How to Make Beef Biriyani

I love biriyani. It is one Indian dish that I can never have enough of. Each state in India has its own way of making biriyani. The dish was introduced to the Indian sub-continent by the Muslims who came to India to trade. This dish is made with rice and meat. The type of rice used to make biriyani is Basmati rice, which is long, slender and has a unique aroma. Here, I will explain in detail how I made beef biriyani.

Ingredients:

• Beef 500 gms
• Basmati Rice 2 ½ cups
• Onion 2
• Tomato 2
• Ginger garlic paste 2 ½ tbsp
• Coriander leaves 1 cup
• Mint leaves 1 cup
• Red chillies 5 nos
• Spices (Cardamom 3, Clove 6, star Anise 1, Bayleaf 2, Cinnanom stick ½)

Powders:

• Chilli 1 tbsp
• Coriander 1 tbsp
• Turmeric ¼ tsp
• Pepper 1 tbsp
• Garam masala ½ tsp

Method:

We will slow cook the beef first and then add rice into the beef so that the rice cooks in the masala and retains the spicy aromatic flavour.

1. First place a pan with a thick base on the stove. Pour half cup of oil. You can also use a mixture of ghee and oil if you prefer. Once it is hot, add the whole spices and saute for one minute.
2. When you can smell the spices, add onions and saute them until golden brown. You can add half a teaspoon of salt which will help evenly distribute the heat and saute onions faster.
3. Once the onions turn golden brown, add red chillies and ginger garlic paste. Saute them till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes.
4. Turn the flame to low, add all the powders and saute for 3 mintues or till its roasted.
5. Add the tomatoes and saute them till it’s cooked and melts into the mix.
6. Add the beef, turn the flame to high and saute till the colour of the beef changes.
7. Add salt to taste
8. Cook the beef for 2 hours on a low flame while turning and mixing at intervals. Add water only if necessary.
9. Wash the rice clean and soak in lukewarm water for 30 minutes.
10. Drain the rice after 30 minutes.
11. Check on the beef and once it’s cooked, dry out water completely without burning the beef.
12. Add coriander and mint leaves to the beef and saute for an additional 3 minutes.
13. Now, measure 2½ cups of water, pour it into the beef masala, and wait for the water to boil.

    Always add water to rice in a 1:1 ratio if you are soaking rice in advance. Too much water can turn your biriyani into a porridge.

    I did not know this and made the mistake of adding double the quantity of water. Thanks to my friend for this tip.

14. While waiting for the water to boil, check the taste of the masala. Add more salt than normal at this stage, to allow for the rice to balance it out.
15. Add juice of half a lemon if the masala is not sour. Lemon juice will also help prevent rice grains from sticking to each other.
16. Once the water starts boiling, add rice and cook on a medium flame for 7 minutes.
17. Turn the flame off and cook for another 7 minutes without opening the lid.
18. Check if the rice is cooked, and if it is not cooked, leave it closed for an additional 5 minutes.
19. Once the rice is cooked, use a fork and slowly mix the rice. Be gentle so that you do not break the rice grains.

Serve with some raita and salan.

Enjoy!