Biryani is a spicy Indian rice dish made with meat or vegetables, cooked separately with their own seasonings, and combined before serving. Long grain rice and various spices are used, and ghee is often used for stir-frying. The dish can be garnished with almonds or coconut and served alone.
Biryani is an Indian rice dish that can be served with various meats and vegetables. This spicy dish normally contains a wide range of ingredients. The meat or vegetables and rice are cooked separately with their own seasonings. The two parts of biryani are combined just before serving.
Long grain rice, usually basmati, is almost always used to make biryani. Spices like ground ginger, turmeric, coriander and garam masala can be included in the rice. Cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, and saffron threads are also often added. Blanched raisins or almonds are also occasionally included.
Many of the same spices are added to the meat or vegetable portion of the dish. There are small differences, however. The ginger is most often fresh from the ground, and garlic, onions, and sometimes cloves are usually added to the meat. Yogurt is usually included as well.
Lamb, beef, fish or chicken can be used. Potatoes and tomatoes may or may not be part of the dish. If vegetables are used to replace the meat choice, potatoes are typically added, along with several other vegetables, such as broccoli, green beans, and carrots. When potatoes are used in a meat dish, they are cut up and fried before being set aside. Otherwise, they are cooked with the rest of the vegetables.
In both vegetable and meat portions, ghee is often used to stir-fry ingredients. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is common to Indian cuisine. If ghee is not available, vegetable oil or unsalted butter can be used.
To prepare the meat portion of biryani, onion, garlic and fresh ginger are fried in oil. Then, the other spices are included and fried until fragrant. The meat is added to the dough and covered with spices. After that, the pan is covered and the meat portion is allowed to simmer for over half an hour.
Meanwhile, the portion of rice is being prepared. The onions and spices are fried as in the meat portion. The rice is washed and then included in the pan. Once the rice is toasted and coated in the spice mixture, water or chicken broth and salt are added. The pan is covered and the rice is allowed to steam until the water or broth is absorbed.
When both the rice and the meat have finished cooking, they are combined on one plate. Biryani can be garnished with toasted almonds or grated toasted coconut. It can also be served without a side dish.
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