Inspiration:
We had bought some beef to make an Olarthu, but never got around to making it. Today & tomorrow being holidays, I decided to cook something elaborate. We always make either Chicken/Mutton biriyani at home, and yes, the occasional Fish biriyani. I've never had Beef Biriyani so wanted to try it. Had no specific recipe as such. So this is based on the Mutton biriyani we make.
Recipe Courtesy:
Mine own with Amma's inputs.
Step 1: The Marinade
Beef cut & cubed : 500gms
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
Garam masala : 1/2 tsp (not more)
Chilli powder : 1/2 tsp
Curd/Yogurt : 2 tbsp
Salt : 1-2 pinches
Mix them all.. get your hands in... and the marinated beef should thus sit for half an hour atleast...
Step 2: Chopping & Dicing
Onion : 3-4, medium
Shallots : 7-8, medium
Ginger : a finger length piece
Garlic : a whole
Green Chilli : 3-4 nos
Tomato : 2, big
Potato : 1, medium
1. Peel Ginger & Garlic. Grind them to a rough paste.
2. Peel, halve & slice onions. Dont use more than 4 onions. They have the ability to mask the wonderful taste of the beef.
3. Slit the chillies length wise.
4. Peel the shallots. Leave them whole.
5. Cut & deseed the tomaotes. Cube them.
6. Peel the potato & cut them into thin strips as shown. Wash them twice in water, squeeze as much water out, & keep to drain.
Step 3: Grinding
Cardamom : 5-6 nos
Black Cardamom : 2 nos
Cinnamon: 2 1-inch pieces
Clove: 5-6 pieces
Peppercorn: around 20
Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
Bay leaves: 2
Star Anise : 2-3 flowers
Nutmeg: a little
Dry roast the above to release the oils.
Grind them to a fine powder which forms the base garam masala for the biriyani.
Step 4: Into the Pressure Cooker
Its best to use your pressure cooker for this step, because we need to get the beef as 'melt in the mouth soft' as possible. Moreover, less vessels to wash. ;)
1. Heat 3-4 tbsp of oil (vegetable/olive) in the cooker. That's all the oil we are gonna use in this.
2. Add the potatoes and fry them till 3/4th done. Remove from the oil.
3. To that same oil add the grinded Ginger-Garlic. Fry them till golden brown. Its quite possible that the ginger & garlic bits are going to stick to the bottom of the cooker. Don't worry. Its OK. Its gonna come out.
4. Add in the slit chillies and fry for a minute or so. De-seed the chilli if you don't want much spice.
5. Topple in the sliced onion. Sprinkle in some salt so that it will saute faster.
6. Once the onions are soft & mushy and turned an inglorious brown, but smelling awesome, you will see that all the fried ginger garlic bits will now easily come off the bottom of the cooker. Give them a good mix.
7. Time to add the masalas. Pop in
a. The ground masala from Step 3.
b. 1 tsp of Turmeric powder
c. 1/2 tsp of Chilli powder
d. A pinch of Fennel powder
Mix them all in and fry in low heat until the raw small of the masalas go.
8. Tumble in the cubed tomatoes. Mix around.
9. Add the marinated beef from Step 1.
10. Add in a handful of Mint & Coriander leaves and season well with salt.
11. Close the cooker & let it cook until the beef becomes tender.
12. DO NOT let the gravy be dry. We need it to cook the rice in.
Step 4: In goes the Rice
1. Measure around 1.5 to 2 glasses to basmati rice. Wash and keep aside to drain.
2. Take a large non-stick vessel (or any large vessel in which you make biriyani) and heat it.
3. Laddle out some gravy and a couple of pieces of beef onto the vessel.
4. Start layering with rice. Scoop out the meat pieces and add them to the rice, layering as you go.
5. Once all the rice and meat pieces are in, its time to add the water. The Rice: Water should be 1:2.
6. We already have around couple of glasses of gravy. Measure it out in the same glass in which you measured the rice and pour it in. Add water to make up the remaining ratio.
7. Cover with a layer of mint leaves. Close and let it cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
.
Step 5: Out comes the Biriyani!
By now the entire house is smelling amazing. I don't know how i am sitting here, typing this...
Well... that's how it looked...
Step 6: The Garnish
I was just too hungry to garnish it any further..
Mum does this wonderful garnish of fried onions, mint & coriander leaves, raisins and cashews... You can do it too, if you aint as lazy as I am.. :)
All I did now was to squeeze out the juice of half a lemon.. That was enough...
Time to enjoy .....!!!!!!!!!!!
To make it a Decadent Biriyani
1. Add a couple of spoons of Ghee (clarified butter) while you saute the onions, or, if you really do not mind the extra calories, go ahead, saute and fry only in pure desi ghee.
2. Soak and grind some almonds & cashew nuts to a paste and add this while you add the meat to be pressure cooked.
3. Heat some milk & soak some tendrils of saffron. Sprinkle it over the rice once it is cooked. Close the lid and let it steep & steam for 15 mins.
