Shah Jahani Biriyani

Shah Jahani Biriyani (Emperor’s Layered Meat and Fragrant Rice Casserole)

This is a very elaborate and spectacular dish and is made in various stages. Please read through the entire recipe very carefully to make sure that you have all the necessary ingredients. You actually get 4 recipes in 1 with this dish. Ideal for parties and gatherings as the ingredients will feed 10-12 people. I shall list the preparation in the order of the cooking process.

Stage 1 - Make Yakhni (Fragrant stock) – best done the day before

Ingredients
• 1-1.5 kg/2-3 lbs lamb or chicken bones or parts, or a combination of both kinds of meat
• 1 small unpeeled onion, quartered
• 1 large unpeeled clove of garlic, smashed
• 1 slice fresh ginger about 6 mm/ ½ inch thick (skin can be left on)
• 1 cassia stick, 7.5 cm/3 inches long
• 8 whole cloves
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt

Place all the ingredients in a pot which can hold up to 4 litres. Add enough cold water to cover the bones by at least 2.5 cm/1 inch. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Lower heat so that the liquid is barely simmering, then skim off all scum rising to the surface. Cover the pot partially (you can insert a chopstick or wooden spoon handle to prop it slightly open) and let it simmer for at least 2 hours, preferably longer (up to 4 is good). Keep adding boiling water to top up so that the bones are always fully immersed throughout cooking. Turn off heat at end of cooking time and allow stock to cool. When cool, strain stock through a sieve, preferably lined with muslin, into a container and refrigerate for 2 hours. The fat should have solidified and can be removed. Check broth for taste and if desired, add a little more salt.

Stage 2 – prepare Shahi Korma (Royal Braised Lamb with Fragrant Spices)

Ingredients
• 125 ml/ ½ cup ghee or vegetable oil if preferred (ghee gives a better taste)
• 280 gms/9 ozs thinly sliced onions
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 ½ tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 tsp cumin seeds (if you can get the variety known as kala jeera or black cumin, that is preferable, but not essential)
• 1 ½ tsps ground mace
• 1 tsp ground cassia or cinnamon
• 1 tsp Garam Marsala
• ½ - 1 tsp Asian chilli powder
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1.5 kg/3 lbs boneless lamb pieces, preferably from the leg, cut into cubes, washed and dried on kitchen paper
• 250 gms/8 oz plain yoghurt
• 250 gms/8 ozs soured cream or double cream (thick cream in the USA)
• 1 tbsp salt
• Milk if required

Heat the ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pan, then add onions. Over medium heat, fry the onions until they turn caramel brown (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Add garlic and ginger and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add cumin, mace, cinnamon, garam marsala, chilli powder and paprika, and stir rapidly for a moment or two to mix the spices with the fried onions.

Increase heat to high, then add meat pieces and brown them on all sides evenly, tossing and turning them for about 5 minutes. Add half the yoghurt, half the cream and the salt, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer covered, until very tender (about 2 hours). The meat should be checked and stirred regularly during that time to keep the sauce from sticking and burning. If the sauce is evaporating too quickly while cooking, add some milk. When the korma is fully cooked, it should look quite dry, with just enough gravy to cover the meat pieces. Stir in the remaining yoghurt and cream and turn off heat.

Stage 3 – Prepare Yakhni Chawal (Rice cooked in Fragrant Meat Broth) - should be done while lamb is cooking (Stage 2)

Ingredients
• 1 ¼ kg/ 2 ½ lbs basmati rice, washed, soaked for ½ hour, drained and allowed to dry (make sure rice is covered by at least 2.5 cm/1 inch water in the beginning)
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 1.1 litres/4 ½ cups yakhni stock (see above)
• 2 tsp salt

Heat ghee over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pan or pot. When it is hot, add the drained rice and fry, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula for 3 minutes or until the rice turns transparent (soaked basmati is opaque in appearance). Add broth and salt and stir carefully to prevent rice from “lumping”. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer, partially covered, until the water is almost absorbed and the surface of the rice is full of steam holes (about 12 minutes – check after 10 minutes)

Cover the pan tightly and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. If you have one, put a heat diffuser between the heat source and the pan. Let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the rice rest, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. The rice should not be stirred during this final steaming as doing so would cause some of the grains to break up. The resting process firms and separates them so that they retain their shape.

Final stage – making the Biriyani

Ingredients
• Yakhni Chawal (Fragrant Rice)
• Shahi Korma (Lamb korma)

• 8 tbsp vegetable oil
• 30 gms/1 oz each of the following: slivered blanched almonds, raw cashew nuts and sultanas (yellow raisins)
• 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 185 gms/6 ozs thinly sliced onions
• 45 gms/1.5 ozs fresh mint leaves
• 2-3 green finger chillies, seeded and finely chopped
• 125 ml/ ½ cup milk
• 2 tsps saffron strands, toasted gently in a dry pan over low heat
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 2-3 tsps screwpine (kewra) or rose water, optional

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add the slivered almonds and fry until they are light brown (about 1-2 minutes). Remove with slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat procedure with the cashew nuts. Finally, add the sultanas and fry them, turning and tossing rapidly until they puff up (about 30 seconds), then drain them as well on kitchen paper. Set all three aside.

Add the remaining 6 tbsp of oil to the pan along with the onions. Increase heat to high, and fry them until they turn dark brown (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove onions and drain on kitchen paper.

Mix chopped mint and green chillies in a bowl with 60 ml/4 tbsp of the milk. In another bowl, crumble the saffron strands. Scald remaining milk, add to the saffron and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes.

(All the above can be done some time before making the final assembly for the biriyani.)

Preheat the oven to 150oC/300oF/gas mark 2

Place a heavy bottomed casserole (at least 5 litres/8 pint size) on the work surface. Arrange all ingredients for making the biriyani next to it. Pour 2 tbsp of ghee into the casserole and tilt it around so that the bottom and sides are thoroughly coated (or use a pastry brush). Add ¼ of the rice to the casserole and even it with a spatula. Sprinkle ½ of the mint-chilli mixture over the rice. Add ½ the lamb korma, making sure the meat pieces are in one layer. Add another ¼ of the rice, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining mint-chilli mixture over the rice, then add the rest of the lamb in one layer. Cover the lamb with the remaining half of the rice. Press it gently to compact it slightly. Dribble the saffron-infused milk and the remaining 2 tbsp of ghee on top. Lastly, sprinkle the kewra or rose water (if using) over the top. Cover with foil and then cover tightly with lid.

Bake the biriyani in the middle level of the oven for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave the casserole inside for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Take the casserole from the oven and place it on the work surface. Place a large bowl next to it. Remove lid and gently scoop out as much of the top layer of rice as possible without disturbing the lamb mixture, and put it in the bowl. Set aside. Now carefully mix the remaining meat and rice that remains in the casserole. Mound the lamb-rice mixture on a large heated serving platter, and cover it with the reserved rice, enclosing the meat completely. Garnish with the toasted nuts, raisins, fried onion shreds and coriander leaves. Serve immediately.


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