AUTHOR’S NOTE
i will be humble here, dear reader, but my biryani truly is the Greatest Biryani, and over the years, my archive of recipes is not just screenshots, handwritten notes of remembered, instructive pages of my mother and aunts and grandmother’s elaborate preparations, and edited versions, but my memories, as i have spent years observing kitchens, professional and household, preparing biryanis, and i have spoken to street vendors to understand their biryanis, and gone on street fairs tasting biryanis at every step, and have even had the chance to visit india, when visas of the enemy state were still possible to attain, and tried some biryanis there, and i also, in my advent exploration, made all variants of south asian friends throughout my life, and asked each one of them without any shy or hesitation, to cook me a biryani.
later in life, i also cooked and re-cooked and then re-re-cooked numerous potfuls of biryani for those same friends, for my husband time and again, and for myself, an avid experimenter, you could call me, dear reader, and i have gone through hundreds of written recipes, all in a jumble of information in my brain somewhere, and then i unlocked a secret pathway to my thrill and purpose in life, and i never knew why i was on this self-delegated mission, but i do now, dear reader, as it was all meant to amalgamate to disassociate and then come together again in a glorious recipe for the world, that is a little bit of this and more of that, and is a result of years in numerous kitchens, understanding the delicacy of making the biryani of all biryanis — my Greatest Biryani, and this thought keeps me going and STILL gets me very very excited.
my husband remarks i am not myself but someone else when i enter my sacred playground of a kitchen space, you know dear reader, and my mother doesn’t believe i can cook, because i never did till I left my parents home and still cannot, for the life of me, cook for her, as i am too scared of her, or maybe in her playful directions and expertise i somehow forget my way through it, but my friends, however, wait for invitations to my medley-like dinner parties, like kahlo and rivera called their ’days of the long tablecloths’, and one of my indian friends who lives a few cities away from my city in germany, says she still has dreams of my potful of the Greatest Biryani, which was truly the greatest that she had ever had, and i will not be humble here anymore, dear reader, because i will tell you my secret, and that is that i can indeed smell taste and taste texture, and understanding food has made a surrealistic change to my senses, and to cooking food, rituals around food, celebrations for food and just eating food.
so here goes, dear reader — the Performative Steps towards the Creation of the Greatest Biryani — a magical amalgamation of perpetual reproduction, a container of indigenous knowledge, a multi-generational hand-me-down, a token of care and love, a story of the fluid borders and collective identity of south asia, a loss of collective food knowledge, and the commodification of it using current capitalist momentum and enclosures, and despite it all, the biryani recipe is a moment of utopian celebration for everyone alike, those who have had it since birth, and first timers that i like to cook for, and it is biryani that brings us all together and will keep doing for years to come.
vi as the Author’s secret//serving & sharing
the Performative Steps towards the Creation of the Greatest Biryani
INGREDIENTS
1kg x Basmati Rice
1 x tsp Saffron, ground with milk/water (optional for colour and fragrance)
1kg x Protein of preference, cut into small or big pieces, based on preference (Meat or chicken, though, in coastal areas, readily available fish, prawns, and crabs can also be used)
1 x tbsp ground raw Papaya (optional)
4 x cups Water
3 x tbsp Ghee
3 x Lemon/Lime (juiced)
2 x tbsp White Vinegar
250g x Dry Plums
2 x tbsp Pomegranate Sauce
5 x large Onions, preferably Red Onions, finely sliced
4 x large Tomatoes, finely chopped
3 x tablespoons freshly grated Ginger-Garlic paste
1 1/2 x cup Yogurt or Curd
Spices
Powder/Grounded
3x tsp red Chili Powder (depending on spice intensity)
1/2 x tsp Turmeric Powder
2 x tsp Coriander Powder (preferably freshly grated)
2 x tsp Garam Masala
3 x tsp Red Chili Powder
1/2 x tsp Turmeric Powder
Whole
2 x pieces Bay Leaves
1 tbsp whole dried Red Chillis (about 1-2 pieces)
1 x tbsp Black Pepper (about 8 pieces)
3/4 x tbsp Cloves (about 4-5 pieces)
1 x tbsp Green Cardamom (about 8 pieces)
3 x sticks Cinnamon, about 1" each
1/4 x tsp Coriander, whole
1 x tbsp White Cumin (partial grated, partial whole)
1 x tsp Black Cumin
1 x tsp Star Anise (about 1 big piece)
1 x tsp Jaifal Jawatri (about 1/2 pieces each)
Salt, as per taste
Harra Masala
1 x bunch fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped
1 x bunch Mint Leaves, chopped
6 x partially slit Green Chilies (reduce/increase as per spice preference)
1 x tbsp Pomegranate Seeds
Garnishing
1/2 x bunch fresh mint leaves
1/2 x bunch fresh coriander leaves
4 x cups water
1/2 x cups oil or ghee
Thin Slices of 1 whole Lemon
Disclaimer: Even though this may be the Greatest Biryani, there is really no final version, because food is a phenomenon, and Biryani is one such happening, such that it is in a continuous flux.
