Egg biryani is a preparation from the south of India. The recipe below calls for a fragrant basmati rice that is first semi-cooked with whole spices and then finished by cooking in a gravy containing a medley of whole and ground spices, onions, tomatoes, cilantro leaves and mint leaves. This dish can also be made using a short-grained rice such as the Kolum variety. It goes well with some yogurt raita and Indian pickles.
Serves 4
For cooking the rice
1 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
2-inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 star anise
6 black peppercorns
1½ cup basmati rice
4 cups of water
½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
For making the gravy
6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
1-inch cinnamon stick
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 green chillies, slit
8 curry leaves (optional)
2 medium onions, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder. Use a mild variety. I used Deghi chilli powder
½ tsp freshy ground black pepper
2 tbsp yogurt
½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
¼ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
¼ cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped
For final biryani preparation
¼ cup warm milk with ½ tsp crushed saffron
2 tbsp fried onions
2 green chilles, slit
¼ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
¼ cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped
For cooking the rice
1 In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the ghee over medium heat. Add cinnamon stick, star anise, black peppercons and bay leaves. Sauté them for a minute.
2 Now add the basmati rice and sauté it properly gently for 1-2 minutes on medium heat taking care not to break the rice grains. A water and salt and let it cook on medium heat until it is semi-cooked (about 80%), about 9 minutes. Remove from heat and strain a colander to remove any excess water.
For making gravy
3 In a heavy bottomed pan, heat ghee and oil over medium high heat. When the oil and ghee are hot, add bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, onion and sauté until the onions are light golden brown.
4 Add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft, about 4 minutes. Then add red chilli powder, coriander leaves, black pepper powder and saute till the raw smell of the spices goes away, about 2 minutes. Add the yogurt and salt and saute till the ghee starts separating from the sides, about 4 minutes.
5 Add the hard-boiled eggs, ¼ cup of water and mix well. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the mint & coriander leaves and mix. Remove from heat and set aside.
Final biryani preparation
6 In a heavy bottomed pan, add a layer of semi-cooked rice then place the boiled eggs one by one and pour over the gravy, then add another layer of cooked rice. Sprinkle the saffron milk over the rice. After that spread the fried onion, cilantro leaves and mint leaves over the rice. Then place the three green chillies on top.
7 Cover the pot and place a heavy weight on top, if possible, to seal the steam. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Serve the egg biryani hot with yogurt raita. You can also garnish with raisins and lightly toasted cashews.
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