Jimmy's Feast Biryani

​Ingredients: (double recipe for a dinner party)

• 2 lbs (909g) meat chopped (chicken or turkey thighs, lamb or beef cubes etc)
• 3/4 cup (178ml) thick curd (Greek yoghurt)
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1/3 cup sultanas
• 1/3 cup unsalted cashews
• 2 large sweet onions
• 1/4 cup of butter + 1 TBSP
• 1 TBSP Biryani Masala

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F
2. Add the the masala to the yoghurt in a large bowl, mix thoroughly
3. Chop the meat into 2-bite pieces and add to yoghurt marinade. Set aside.
4. Chop the onions in half (Now you have 4 halves). Chop one half into to thin slices (like rings, but half); chop the remainder in fine cubes.
5. Use a thick bottomed pot that can go in the oven (including lid).
6. Simultaneously - cook rice in only 3 cups of water, on low heat (we will stop it when half cooked, which is when it's almost used up that amount of water but should still be a bit watery).
7. Melt butter in pot, add the strips of onion only (cook on medium high heat, stirring continuously until translucent and a little brown.
8. Use a slotted spoon to remove cooked onion to a small bowl while leaving the browned butter behind.
9. Add the sultanas to the pot. As they puff up like grapes,, remove them to the same bowl using the slotted spoon, leaving the butter behind.
10. Now that the butter is flavoured with onion and sweet sultanas, add the cashews, stir & brown slightly. Remove in the same way to the same bowl. 
11. Add another tablespoon of butter.
12. Fry until translucent, the remaining finely chopped onions.
13. Empty all the meat and yoghurt into the pot. It will stick a little - it's ok.
14. Turn the meat every minute or so until browned on all sides.
15. Turn heat down to a simmer and cover. 15 minutes. Stir a couple times.
16. At this point, empty the entire rice pot into the meat pot and mix thoroughly.
17. Cover and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
18. Take out the pot from the oven, stir, and pat down evenly.
19. Cover the top with the fried onions, sultanas, and cashews.
20. Cover again and return to the oven for another 20 minutes.
21. It should be fully cooked, but you can also leave it covered in the oven with the heat off.
22. Serve with yoghurt & lime as a condiment, and crisp salad to contrast and freshen the palette.

Prep Time

Cook Time

Intermediate skill level
just because it's a little more involved, but great to try!
​Then try it at double the recipe
​for a dinner party!

"A special occasion dish that comes from Susheela’s Dad, Jimmy, from Karnataka, India. It combines all the spices in a yoghurt marinade for chicken, turkey, lamb, goat, beef, pork, or bison. This version would include cashews, sweet onions, and sultanas quickly sautéed in butter, removed & kept aside, followed by the marinated meat and yoghurt, added and baked with basmati rice, topped with the nuts, onions, & sultanas."

Alternate Ideas:

Great with ground meat for burgers!
Try bison, elk, or venison, mixed with beef, lamb or pork!