Biryani Rice #1

My method of cooking biryani rice is simple. If you meander around the countless food blogs you'll notice the extravagant styles of preparing this rice but for me I like my rice without the trimmings but surely not compromising the taste.

I normally cook five cups of rice, which works out perfectly for my family of six, with a little left-over for seconds. You may wish to half the recipe.

5 cups of basmati rice - washed and drained.

6 cups of water

2 screw pine leaves - knotted 

1 tsp salt
1/4 cup of  coconut cream - optional

Place the above in your rice cooker and press cook.

A

4 tbs of ghee (clarified butter)

2 cinnamon stick

3 star anise

5 clove

2 cardamom - crushed

B

1 large onion - sliced

1 cm ginger - crushed

C

Handful of yellow raisins and cashew nuts - break into small pieces

In your pan, heat the ghee and add A and stir for 30 seconds. 

Add B and cook till the onion turns golden. Add the cashew nuts first and then the raisins, just for a minute. 

Remove from heat and pour the content into the rice pot. 

Cover the pot and let it cook.

Discard the screw pine leaves.  You may add some yellow coloring if you want your rice looking yellow. I do that sometimes,  but today the rice was looking brown (which I like), so I left it as it is.

Serve rice in a serving dish and sprinkle some coriander leaves and fried shallots.

Best with cucumber raita  and  lamb paratel. (recipe below)

Enjoy...jue