Biryani Is The Ultimate Love Potion

For those of you who have made this dish before, you know exactly what I mean. If your man is a good 'ol boy from the motherland (Pakistan), and you make this for him on a lovely weekend afternoon, you know you can talk him into letting you get away with ... well, anything! Even though Bombay Biryani is a great party dish, it's even better when it's just you and your guy (and maybe the kids ... lord knows they won't leave the two of you alone!). Even as you're cooking it, the smell will be so intoxicating for him that he'll be poking around the kitchen every few minutes, repeatedly asking "is it ready yet?!". Then when he's finally able to dig into it, he'll keep shooting you worshipful glances with those puppy-dog eyes. Now listen, I don't encourage you to take advantage of your guy in this vulnerable state. BUT ... this may be a good time to mention that KitchenAid Stand Mixer (or any other desirable item) you've been lusting after.

With such charitable thoughts in mind, and knowing that 2009 needed to start off on a high note, I made this dish. For those of you who aren't too sure about it, biryani is a rice dish from the subcontinent (India/Pakistan/Bangladesh), usually containing meat, chicken or seafood with a mixture of spices and sometimes vegetables. There are many different styles of biryani, some more spicy than others, using different combinations of flavorings. These days companies like Shan Foods are producing packaged masalas (spice mixes) for the various types of biryanis. Personally I don't recommend using these spice mixes for everything you cook, but even I have to admit that Shan's Bombay Biryani mix is pretty spectacular.

Bombay Biryani (Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

1 chicken, skinless, cut into small pieces

3 tbsp canola oil

3 large onions, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp ginger paste

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks

1 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cups of water
1 whole packet of Shan's Bombay Biryani mix (available in any indian grocery store)

4 1/2 cups basmati rice, washed

1 tsp salt

Handful of chopped cilantro

Yellow food color OR small pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp of warm milk (optional)

Handful of pre-fried onions (optional)

1 tbsp butter (optional)

Method:

1. Heat up a large pan with a lid. Add the sliced onions and saute till golden brown, on medium-high heat.

2. Add in the ginger and garlic. Mix around for a minute.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes, mix, turn the heat down to medium, and cover the pan with the lid. Let the tomatoes soften for 5-7 minutes.

4. After tomatoes have become a little darker and have cooked down to a mush, add in the chopped potatoes.

5. Follow this immediately with the chicken, yogurt, masala mix and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring everything to a boil, then cover the lid, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for about 20 mins.

6. Take the lid off after 20 mins, turn the heat up and keep stirring the mixture till it thickens and reduces somewhat. Chicken and potatoes will be completely tender by now. Turn off the heat.

7. Cook your rice the way you usually do. For biryani, I take my stockpot, fill it 3/4 of the way with water. Put in one big cardamom pod and half a cinammon stick. When the water starts to boil, I put in the washed rice. Give it a stir and add the salt. I keep checking it every few minutes. It usually doesn't take more than 8-9 mins. Once the rice is just done (not mushy), I immediately pour out the whole thing into a sieve, so that all the water drains out from the rice.

8. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

9. To assemble the biryani, layer the bottom of a large pot (12" or more in diameter, and high sides) with the plain rice. Then layer the chicken mixture evenly over the rice. The remaining rice will go on top of the chicken, covering it completely. Then I sprinkle some fried onions, cilantro, food color/saffron milk and bits of butter. Make sure you cover the pot tightly with its lid, then put it in the oven for 15-20 mins.

10. Take it out of the oven, remove the lid and let it rest for about 5-8 mins. Then take a large serving spoon and gently mix the whole thing, so that the chicken mixture gets distributed. Serve immediately with raita (whipped yogurt with cilantro/green chilli paste). Leftover biryani will stay in your fridge for 4-5 days, as long as you keep it in an airtight container. Take it as your lunch to work and drive everyone nuts with the aroma!

Let me be honest. So far I've only said what this dish does to the guys. But ladies, you know if your guy actually made this dish for you, all by himself (picture him in an apron), would you not turn into a puddle of love at his feet? Admit it!