Topic: Does anyone have a good recipe for a Byriani?

[976bar]

This weekend I want to make a Chicken Tikka Byriani. I have the Tikka in the fridge marinating already, then I am going to make a range of various sauces that my guests can use with it.

I'm going to make a Tikka Masala sauce, a Madras sauce and a garlic/chilli sauce, all ranging from mild to medium to very hot.

I will start by chopping finely an onion and frying it gently in some butter and oil. (This gives the onion a wonderful flavour and colour)

Add to that some cumin seeds, cloves, cracked cardamoms, cinnamon, black pepper corns, a very small amount of star annise and let these infuse with the oil in the onions.

Then I will add 2 cups of basmati rice and cover with the onion/butter/oil and fry this gently for about 2-3 minutes until the rice turns white and is fully coated.

Then I will add 1 teaspoon, maybe 2 of spice mix (depending upon the volume of rice), 1 tsp salt, a pinch of methi and cook for around 30 seconds.

Add enough boiling water to cover the rice about half an inch above the level bring it to the boil again and cook hard for about 1-2 minutes. Cover and reduce the heat to the lowest setting for about another 8 minutes until the rice is just soft.

As the water evaporates, I will add a little red and green food colouring for show.

I will then toast some almond flakes in a pan and add to the rice once cooked. (I don't like raisins in my Byriani so will leave them out but put a dish out for others).

I'm thinking then that I will pour the rice into a big dish, add the partially cooked Chicken Tikka and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes on about 150 degrees.

Not sure how this will turn out yet, but would welcome any input

[976bar]

Ok, I've made two of the sauces ready for the Biryani, the on one the left is a garlic/chilli sauce (very hot) and I always use a habernaro chilli in this sauce, the one on the right is a Madras sauce (hot). I used CA's recipe, but this time instead of using fresh chilli's, I used a Dried Chipotle Chili, which I soaked in water for 20 minutes before using.

It gives a wonderful smokey taste to the madras sauce which complements the 3 tsp of lemon juice I use in a madras

These sauces when cool will go in to the fridge to mature until Saturday when I make the Chicken Tikka Biryani.

[chriswg]

Those sauces look great. I was going to knock up a Madras sauce for my lunch but we didn't have any garlic, ginger or fresh coriander in the cupboard.

[CurryOnRegardless]

Hi Mr Bar

All sounds pretty good but you might be as well leaving the food colouring till the very end to avoid it 'bleeding', not sure what colour red and green would make but I'm thinking it might not look to appetising

Those sauces look yummy, btw.

Cheers
CoR

[976bar]

Thanks for the advice Curry, I will leave it till the end

I've had red and green tints in my rice before in a restaurant and as long as its only a few tints and the dominant colour is the white rice then I think it looks ok.

I have four colours here, red, orange, yellow and green, what do you think would suit best?

Oh! here are some pictures of the Chicken Tikka I have just cooked on the BBQ. It has been marinading for 24 hours.

I have a gas BBQ but love the smokey taste of the charcoal, so while I cook on gas, I always have a tin foil tray with some charcoal burning in it





I'll make the Tikka Masala sauce later, (got to run out for some cream!!) and post it on here, then I'll take some pics on Saturday afternoon when its all complete and let you know how the Biryani tasted along with the final recipe.

[chriswg]

I'm loving the charcoal tip. I'll give that a go next time.

[976bar]

Hi Chriswg,

get one of those cheap disposable charcoal BBQ's from the pound shop. The charcoal doesn't light that easily and in my case needed the help of some white spirit!! lol

But once all the flames died down and the charcoals were just embers but not entirely white (as this gives off the best smokey fumes) then use the gas.

Once the Charcoal BBQ has extinguished, and cold (probably the next day) throw away the old Charcoal and get one of those Charcoal bags from Sainsbury's. I only use a bit each time and out of half a bag have BBQ'd about 4 times, it only needs enough to give flavour as you're using the gas for the cooking and heat.

