Recipe: Auntie Shannon's Biryani

So there we are, sitting around the braai, watching the pochis cook when all of a sudden someone says, "The biryani is ready!"

Chairs are abandoned and people come back with plates full of steaming, fragrant rice ... but, oh, to call this merely rice is just ... silly!

This is rice to the Nth degree, gourmet rice, rice that makes you weep a little as you eat it.

Later that night, I cornered Auntie Shannon (the family's acknowledged biryani master) and begged.  "Please," I said, "Teach me!"

Herein follows her recipe; note that she cut this recipe down by one-fourth.  Yup.  She made this biryani in a pot so big you could bathe a toddler in it.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of it, dang it!  I guess I was too busy eating!

Also, though I tried to be careful about writing down measurements, as I'm typing it up, I've noticed that I'm missing some ... like the rice!  And the amount of meat!  SIGH. I think that making it is so automatic for Auntie Shannon that she just takes those amounts for granted.   So I've guesstimated to the best of my ability, but once again, if anyone reading this can spot my mistakes, please let me know!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown lentils
  
• 500 grams (1 pound) white rice (I'm guessing here!)
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 3-4 cardamom pods

Curry:

• 3-4 onions, finely chopped
• 3-4 tomatoes, grated
• 7-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• Fresh ginger, finely grated, about 4 inches (I'd say a finger's length but I have tiny hands! hee!)
• 1 tablespoon biryani masala *
• 1 tablespoon leaf masala **
• 4-5 whole cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 6-7 whole allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Chicken chunks (raw) - probably about 500 grams (1 pound)
• Salt to taste
• Butter

* If you are not in SA, I've found a website that has a recipe for it here.  You can bet that I'm gonna be bringing enormous boxes of it home with me!

** Here is a website that explains "leaf masala"

Method:
Boil the lentils in plenty of water with salt to taste.  When tender, strain the lentils out and put aside.

Put the rice to boil in lots of water along with the halved onion, 1 stick of cinnamon and cardamom pods.  When the rice is tender, strain it, but do not rinse.

Now it's time to make the curry which gives the biryani it's amazing flavor.  Auntie Shannon noted that you can just make this curry and eat it separately if you don't want to make biryani.

Saute the finely chopped onions in a little butter till soft.  Add the tomatoes, garlic and pepper, cook till soft then add the spices, sugar and salt to taste.  Keep stirring and don't let it burn.  Once it's fragrant, add the chicken and cook through, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking and adding a little water if the mixture gets too dry.

Now it's time to assemble the biryani.  In a fresh pot, throw in some butter, then put in a layer of rice, then lentils, more butter, then the curry.  Layer a few more times, finishing with rice on top and dot with butter.  Put back on the stove over a low heat.  Cover with grease-proof paper (parchment paper) and then put the lid on, but leave it slanted.  Steam gently for one hour. 

When done, gently mix all of the ingredients together ... and gosh, I can't even say "enjoy" because it's so damn blissful ... so I guess I'll just say "bliss out on your biryani!"