Quick Biryani from Leftovers
From OSR
Biryani is a yummy dish, but like most rice pillaf-style dishes, it's hard to estimate how much water to add and how long to cook it when you have lots of other ingredients added in. I prefer to make biryani with leftover rice, so I know it will be cooked enough, and it make a great way to use up leftovers. You can add vegetables like eggplant and squash to this as well.
Ingredients
- Leftover rice that has become a bit dry
- Meat, any kind, cooked or uncooked
- yogurt
- saffron
- mustard seed
- cumin
- curry leaves
- onion, thinly sliced
- chilies
- garlic
- tomatoes
- curry powder (your favorite, garam masala or some other)
Optional Spices
- black cardamom or green cardamom
- cinnamon
- cloves
Directions
The basic method is to mix the rice with a sauce that will both flavor the rice and make it fluffy again, and then layer this rice mixture with the meat and bake it. This is particularly good with sole used as the meat.
First, fry some of the sliced onion in oil or butter to carmelize it. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon.
Crush and mix a dash of saffron into some plain yogurt, then add the carmelized onions to the yogurt. Stir the rice into this mixture.
Next, make a tempering, or tadka, by sauteeing the mustard seed, cumin seed and torn curry leaves in the oil (and any optional spices you've chosen to add). Add the uncooked onions, garlic and hot peppers, and saute for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and curry powder and saute until cooked down. Stir this into the rice and yogurt mixture.
In a buttered casserole, layer first the rice, then the meat, and finally the rice again. Bake, covered, at 360. Uncover it when it starts to bubble.