Yogurt Marinated Lamb With Tri Masala And Basmati Rice Hyderabadi Biryani Food

HYDERABADI BIRYANI

Steps:

• Lay the lamb pieces in the bottom of a flat copper dish or Dutch oven. Add papaya paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, turmeric, chile powder, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pods. Mix the spices into the meat with your hands.
• Heat 1-inch of refined peanut oil or sunflower oil in a saute pan to 360 degrees F. Add the thinly sliced onions and fry until light golden and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Reserve the oil. Crush the fried onions onto meat and mix with hands. Add yogurt and mix again. Add lemon juice, fresh herbs, and 2 tablespoons of the oil that is leftover from the onions. Cover and refrigerate for 40 to 45 minutes, for the flavor to develop.
• While the meat is marinating, par boil the rice as if it were pasta in a 6 cups of salted boiling water. When the rice is still crunchy in the middle, remove from the heat and strain, reserving the cooking liquid. In a small bowl, mix the ghee with 2 cups of the water from the boiling rice and pour over the rice. Add the saffron and milk mixture to the rice and pour over the meat mixture. Place a lid over the dish, but do not remove it until completely cooked. Cook in a preheated 350 degree F, oven for 40 minutes. Serve with Nan bread and salad.

KHICHDI

Steps:

• Combine the rice and lentils in a large bowl. Cover with water and swish around with your hands until the water is cloudy. Pour off the water, then repeat this process until the water runs clear, 3 or 4 times. Cover with water and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Set an electric pressure cooker to sauté on high. Add 2 tablespoons ghee, the bay leaves, pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and the hing. Allow to cook until the leaves are sizzling, about 1 minute.
• Drain the rice and lentils in a strainer. Carefully add to the pressure cooker and stir well. Continue to cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, until the water has evaporated off the grains and they sizzle.
• Add the grated ginger, turmeric and 5 1/2 cups water to the pressure cooker. Stir well and add 2 teaspoons salt. Put the lid on the cooker and set the steam valve to the sealing position. Cook for 12 minutes on high pressure. Let the cooker naturally release the pressure for 20 minutes. Manually release any remaining pressure, then open up the cooker and stir, discarding the bay leaves. The porridge should be the consistency of a soft polenta or risotto; feel free to add more water until it's just right.
• Start making the toppings while the pressure is releasing. Make birista, or fried onions: Set a small skillet over medium heat and add the sliced onion. Pour in just enough canola oil to cover. Gently fry the onion until uniformly golden brown, about 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onion to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Add the cashews and coconut to the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove the cashews and coconut to the plate and sprinkle with salt.
• Pour off all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the oil. (But don't discard it! The oil is great to drizzle over vegetables before you roast or sauté them; it's also a great start to a soup, pasta sauce or curry.) Add the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee to the remaining oil in the skillet. Once shimmering, add the dried chiles, garlic and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds. Cook, shaking the pan and stirring, until the garlic is golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Pour the porridge into a serving bowl, then pour the contents of the skillet on top and gently stir. Top with a big dollop of yogurt, the fried onion, cashews and coconut, and some cilantro.

LAMB TIKKA MASALA

Steps:

• Special Equipment: Chimney starter, newspaper, vegetable oil, 4 pounds natural lump charcoal, and metal skewers
• Combine 1 tablespoon of the garam masala, 1 teaspoon of the salt, cumin, coriander, and pepper in a 1-gallon resealable bag. Seal and shake the bag to combine. Add the lamb and shake to coat. Add the yogurt to the bag, seal and squish to coat. Refrigerate the bag in a leak proof container for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Spritz 4 to 5 pieces of newspaper with vegetable oil and put in the bottom of a charcoal chimney starter. Fill the chimney with half of the charcoal and light the newspaper.
• When the charcoal is lightly covered with gray ash, carefully pour it onto the bottom grate of a kettle grill and spread evenly. Top with the remaining unlit charcoal, spreading evenly so as not to suffocate the lit charcoal. Set the second grate in the kettle and cover until ready to cook.
• Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium-high, until it shimmers and almost begins to smoke. Add the onion and remaining teaspoon of salt, and cook until the onion is browned around the edges, 11 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, ginger and chile. Cook, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened and browned completely, approximately 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of garam masala and stir several times to coat.
• Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have reduced slightly and deepened in color, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the lamb from the yogurt mixture, leaving as much yogurt on the meat as possible. Thread the pieces of lamb, 1/4-inch apart, onto the skewers. Grill until the yogurt has slightly charred or blackened, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the lamb from the skewers. Add the lamb and coconut milk to the tomato mixture and stir to combine and heat through. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with mint or cilantro and serve over basmati rice.
• Combine all of the seeds, peppercorns, cloves, chile, and cinnamon in an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, moving the pan constantly, until you smell the cumin toasting, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mixture to a plate and spread out to cool for 5 minutes.
• Once cool, add the toasted mixture and nutmeg into a spice grinder. Process until a fine powder is formed, approximately 1 minute. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

HYDERABADI BIRYANI (YOGURT MARINATED LAMB)

Steps:

• Place lamb in a bowl, coat with yogurt, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Begin preparing rice by soaking in water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Prepare masala 1 by grinding together in a food processor the garlic clove and ginger to a fine paste.
• Prepare masala 2 by grinding coriander seeds, fennel seeds and poppy seeds then make a fine paste by adding the red chiles through the feed tube of a food processor followed by the dry ground spices.
• Prepare masala 3 by grinding together coconut, cashew nuts and yogurt (in that order) through the feed tube of a running food processor.
• To begin cooking the lamb, heat 4 teaspoons ghee in a wok and swirl to coat inside surface. Add 3 cloves, 3 cardamom pods, and 3 cinnamon sticks, and "toast" briefly in the wok. Then, add chopped green chiles and onion and fry until mixture turns golden brown (be careful not to burn). Add masala 1 and stir well, cooking for a few minutes. Add masala 2 and stir well, cooking for a few minutes to integrate flavors.
• Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer marinated lamb to wok and also add cilantro and mint leaves. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup water and salt. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, then stir in masala 3. Cover and cook until the sauce becomes thick.
• Heat 3 teaspoons ghee in another wok or saucepan and add cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cumin seeds, and fry for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir for about 2 to 3 minutes to "toast" the rice. Add the 3 1/2 cups water and salt, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. When rice is done, remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• The biryani will be layered in a dish. A 13 by 9-inch ovenproof dish (such as the type used for lasagna) or something similar would be suitable. Divide rice into 3 parts and the lamb mixture into 2 parts. Grease the dish and arrange 5 alternate layers of rice and meat, beginning and ending with rice.
• Dissolve the saffron threads in the 1/4 cup milk and spoon it over the top layer of rice. Cover the biryani with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.
• Transfer to a serving plate to reveal layers. Garnish with fried onions, cashew nuts, raisins and hard boiled eggs.

GRILLED YOGURT-MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup yogurt, 1 teaspoon Tabil Spice Blend, and 1 minced garlic clove in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Whisk remaining 1 cup yogurt, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons Tabil Spice Blend, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp. salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add lamb; turn to coat. Cover and chill overnight, turning occasionally.
• Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Grill until meat is cooked to desired doneness, 10-15 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grill lemon halves, cut side down, until charred, about 5 minutes. Thinly slice lamb against the grain and arrange on a platter; garnish with lemons. Serve with reserved yogurt sauce.