Potato Biryani

Potato Biryani

For the people who are not so familiar with Indian dishes, let me give a brief introduction about Biryani. It’s a rice-based dish, made with chicken, mutton, fish, eggs or vegetables and spices. Biryani is a Persian dish and was introduced to India from Persia by the Muslims travelers or merchants of the Mughal Empire. It was one of the most popular dishes in the kitchen of the Mughal Emperors. Today I will share the recipe of Potato Biryani.

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)
for cooking rice:
1 heaped cup basmati rice
1.25 to 1.5 cups water
¼ tsp salt
for shallow frying potatoes & onions:
1 large onion, 125 grams or 1 cup thinly sliced onions
250 grams baby potatoes or 22 to 24 baby potatoes
4 tbsp oil
for the biryani gravy ground paste:
2 large tomatoes, 200 grams or ¾ to 1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ inch ginger, chopped
4 to 5 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves/pudina patta
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta
3 tbsp grated fresh coconut or dessicated coconut
½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
½ tsp fennel seeds/saunf
3 to 4 tbsp water for grinding
for preparing biryani gravy:
1 medium to large bay leaf or 7 to 8 curry leaves
3 to 4 cloves/lavang
5 to 6 black pepper/sabut kali mirch
3 green cardamoms/chotti elaichi
1 inch cinnamon/dal chini
a small piece of stone flower/dagad phool or pathar ke phool (optional)
¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
½ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
¼ tsp garam masala powder
1 to 1.25 cups water ( i added 1.25 cups)
salt as required
for layering:
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp kewra water or rose water or a few saffron strands dissolved in 1 to 2 tbsp
warm milk or water OR a few drops of natural orange or yellow color extract dissolved in 2 tsp water (optional)
a few drops of lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS
cooking rice:
rinse 1 heaped cup basmati rice very well, till the water runs clears of starch.
soak the rice grains in water for 30 minutes.
after 30 minutes, drain the rice grains and add them to a pressure cooker. also add ¼ tsp salt. pour 1.5 cups water and pressure cook the rice for 8 minutes or 1 whistle. since i used organic rice, i have used 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking. if using any other basmati rice, then add 1 to 1.25 cups water.
when the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork. keep aside. you can also cook the rice in a pot or pan instead of pressure cooking. for pressure cooking, if there is any water left, then drain the rice. the rice which i cooked, did not have any water in it. please note i have not added any spices in the rice. if you want, you can add ½ inch cinnamon, 2 green cardamoms, 1 small to medium tej patta and 2 cloves.
frying the potatoes & onions:
rinse the potatoes very well. then peel and halve them. if they are large, you can quarter them. peeling these small potatoes does take time. you can also add them with the peels. soak the potatoes in water to avoid discoloration.
before frying wipe the potatoes dry in a clean kitchen towel.
heat 4 tbsp oil in a pan. add the potatoes.
shallow fry the potatoes in medium hot oil.
fry till they become crisp with some golden spots on them. fry the potatoes well. they should be cooked from the center. halving the potatoes help in quick frying. you can also parboil and then fry the potatoes. alternatively you can directly cook the potatoes in the gravy itself.
place the shallow fried potatoes on a kitchen paper towel or napkins.
in the same oil, add 1 cup thinly sliced onions.
saute them on a low to medium flame, stirring often, till the onions caramelize or turn golden.
remove them and keep aside.
making the biryani gravy:
now in a grinder jar, take the following ingredients - 1 cup chopped tomatoes, ½ inch ginger, (chopped), 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves (chopped), 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped), 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves, 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, 3 tbsp grated fresh coconut or desiccated coconut, ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp fennel seeds.
add 3 to 4 tbsp water and grind to a smooth paste. keep aside.
heat the same pan in which we sauteed the onions. then add 1 medium to large tej patta leaf or 7 to 8 curry leaves, 3 to 4 cloves, 5 to 6 black pepper, 3 green cardamoms, 1 inch cinnamon, a small piece of stone flower/ pathar ke phool (optional).
now add the ground paste.
add ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder & ¼ tsp garam masala powder.
stir and saute till you see oil leaving sides of the masala paste.
add salt and pour 1 to 1.25 cups water.
bring the gravy to a simmer on medium to high flame. this takes about about 7 to 8 minutes.
then switch off the flame. keep the pan down.
assembling and layering:
sprinkle the half of the fried onions on the gravy.
then place half of the fried baby potatoes.
now layer with all of the rice. if you want you can make 4 layers each of the gravy and rice.
then place the remaining half of the fried baby potatoes and fried onions.
evenly add 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves, 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, a few drops of lemon juice, 1 tsp kewra water or rose water. also sprinkle a solution of few drops of natural orange or yellow color extract dissolved in 2 tsp water. you can also add a few saffron strands dissolved in 1 to 2 tbsp warm milk or water. for the yellow color, you can also dissolve one to two pinches of turmeric in 1 to 2 tsp water.
now cover the pan with a moist kitchen towel, taking care it does not touch the biryani. secure the lid firmly on the pan. place the biryani on a heated tawa/griddle on a low flame. placing the pan on a hot tawa, does not burn the biryani from the bottom.
cook the biryani on dum for 30 to 35 minutes. allow a standing time for 5 to 7 minutes, then serve the baby potato biryani with raita, roasted papad and pickle.