Spicy Biryani

Ingredients

• 400 g of basmati rice (2 cups)
• 500 g of chicken or lamb, cut into pieces
• 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 fresh, chopped cilantro
• 1 small bunch of chopped mint
• 120 g of yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• a few curry leaves
• salt
• water

Wash the rice and let it soak for 20 minutes.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and ghee, then sauté the onions until golden brown, before removing them.

In the same pan, brown the ginger-garlic paste, green chili peppers, curry leaves, and tomatoes.

Add the meat, turmeric, chili powder, ground cilantro, garam masala, and salt, and cook until the masala evenly coats the meat.

Add the yogurt, half of the cilantro and mint, and a little water, and let the meat cook.

While that’s happening, cook the rice in salted water until it’s about two-thirds cooked, then drain it.

In a large casserole dish, alternate layers of rice and meat, and cover with fried onions, the remaining mint and cilantro.

Drizzle with a little ghee, seal tightly, and cook for 20 minutes over very low heat.

Serve it very hot.