the egg until just before cooking time.



COOKING:

-Take your mix out of the fridge and set aside for about 10 minutes to just take the edge off the chill (especially if using hands to place in the balls).

-In the meantime on medium heat, place a medium sized frying pan filled up to 4cm with cooking oil. (Which has sides that are a minimum of 5cm).

Alternatively you can use a deep fryer, but as it uses up too much oil it is not my recommended choice of equipment.

-Add the cornflour powder and mix in well with a wooden spoon/clean hand.

Please note if using hands you MUST wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw chicken with anti-bacterial soap, as raw chicken may contain harmful bacteria.

Also all utensils and equipment that come into contact with raw chicken need to be thoroughly washed to reduce the risk of spreading bacteria.


DEEP FRYING:

Once the oil has heated up, takes about 5 mins depending on your equipment, (Check by placing your hand now and then for a couple of seconds about a span above the oil, when you feel heat on your palm coming from the oil it is ready) turn the heat down to a medium-low flame.

 
-Next using a table spoon or your hand, scoop up a small ball sized portion (about 2-3cm in diameter) from the main mix.
-Gently and very carefully place the portion into the heated oil. Keeping going until the pan is full.

TAKE IMMENSE CARE THAT YOU DO NOT DROP IN FROM TOO HIGH OTHERWISE THE HOT OIL WILL SPLASH UP AND MAY BURN!
​
Ideally you can "drop in" from about a finger's thickness above the oil. if you do it slowly and carefully it will not splash back. 

-Let cook on one side for about 3 mins
-Next using a flat slotted frying utensil, turn the balls over on to the other side to cook other side for about 3 mins.
-Keep turning and cooking for further couple of minutes on both side until golden brown.
You may need to adjust your heat as you are cooking:


-If they are cooking too fast it is important to turn the heat down and let the balls cook through thoroughly.

It is dangerous if food is not cooked through properly.

-if you have cooked for 10 minutes and the balls do not appear to be colouring at all. turn up the heat to a medium flame.

It should take about 15 minutes in total to cook one batch depending on your equipment.


When you feel that your balls are cooked carefully remove one with a slotted frying utensil and place on a plate. Using a knife, carefully (remember it will still be piping hot!) cut in half to see if the ball is cooked through and is white all the way through, there should not be any pink left inside.

Once fully cooked and golden brown in colour using your slotted frying utensil carefully remove the balls from the oil draining any excess oil and place on a dish which has been lined with 2 leafs of kitchen towel This will help soak up any excess oil. ( A chip drainer or cooling rack work fine too.)

Continue frying the rest of the batches of the balls as above.

(The chicken mince mix can also be frozen, but prior to the addition of eggs and cornflour. Raw Chicken mince should not be kept in the freezer for more than 6-9 months)

Serve Hot- plain or with a selection of sauces. 

Enjoy!
​

​Please note this dish requires deep frying and should be only made by someone who feels they can competently handle hot deep frying. The dough can be kneaded and rolled out by children, but children should not be anywhere near a hot oil pan!!
 
INGREDIENTS:

3 cups self raising flour
⅓ cup oil
8 tblspn yoghurt
¾ tspn baking powder
1 tspn sugar
Salt to taste
 
METHOD:
 
Mix all the ingredients in a high sided mixing bowl and knead into soft, but not sticky dough.
Leave to rest for about half an hour
 
Divide into small balls should make about 12-14 portions.
On a clean flat surface/or your wooden "roti" board,
Evenly roll out into "circular discs" with a rolling pin to a thickness of 3-4mm (please note these are rolled out thicker than chapati bread).
When rolled out they are not bigger than your palm.
Next deep fry them on a medium heat.
 
Deep frying:
 
Equipment:
-Medium frying pan:-
one which is bigger in diameter to your rolled out batoreys by at least 4cm (i.e. if you put your rolled batorey in the empty frying pan in the centre, then there should be about 2cm space from all sides from the edge of the batorey to the wall of the pan, therefore allowing room for the batorey to safely expand while cooking. The pan should also have a wall that is at least 5cm high so that the oil can be safely filled to 4cm of depth. Alternatively you can use a deep fryer, but as it uses up too much oil it is not my recommended choice of equipment.

-Slotted flat frying utensil

-Flat "oil draining dish"- any chosen dish lined with two leafs of disposable kitchen towel to soak up excess oil, or chip drainer, or even a cooling rack works fine.
 
 
On a medium high flame place your correct sized frying pan that can be safely filled with cooking oil to a depth of 4cm.
Once the oil has heated up, takes about 5 mins depending on your equipment.
(Check by placing your hand now and then for a couple of seconds about a span above the oil, when you feel heat on your palm coming from the oil it is ready)
Turn the heat down to a medium flame.
Using the flat slotted frying utensil gently and carefully lower one rolled out batorey into the heated oil by placing one rolled out batorey onto the utensil and lowering it into the oil.
 
Next using the flat slotted frying utensil, gently press down on top of the batorey in the centre of the batorey while gently and very slowly swivelling it around in the oil. It's kind of like a pressing and turning quarter circle anti-clockwise motion. This will encourage the batorey to puff up. Do this for about 30-40 seconds then place the utensil tip in the oil on to one side of the frying batorey and gently using the tip VERY CAREFULLY "splash" a little oil on to the top towards the centre of the batorey. This helps it puff up into a nice fluffy batorey.
Once golden, which takes about 1 -1:30 minutes depending on your heat, using the utensil CAREFULLY lift out the batorey from the oil and place on a "oil draining dish".
After few minutes they can be transfered to your serving dish.
 
Fry all the batorey as above.
Serve immediately.
 
It can be eating alone, covered with sugar (or the likes) and rolled or eaten with a savoury curry.
 
 

COCONUT LADDUS-
MY MUM'S RECIPE
makes about 25

Ingredients:

-300g Coconut medium desiccated (about 2 and 1/2 cups)
-3/4 cup Sugar
-2 tblspn Self raising flour
-1 egg
-1/4 cup Milk
-1 tspn Vanilla extract


Method:

-Preheat oven at 180 degrees celsius gas mark 4
-In a big bowl mix all the ingredients together
-Shape in to balls squeezing gently
-Bake at 180 degrees celsius gas mark 4 for 20-25 minutes or until tops are lightly golden brown

​