biriyani ??

[Connie]

Last night I had some biriyani (spelling?) at Wild Oats Market. Their ingredient list included short-grain brown rice, corn, carrots, raisins, and the sauce had onions, lemon peel, lemon juice, coriander, cayenne, sea salt, canola oil, tumeric. I think I remembered everyting, but I might have missed something. Does anyone have a recipe for anything similar? I think it's Indian. It sure was good. I'd hate to pay $6 a pound every time I wanted some. Thanks!

[Ralph]

Hi, Connie!
I found these recipes at www.kitchenlink.com (http://www.kitchenlink.com) using their "Search" tool, NOT thru their recipe archive.

VERY MINTY, VERY TASTY, VEGETABLE BIRYANI

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups rice (basumathi Rice)
2 med-large onions, chopped fine
To soak: in 2 cups thick yogurt,
good if homemade with half and half)
FOR BEST RESULTS: soak for 2-3 hours.
6 med tomatoes, diced
6 cardadmoms
6 cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn garam masala
2 tspn dhania powder
1/2 tspn red chilli powder
1 bunch chopped coriander
1 bunch chopped fresh mint
5 green chillies, slit.
Grind to paste: (and add to above
yogurt mix to soak)
4-5 cloves garlic, 4 green chillies,
2" x 2" inch ginger
Preparation

1. Fry half the onions in a little ghee/oil until transluscent, add washed drained rice, stir till oil coated and a little
crisp. Cook on low, low heat till 3/4 quarters done. Remove from heat.

2. Sliver veggies. (carrots, beans) (cauliflower in small florets)

3. Warm 4 tbspns oil and a litle ghee for flavor. Drop bay leaves, fennel, star anise (a must!). Fry onions till clear. Add veggies, stir until crisp cooked. Add yogurt mix. Salt to taste. And cook it down till thick and spoonable.

4. Pre-heat oven to 400.

5. Spread some rice in a large aluminum baking pan, then alternate by spreading some of the yogurt mix. Repeat alternating rice and yogurt mix till everything is used up.
Cover tightly with foil wrap by crimping foil over edges of pan. Bake for 30 mins.


VEGETABLE BIRYANI

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups chopped mixed vegetables (e.g., potatoes, green beans,
cauliflower, carrot)
4 tablespoons light vegetable oil
1 1-inch cinnamon stick
6 cloves
2 large black cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon black cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garam masaalaa (E-Mail me for garam masaalaa recipes)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder/cayenne
2 cups raw Baasmati rice (rinsed 4 times, soaked 20 minutes)or 4 cups cooked, non-sticky, long-grain rice

Fry onion in oil until light brown. Add spices (cinnamon through salt in the ingredient list.) and fry for 1 minute. Add
vegetables and fry for 4-5 minutes.
Add rice (and 4 cups water if uncooked.) Add remaining spices (coriander through chili powder in the ingredient list.) Bring to a boil and reduce temperature slightly until the bubbles emerge through the rice. Cover and reduce heat to low.
Cook for 12-15 minutes without stirring. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Hope this helps! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Jeanne G]

Connie,
I was looking for you because I've never heard of this dish. I didn't have much luck until I searched www.allrecipes.com (http://www.allrecipes.com) I thought this one was interesting because it looks to be submitted by a Pakistani or Indian and had some historic facts about the dish! It has chicken instead of - I think yours was vegetarian(although you could omit the chicken), and it looks COMPLICATED, but hope you enjoy! If you make it can I try some??!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Chicken Biryani
Submitted by: Nazia
" This is a delicious Pakistani/Indian rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays such as Ramadan. It has a lengthy preparation, but the work is definitely worth it. For biryani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Ghee is butter that has been slowly melted so that the milk solids and golden liquid have been separated and can be used in place of vegetable oil to yeild a more authentic taste. "

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 small potatoes, peeled and halved
2 larges onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
2 inch piece cinnamon stick
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks

2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 pinch powdered saffron or saffron strands
5 cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
1 In a large skillet, in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or ghee) fry potatoes until brown, drain and reserve the potatoes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add chili, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes. Fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.
2 When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture. Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should only be a little very thick gravy left when chicken is finished cooking. If necessary cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the gravy.
3 Wash rice well and drain in colander for at least 30 minutes.
4 In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil (or ghee) and fry the onions until they are golden. Add saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice. Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices.
5 In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well. Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes; gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil. Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. Spoon biryani onto a warm serving dish.
Makes 6 to 8 servings

[Ohioan]

Or try this one, from one of the Moosewood cookbooks. I'll check for some more when I get home (yes, I'm being "bad" at work, too).

Phoebe

VEGETABLE BIRYANI
Serving Size : 2

1/2 cup basmati rice
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 pinch saffron
1 pinch turmeric
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup hot water
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tsps vegetable oil
2/3 tsp grated ginger root
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash cayenne
2 2/3 Tbsps water
1/3 med carrot -- diced
2/3 cup cauliflower flowerets
1/3 med red or green bell pepper -- diced
1/3 cup diced tomato
3 Tbsps peas
1 1/2 Tbsps raisins
2 Tbsps cooked chickpeas
1 Tbsp cashews

Saute the rice briefly in the teaspoon of oil. Crumble in the saffron. Add the turmeric, salt, and hot water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Saute the onions in the 2 tsps of oil for 5 minutes. Mix in the ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the remaining water, the carrot, and the cauliflower. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper, tomato, peas, raisins, and chickpeas. Continue to simmer until vegetables are barely tender. Add salt to taste.
Oil a casserole dish and spread half the rice in the bottom. Top it with the vegetable mixture and then the remaining rice. Cover tightly and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. Garnish with toasted cashews.

Source: Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

Per serving: 325 Calories (kcal); 11g Total Fat; (28% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 52g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 122mg Sodium

[L.Rose]

You can also buy ready-made biriyani seasoning, which I've seen in both powder and paste form at Asian grocery stores and the Asian sections of well-stocked supermarkets. All you have to add is onions, tomatoes, rice, and meat (if you wish). I tried the paste version once (I think the brand name is "Patak's" -- they also make a wide variety of ready made chutneys, curries, and sauces like vindaloo, tandoori, etc.)-- it was Really good, very close to what I've eaten in Indian restaurants. I don't think any of the pastes are lowfat, though....

[Connie]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I have my work cut out for me trying these. But that's the kind of work I love!!