METHOD
Are you ready for the marathon run, eh dear reader?
STEP 1
Start with thoroughly rinsing the rice in cold water, Swish Swish Swish, in a bowl and NOT under a colander. Scrub of all the dirt and drain a few times. Scrub scrub scrub, and perhaps use the time to think about your generational background.
TIP: Good quality, aged basmati will run clear pretty quickly, after the second or third round of water. The bad stuff? You will find yourself rinsing it forever and the water will stay muddy.
Next, soak all the Basmati Rice in a bowl of water and set aside for anywhere from 1 to 3 hours.
TIP: Soaking makes it cook faster, soaks up flavour well, and the hydration prevents the grains from breaking or becoming a mushy mush later.
STEP 2
Rub the papaya well into the Meat (following recipe with Mutton), and if you are vegetarian, just use vegetables here.
Whip up Yoghurt in a separate bowl, throw in ALL the Powdered Spices (Salt, Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Cumin Powder, and here I like to add freshly ground Black Pepper and Cloves too), freshly grated ginger-garlic paste (it’s really all about being freshly done!), White Vinegar, Lemon and Pomegranate sauce. Tap the Meat gently on all sides to mix — USE YOUR HANDS to massage it well all over in your favourite big bowl, and as you do this think about where the spices got sourced from and how they’ve come all the way here, to you, for this biryani recipe.
Okay! Now, cover the bowl and set aside for a minimum of one hour.
YUM, CAN'T WAIT, STOMACH RUMBLING!
TIP: I like to do this the day before and leave it overnight. Of course, if the weather is warmer in your space and time, dear reader, please keep it in the refrigerator.
STEP 3
TIP: Next, take a break, and drink some water, dear reader. Pauses are moments for reflection!
On the stove, warm up your Ghee in a pot. Throw in the finely chopped Red Onions and let them simmer fry till they are golden brown.
TIP: The important thing here is that the fire is on low and the timing, the reflective meditation effect, like a speech being delivered to you by your mother on your back, keeping an eye on the occasion when you overdo the onions that must be perfectly caramelised to a brown that is neither light nor dark — achieved by stirring continuously at such and such a minute.
Oh, and the sides and bottom of your pot/cauldron may even develop some char. But that’s okay! Colour adds flavour, I promise.
Remove the onions and spread them on a paper towel. Now, we let them air-dry till they're CRISPY! Sprinkle a pinch of Salt (or more if you like). Crush half the onions, and add them to your marinated Meat.
Oh My God! My senses are dancing here now.
STEP 4
On the stove, in the same pot, warm up some Ghee again!
Throw in the whole White and Black Cumin, whole dried Red Chillies, Bay leaves and let the oil sizzle sizzle sizzle with flavour. Now add the marinated Meat and let it sear on low flame till it gets tender (YUM!). Move your spoon around to keep it from charring.
TIP: Or maybe charr a bit, it adds flavour, gosh up to you.
This slow cooking is a must for the Meat to get nicely done and maintain its brilliant marinated spice flavour.
Saute until its colour changes slightly, keeping the flame on medium. Saute Saute Saute, and ruminate about life as you saute. If this is mutton, it will take about 1—2 hours to cook till tender. Chicken and fish can be faster, depending on what status your meat has.
STEP 5
Meanwhile, we create the brilliant Harra Masala.
(this step is a LIFE-CHANGER!)
In a blender of any sort, standing or otherwise, or a traditional mortar and pestle (that honestly, maintains the flavour), pulse the Coriander Leaves, Mint Leaves, Pomegranate Seeds and Green Chillies.
PULSE, PULSE, PULSE. Consistency depends on preference. Add some water to the mixture, if needed.
A kind of fantastical rendezvous, I would dare say.
STEP 6
Now, we come back to the searing Meat on the stove.
Scoop out the dried Pulp from your soaked Dried Plum, removing the seeds. Thrash it into the Meat pot, with your chopped Tomatoes and Potatoes. Let it cook, till the tomatoes are tender and mixed well.
