Sindhi Biryani

 
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  • The Sindhis come from the province of Sing in North India, which has its own distinctive style of cooking. As far as biryanis are concerned, we use chicken mainly and not lamb, which is usually preferred in Mughlai Biryanis.
Sindhi Biryani

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati rice
1 large chicken, cut into pieces
1 tsp saffron threads
1 cup milk
1 tsp biryani coloring, or
light orange coloring
1 tsp green coloring
Rosewater for flavoring
1 1/2 cups ghee and oil, mixed
5-6 medium onions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup ginger paste
1/2 cup garlic paste

Biryani masala:

8-10 cloves
8-10 green cardamoms
8 tsp chili powder
3 tsp whole cumin seeds
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 a nutmeg
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 cup thick whipped yoghurt
Salt to taste
5-6 whole chilies
3-4 potatoes, halved & lightly fried in oil
3 tomatoes, sliced into rings
3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
3 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
For rice:

2-3 tsp salt
3-4 cinnamon sticks
3-4 bay leaves
4-5 cloves
4-5 green cardamoms
2-3 tbsp fried onions
2 tbsp almonds, peeled & roasted
2 tbsp cashew nuts, roasted
3 hard boiled eggs, shelled

Method:
  1. Mix the saffron with 1/3 of the milk, slightly warmed, to infuse. Keep aside.
  2. Mix a little of the biryani coloring with 1/3 of the milk to make a light orange mixture. Keep aside.
  3. Mix little of the green coloring with 1/3 of the milk to make a light green mixture. Keep aside.
  4. Heat oil and ghee mixture in a heavy pan and fry the sliced onions till golden brown on a medium fire.
  5. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry well till fragrant. Add the chicken and fry till they turn color then add the biryani masala, yoghurt and salt.
  6. When the masala is well fried, add the whole green chilies with some water and let it cook on low flame till the chicken is tender but not too soft. There should be approximately 1/2 to 1 cup gravy left.
  7. Turn off fire. Add fried potatoes and mix in the gravy. Garnish with tomato rings and some of the chopped coriander and mint leaves.
  8. Clean and wash the rice and soak for about 2 hours. Boil with 2-3 tsp of salt, the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cloves and cardamoms. When the water starts to boil briskly, add the rice and let it cook will ¾ done. Immediately strain it in a colander to prevent further cooking.
  9. Divide the rice into 3 portions. Color one portion with the biryani coloring and the other, green. Leave one portion white.
  10. Now take a large casserole. Brush the base with some ghee and place half of the white rice on it. Place a layer of chicken with a little of the gravy on the rice, sprinkle with a little milk and saffron mixture, rosewater and some fried onions.
  11. Next, put all the green rice and some ghee on it. Repeat the whole process of putting the chicken, saffron mixture, rosewater and fried onions. Then add the rice with briyani coloring. Repeat until all the chicken and the balance of white rice are used. Cover the casserole, first with foil, then with the casserole lid and place it in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour on very slow heat (about 160C).
  12. To serve, scatter fried onions, roasted almonds, and cashew nuts on top of the rice. Decorate with the boiled eggs, cut into quarters.
 
 
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