Biriyani is one of the most delicious of all Indian dishes. It is a simple dish, whose
main ingredient is rice. To the rice is added spices, stock, ghee and vegetables or meat to enhance the flavor. The beauty of biriyani comes from the technique of cooking the rice in stock with the meat and vegetables in the same pot- allowing the flavours to seep into the rice as it cooks. Biriyani may be embellished with currants, mustard steeds or coriander to improve the presentation and flavor.

In some ways biriyani is similar to the Spanish dish paella and the Italian dish risotto. All three dishes involve rice cooked in stock with other ingredients added to enhance the flavour of the rice. Biriyani is distinctive in that a fragrant variety of rice- usually Jasmine or Basmati is used. And of course Indian spices are added to give it a kick!

Biriyani may be eaten as a meal on its own, or eaten with curries. The most popular types of biriyani are chicken, fish and vegetarian. It is available in most Indian restaurants and take-away shops or can be cooked easily at home.

Here is a simple recipe for biriyani. First prepare chicken stock by purchasing a chicken carcass from your butcher and simmering the carcass in one liter of water for one hour. You will also need a whole chicken, which you can ask the butcher to cut up for you into pieces. Then, take two cups of Basmati rice and saute with a tablespoon of ghee over medium heat. Once the rice starts to color, add half a cup of diced onions and one clove of garlic. Then add the chicken pieces and brown them in the same pot as the rice. Then add four cups of chicken stock. You must now add three curry leaves, a stick of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of turmeric, one teaspoon of chili powder, and half a teaspoon each of ground cumin and fennel to the rice. Bring the stock to the boil, the reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer until the rice is cooked, about thirty to forty minutes. If the stock becomes all absorbed by the rice before the rice is cooked, add another half cup to one cup further of chicken stock. The rice should be soft but separate and not sticky. To finish add half a cup of chopped coriander and a quarter cup of cashews.
Serve the biriyani on its own with yogurt or as a side dish to your favorite Indian curry.

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