Every festival is sort of incomplete without a signature festive delicacy. Can you imagine Diwali without Kaju Katli? Maybe not. Holi without Gujiya? What a travesty, right?
Similarly, over the years, we have begun associating Biryani with Eid. Biryani is an effervescent rice dish made with long grain basmati rice and juicy pieces of meat that are cooked together in a pot. The rice dish with Persian roots is said to have been brought to India by the Mughals. In due course of time, Biryani not only reached the commoners but also saw many regional variations. For instance, Kolkata Biryani starting making ingenious use of potatoes and eggs along with meat, whereas Hyderabadi Biryani became synonymous with ‘Kacchi Biryani’. So it would be safe to say that almost every time we need something filling, flavourful and festive, we turn towards Biryani, and now that you have a valid reason, what is holding you back?
This Milad Un Nabi, make the best biryani in town, but make sure you do not repeat these common blunders.
1. Not seasoning the water: A popular tip most chefs recommend is boiling rice in salted or spicy water to ensure the rice grains are perfectly seasoned. If you are cooking a kilogram of rice, 10 grams of salt in water should suffice. This also helps make your rice cook faster.
2. Not using the right utensil: Traditionally, biryanis were mostly cooked in brass or copper heavy-bottomed pots; these pots help biryani cook evenly on medium heat. The pot should be big enough to make room for all ingredients and still have 30 per cent of the space vacant for the steam to form.
3. Not checking the quality of rice: Biryani is not just about meat; it is as much about the rice too. Always go for long grain basmati rice. Remember, if they are aged for long, they require more soaking. Short-grained basmati has more starch content, due to which they turn mushy sooner.
4. Not steaming: To ensure that your biryani does not end up dry, make sure you give the rice and meat good steam. Seal the lid properly with atta when you are cooking biryani dum-style, this would help maintain even heat distribution.
5. Overcooking the rice: Nobody enjoys mushy, flavourless or charred rice in their plate of biryani. So do not overcook the rice.
6. Mind your onions: You cannot possibly imagine Biryani without onions, can you? You need them for the masala and for the garnish too.The onion to rice ratio should ideally be 1:2. For garnish, slice them thin and fry them in a pan until golden for the extra crunch.
Bookmark all these tips and let us know if they helped your Biryani experience. Eid Mubarak, everybody.