If you have been cooking your Biryani but always it turns out to be like a risotto then look no further. Where I live the Indian stores are very far away so not all the times I'll have the luxury of having a good basmati rice in my pantry. So when it comes to cooking the biryani I have use the long grain rice from my local supermarket but I have found out that the rice cooks very fast compared to the basmati rice I get from the Indian stores. The biryani has turned to be like a risotto for several times, so I had to be creative. I finally came up with my way of cooking and the result is just perfect.
Ingredients
2 pounds goat meat
1 pound long grain rice or basmati rice
3 large potatoes, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon biryani masala
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 pinch saffron
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large red onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 1/2 tablespoons ghee
Directions
Mix yogurt, garlic, ginger, garam masala, biryani masala, turmeric and salt together in a bowl. Add the goat meat, toss to coat evenly. Cover bowl and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 3 hours.
Place saffron threads in a small bowl with 1/4 cup water; set aside to bloom.
Wash rice well (this is a very important step, wash until all the starch is removed). If your rice takes longer to cook then soak it for 30 minutes if not skip the soaking and drain in colander for at least 20 minutes.
In a large skillet, put 2 tablespoons vegetable oil fry potatoes until brown, drain and set aside.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and sautee onion until golden brown. Add the rest of spices and tomatoes. Stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Add mint, saffron and marinated goat, cover and cook over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally until the goat is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
It may be necessary to add a little water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.
There should only be a little very thick gravy left when goat is finished cooking.
Now take an alluminium all purpose pan and layer the race, drizzle the ghee on top followed by the goat gravy. Repeat the same process until all the rice and the gravy is finished.
Cover well with an allumnium foil paper. Bake it in a preheated 375 F degree oven for 45 minutes.
Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.