Squeeze in the Lemon/Lime juice, and pour in the beautiful Harra Masala too. Mix Mix Mix!
TIP: Let it cook, till the ghee/oil separates and rises to the top. Sounds like some sort of magic, but that does ACTUALLY happen, I kid you not!
STEP 7
Next up, let’s defeat the RICE!
Now take a large cauldron of water, add a small fistful of Mint Leaves, Coriander Leaves, the remainder of the Black Pepper, Cloves, Green Cardamom, Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Corinader, White and Black Cumin, Star Anisa and Jaiful Jawatri, alongside Salt.
Place on the stove and let it come to a boil.
Add drained rice all at once to boiling salted water. Initially, the water will stop boiling and the rice will sink to the bottom. Worry not! Stir a few times with a wooden spoon. The water will, in a few minutes, return to a boil, and some grains will begin to slowly re-appear to the surface. The rice is ready to drain when it's bubbling. Depending on your Basmati Rice variety, it should take somewhere between 8—12 minutes.
TIP: But wait, how would you know? One, the professional kitchen way — the grains will visibly double in size. Two, my mother’s tip — take a grain in your hand and bite, or press, into it — the core should be hard and white like the grain is firm but partially cooked close to the exterior. Keep a timer, or better, stand there on top of your cauldron, watching the water and once again, ruminate about life. The rice SHOULD BE ¾ ready.
Perfect! Drain and rinse with water until cool. Set aside.
STEP 8
Now, go back to your Meat pot and check if the meat and potatoes are tender enough. The Potatoes should be somewhere between cooked and undercooked, and Meat should be pretty much done.
Next is our final winner!
A final massive pot/cauldron big enough to accommodate all the rice and meat, because everything in the end, in this recipe, also indeed comes TOGETHER!
Grease the bottom with ghee, to prevent the rice from sticking. Spread a thin layer of rice at the very bottom, assuming there is enough rice left for two more layers.
TIP: Now now — layering all the components is a methodical method, so call in help. It seems laborious but gosh, this part is my favourite. You can feel it all coming together, all the flavour seeping into one other.
Next, we spread the cooked Meat curry, assuming we have enough for one more of its layer.
Another layer of rice.
Then the Meat again nicely spread all over.
The last layer of Rice.
Garnishing: Spread the mixture of Saffron, and ground with milk/water across the last layer, poke some holes at the top with the back of a wooden spoon until you reach somewhere close to the bottom (this helps steam and cook and seep all the way). Followed by the remaining crushed Onions, some Lemon slices, a fistful of chopped Coriander and Mint Leaves.
TIP: There is no rule to the number of layers. Depending on how you like it, and the amount of rice and meat, it is one after the other. The more the merrier?
STEP 9
Close the Pot with a well-fitting lid.
Now you do what we call a dumm, or slow cooking, that comes from very special tradition of cooking, called dumpukht, in Urdu, Afghani and Persian. Dumpukht method of cooking involves sealing the cauldron with a thick flour paste and setting it over a slow fire for hours.
This can be done a few different ways. Essential is to seal it shut, because the long steam allows the meat to tenderise in its juices while flavouring the rice.
1- you can do it the traditional way, which is to seal the edges by covering the rim with a mixture of dough, made with whole wheat flour and water into a stiff paste.
Or 2- you can wrap the lid with a piece of kitchen towel or cloth or foil, whichever is available, that will make it as tight as possible when attached to the pot, and place your heaviest mortar on the lid for weight.
Or 3- you can put it in your oven at about 100—150 degrees to let it slow cook in a closed and controlled environment.
In case you decide to do the way 1 or 2, you seal the cauldron shut and leave it to simmer on medium flame on your stove. Let it cook until you can hear the chicken gurgling in the pot and wisps of steam just begin to escape from the lid, which should be about 5 minutes.
TIP: Do not open the lid at any point! If you peek, you will risk losing too much steam, preventing the rice from properly cooking through.
Next, turn the flame to low and leave it on there for 45—70 minutes.
Step 10
Carefully to avoid burns, open the cauldron.
Using a large spoon or what we like to call a soccer plate (honestly, I have no idea where the name comes from), gently mix the meat and rice in portions as you serve.
Serve alongside some variant of the raita (yoghurt, with mint or onions and tomatoes and green chillies, or with hand-crushed cumin seeds)
EAT while it is still hot and steamy. SHARE AND GORGE ON WITH THE OTHERS! YUM!!!
