Biryani Rice

Ingredients

The Rice:

2 cups basmati rice or long grained rice
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (adrak lahsun ka paste)
1 or 2 tsp chopped mint leaves or both mint+coriander leaves
1 bay leaf
2cm cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
3-4 green cardamom
Pinch of mace
2 star anise
3/4 tsp caraway seeds
Pinch of saffron
1 Tbsp yoghurt
A few drops of lemon juice
4 cups water
2 Tbs oil or ghee
salt as required

The Garnish:
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
8-10 whole cashews
1 Tbs oil
Pinch of salt
Few mint leaves

Method

Rinse the basmati rice for a couple of times in water, then soak rice in water for 20-25 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

Heat oil or ghee in a pan.

Preparing the rice:

Add the caraway seeds and fry them, then add all the whole spices and fry them for a half a minute. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and mint leaves and saute for a minute, or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic disappears. Add the saffron and stir.

Add rice and curd and stir gently, then 4 cups of water, few drops of lemon juice and salt.

Stir and cover the pan tightly with a lid. Let the cook rice till its just done. The rice should have an al dente texture and not become soft or mushy.

Preparing the garnish:

While the rice is cooking, heat oil in a small pan. Add the sliced onions and fry till they become golden, then add a pinch of salt so that the onions brown quickly.

Remove and drain them on paper tissues so that the extra oil is soaked.

In the same pan, roast the cashews till golden.

When serving, garnish the Biryani rice with the fried onions, cashews, mint leaves.

Credits: Dassana Amit

Photo Credits: Dassana Amit