Just light the coals, close the lid and smell that aroma..... It's wonderful

[gazman1976]

that tikka is making me hungry, what recipe do you use 976bar ?

[976bar]

To be honest Gazman, I got if off here a long time ago and can't remember, I think it's Blades recipe.

But basically, for 600 grams Chicken breast.

2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Heaped Tbsp Pataks or Rajah Tikka paste (not tikka masala paste). I prefer the Rajah one
1 tsp garlic puree
1 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp chilli powder ( I use Kashmiri mirch)
1 tsp curry powder ( I use Rajah Madras Hot)
1 tsp spice mix (I use CA's spice mix)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Methi leaves
1/8th tsp orange food colouring
2 tbsp oil ( I use cold pressed rapeseed oil)
3 tbsp water

Cut up the chicken into the size pieces you want, and add to a bowl with the lemon juice and leave for about 10 minutes but mix thoroughly.

Mix all the other ingredients together and add to the chicken. Ensure you mix it all around thoroughly otherwise the chicken does tend to stick together and the marinade doesn't cover all.

Cover with a lid and marinade in a fridge it says for 3 hours minimum. (I marinade for no less than 24 hours).

Skewer the chicken and cook on the BBQ for a real nice smokey BBQ taste

[976bar]

Following on from during the week, I finally made the Chicken Tikka Biryani last night.

The ingredients I used are as follows.

1 Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp garlic puree
1 tsp spice mix
1 tsp curry powder
1 Knorr Chicken Stock cube (melted in a mug of hot water)
50 grams butter
handful almond flakes
red food colouring
orange food colouring
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
500 grams of chicken tikka
2 mugfuls of Basmatti Rice

Whole Spices
3 x 2 inch sticks of cinnamon
2 black cardamom pods
6 green cardamom pods
6 cloves
6 black peppercorns
A handful of cumin seeds
1 star anise
3 Indian bay leaves

Method

I put about 40 grams of butter and a little oil in a large pot on a low heat, the oil allows the butter to foam nicely and prevents it from burning. I then added the whole spices and cooked gently on a very low heat for about 2-3 minutes, the aroma was wonderful. Then I added the spice mix, curry powder, salt and sugar and fried for about 1 minute, again on a low heat.

I had pre-washed the rice and let it dry, so I then added that and fried the rice in the oil-butter-spice mix for about 3-4 minutes, continually stirring.

Then I added the dissolved chicken stock and enough boiling water to cover the rice and about half an inch on top of the rice. I then brought it to the boil and boiled hard for about 2 minutes, then reduced the heat to the lowest setting, put a cover on and steamed the rice for about 6 minutes.

Then I added the food colouring and almonds and let it steam again for about 2 minutes.

I then added the Chicken tikka and stirred into the rice, put the lid back on and steamed again for about 4 minutes until the chicken was piping hot.

Meanwhile I heated up the sauces I had made and transferred them to bowls, popped the naan's under the grill, then served up.

About the sauces.

As previously mentioned I made 3 sauces to go with this dish. A tikka Masala, A madras (using a chipottle Chili) and a garlic-chilli sauce.

Having had these sauces in the fridge to mature for 2 days really did mature the sauces, they were all so flavoursome and completely different from when I first made them. Perhaps it was because at the time my smelling senses were in turmoil from all the cooking, but the Whole Chippotle chilli I used was a bit too much and the smokeyness was lovely but next I will reduce that to half a chili for flavour.

The pics below are of the step by step method I used, and you will notice the tikka masala sauce has taken on a weird colour. Thats because, just before I served it, I stirred in about 2 tblsp double cream

The Sauces from left to Right, are the Madras, tikka masala and the garlic-chili.

Anyway, everyone enjoyed it and I was suprised at the amount I had made, guess what I have got for breakfast this morning!!

Chin Chin!!