We had bought some beef to make an Olarthu, but never got around to making it. Today & tomorrow being holidays, I decided to cook something elaborate. We always make either Chicken/Mutton biriyani at home, and yes, the occasional Fish biriyani. I've never had Beef Biriyani so wanted to try it. Had no specific recipe as such. So this is based on the Mutton biriyani we make.
Recipe Courtesy:
Mine own with Amma's inputs.
Step 1: The Marinade
Beef cut & cubed : 500gmsTurmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
Garam masala : 1/2 tsp (not more)
Chilli powder : 1/2 tsp
Curd/Yogurt : 2 tbsp
Salt : 1-2 pinches
Mix them all.. get your hands in... and the marinated beef should thus sit for half an hour atleast...
Step 2: Chopping & Dicing
Onion : 3-4, medium
Shallots : 7-8, medium
Ginger : a finger length piece
Garlic : a whole
Green Chilli : 3-4 nosTomato : 2, big
Potato : 1, medium
1. Peel Ginger & Garlic. Grind them to a rough paste.
2. Peel, halve & slice onions. Dont use more than 4 onions. They have the ability to mask the wonderful taste of the beef.
3. Slit the chillies length wise.
4. Peel the shallots. Leave them whole.
5. Cut & deseed the tomaotes. Cube them.
6. Peel the potato & cut them into thin strips as shown. Wash them twice in water, squeeze as much water out, & keep to drain.Step 3: Grinding
Cardamom : 5-6 nosBlack Cardamom : 2 nos
Cinnamon: 2 1-inch pieces
Clove: 5-6 pieces
Peppercorn: around 20
Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
Bay leaves: 2
Star Anise : 2-3 flowers
Nutmeg: a little
Dry roast the above to release the oils.
Grind them to a fine powder which forms the base garam masala for the biriyani.
Step 4: Into the Pressure Cooker
Its best to use your pressure cooker for this step, because we need to get the beef as 'melt in the mouth soft' as possible. Moreover, less vessels to wash. ;)
1. Heat 3-4 tbsp of oil (vegetable/olive) in the cooker. That's all the oil we are gonna use in this.
2. Add the potatoes and fry them till 3/4th done. Remove from the oil.
3. To that same oil add the grinded Ginger-Garlic. Fry them till golden brown. Its quite possible that the ginger & garlic bits are going to stick to the bottom of the cooker. Don't worry. Its OK. Its gonna come out.
4. Add in the slit chillies and fry for a minute or so. De-seed the chilli if you don't want much spice.
5. Topple in the sliced onion. Sprinkle in some salt so that it will saute faster.
6. Once the onions are soft & mushy and turned an inglorious brown, but smelling awesome, you will see that all the fried ginger garlic bits will now easily come off the bottom of the cooker. Give them a good mix.
7. Time to add the masalas. Pop in
a. The ground masala from Step 3.
b. 1 tsp of Turmeric powder
c. 1/2 tsp of Chilli powder
d. A pinch of Fennel powder
Mix them all in and fry in low heat until the raw small of the masalas go.
8. Tumble in the cubed tomatoes. Mix around.
9. Add the marinated beef from Step 1.
10. Add in a handful of Mint & Coriander leaves and season well with salt.
11. Close the cooker & let it cook until the beef becomes tender.
12. DO NOT let the gravy be dry. We need it to cook the rice in.
Step 4: In goes the Rice
1. Measure around 1.5 to 2 glasses to basmati rice. Wash and keep aside to drain.
2. Take a large non-stick vessel (or any large vessel in which you make biriyani) and heat it.3. Laddle out some gravy and a couple of pieces of beef onto the vessel.
4. Start layering with rice. Scoop out the meat pieces and add them to the rice, layering as you go.
5. Once all the rice and meat pieces are in, its time to add the water. The Rice: Water should be 1:2.
6. We already have around couple of glasses of gravy. Measure it out in the same glass in which you measured the rice and pour it in. Add water to make up the remaining ratio.
7. Cover with a layer of mint leaves. Close and let it cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
.
Step 5: Out comes the Biriyani!
By now the entire house is smelling amazing. I don't know how i am sitting here, typing this...
Well... that's how it looked...
Step 6: The Garnish
I was just too hungry to garnish it any further..
Mum does this wonderful garnish of fried onions, mint & coriander leaves, raisins and cashews... You can do it too, if you aint as lazy as I am.. :)
All I did now was to squeeze out the juice of half a lemon.. That was enough...
Time to enjoy .....!!!!!!!!!!!
To make it a Decadent Biriyani
1. Add a couple of spoons of Ghee (clarified butter) while you saute the onions, or, if you really do not mind the extra calories, go ahead, saute and fry only in pure desi ghee.
2. Soak and grind some almonds & cashew nuts to a paste and add this while you add the meat to be pressure cooked.
3. Heat some milk & soak some tendrils of saffron. Sprinkle it over the rice once it is cooked. Close the lid and let it steep & steam for 15 mins.
