Beef Briyani

When comes to briyani, using Basmati Rice is definitely better than the regular white rice.  Today I cooked some Beef Briyani and I was very happy how they  turned out. My hubs said my briyani was great but I need to work on my beef, it was a little too tough.. Lol.. roger that love...

The recipe may seem long, but actually briyani is one of the easiest to cook. Well, this dish is a meal in itself and needs no accompaniment, except for acchar or raita and poppadums. It is great for entertaining or a special occasion dinner too.

Although I do not have to cook anything else to go with my briyani, I wanted to try the Patchri (vegetable dish) recipe that my friend had given to me. While my briyani was in the oven, I looked at the recipe... dang!!! I do not have some of the ingredients. So in the end, I still have my patchri but my own version.. Next time, I'll try her version...

Ingredients:

2 large onions

2 garlic clove, chopped

1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

small bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)

6 candlenuts

1 tbsp curry powder

2-3 tbsp water

1 tbsp ghee or butter, plus 2 tbsp for the rice

2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus 1 tbsp

1-1/4lb (500g) braising or stewing steak, cubed

6 cloves

6 green cardamon

1 medium cinnamon stick

3/4 cup coconut milk or plain yogurt

1 cup long grain basmati rice (soaked for an hour)

2 cups water

1-2 teaspoon evaporated milk mixed with orange food coloring (I used yellow since I have no orange)

salt and ground black pepper

2 tbsp sultanas

some cashew nuts (optional)

Roughly chop one onion and place it in a food processor or blender. Add the curry powder, garlic, ginger, fresh coriander and candlenuts. Pour in the water and process to a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a small bowl and set aside.

Finely slice the remaining onion into rings or half rings. Heat the oil in a heavy flameproof casserole and fry the onion rings for 10-15 minutes until they are a deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Heat the ghee or butter in the casserole. Fry the cubed meat in batched, until evenly browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. Wipe the casserole clean with kitchen paper, heat the remaining oil and pour the paste made earlier. Cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time, until the micture begins to brown lightly. Stir in all the additional spices with salt and ground black pepper and cook for 1 minutes more. Lower the heat, then stir in the coconut milk or yogurt, a little at a time. When all of it has been incorporated into the spice mixture, return the meat to the casserole. Stir to coat, cover tightly and simmer over a gentle heat for 40-45 minutes until the meat is tender. 

In another pot, throw in 2 cloves and ghee. Slowly pour in the soaked rice in the pot. Boil, uncovered. When the pot come to full boil, drain the rice out and let it rest. Use a oven proof dish and spread on layer of rice at the bottom. Sprinkle some of the colored evaporated milk, some of the fried onions and sultanas. Spread the beef in the middle. Cover with rice and sprinkle the colored evaporated milk again. Repeat the process if cooking more. 

Cover the dish with a foil and transfer to a preheated oven. Cook for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. Remove from the oven, carefully remove the foil. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions, raisins and cashew nuts before serving.

The dish may be served with Acchar, Malay Pickle or Raita and Poppadums.

I have my Beef Briyani with my version of Patchri, Poppadums and the beef thick sauce.. yum-yum!

Notes:

* Substitute for candlenuts = macadamia nuts
* You can use all the beef thick sauce in the rice or set some aside to serve as a side dish (like I did).
* Be careful not to overcook sliced onions (ops! I did it again!!), as it would give a little bitter taste.

Goodnight everyone and have a wonderful week ahead. :)