Neymeen biryani, a traditional biryani dish from Kerala

Ingredients

• 400 g of basmati rice (2 cups)
• 500 g of seerfish, cut into portions
• 3 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 3 green chili peppers, slightly wilted
• 2 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 2 tablespoons of ground cilantro
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala
• 1 small bunch of chopped cilantro
• 1 small bunch of chopped mint
• 120 g of yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• a few curry leaves
• 2 to 3 saffron stigmas soaked in a small amount of milk
• salt
• water

Marinate the fish for 15 minutes with a little turmeric, chili pepper, and salt.

Fry it lightly in hot oil, but don’t overcook it.

In a separate frying pan, sauté the onions and set aside half of them.

Add the remaining ingredients, including the ginger-garlic paste, green chili peppers, and tomatoes, and cook until browned.

Add the ground cilantro, garam masala, and the remaining spices, then the yogurt, mint, cilantro, and curry leaves.

Gently incorporate the fried fish.

Cook the rice for two-thirds of the recommended time in salted water, then drain it.

In a large casserole dish, alternate layers of rice and fish, sprinkling with fried onions, mint, cilantro, and saffron milk.

Drizzle with ghee, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes over very low heat.

Serve hot.