Name: Memoni Deghi Biryani
Prep time: 3 h
Yield: 4, 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; Salt to taste; 1 large bay leaf; 1 tsp turmeric powder; 1 cup yogurt; 1/2 cup oil; 2 1/2 tbs cumin; 3 tsp Yellow food coloring; 1 tbs garam masala; 1 1/2 lbs goat meat or 1 whole chicken (skinless cut into 16 pcs); 1 tbs ginger garlic paste; 1 tbs crushed red pepper; 1 tsp shaan chaat masala; 3 tbs Shaan bombay Biryani masala; 3 tbs Shaan Sindhi Biryani masala; 2 large potatoes peeled and quartered; 2 large tomatoes sliced thin; 3-5 thai peppers; Handful of fried brown onions; 3 cups basmati rice (royal); 1 large black cardamom; 1 medium cinnamon stick; 3 tbs of vinegar; 1 teaspoon of kewra water; Water as required

Instructions

In a pot combine oil, meat (chicken/mutton), 1/2 cup yogurt, ginger garlic paste, 2 thai peppers, 1/2 tbs of each garam masala, crushed red pepper, 1 tbs cumin, 1/4 tsp of turmeric, 3 tablespoons of each bombay and Sindhi biryani masala, salt to taste and 2 1/2 cups of water for goat/beef, if making it with chicken, do not add water and let it cook in its own liquid. Let the gravy cook on medium low flame for at least 2 hours or until the meat is tender or 1/2 hr for chicken.
Par boil peeled and quarter potatoes with 1/2 tsp of biryani food color and add the potatoes in the gravy for the last 7-10 mins.
Boil water in a separate pot for the rice. Salt the water and add 1 bay leaf, 1 black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, remaining cumin, 1 thai green chili and 3 tbs of vinegar. Soak and rinse the rice for 5-7 mins ONLY. Once the water is boiling add rice and boil the rice (7 mins maximum). Drain the rice and set aside.
Slice tomatoes, chop cilantro, and Thai pepper and add them to a bowl, to this add the the remaining seasonings crushed red pepper, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, salt to taste, and shaan chaat masala.
In a separate bowl whip the remaining yogurt and add 3 tsp biryani food color.
Now layer the biryani, meat and potatoes in the bottom of the pot, tomato slice masala, crispy fried shallots, whipped yogurt and lastly the rice.
Set it on a high flame for the first 7 to 10 mins uncovered.
*In the meantime heat a few tablespoons of water add kewra and pour it on top of the biryani evenly for fragrance, then lower the flame, leave it to steam for 15-20 mins covered. (This step is optional, I don’t like perfume in my food so I never do it but it is a part of making biryani originally so I have added it to the steps)