Question : I need advice for making authentic Mughlai Biryani. Any tips? The restaurant Biryani I’ve had is generally fair to lousy. What’s the trick or tricks to making this dish?

Kuntal answers : Mughlai food is known for its richness. It is famous for the exotic use of spices, dried fruit and nuts. The Mughals did everything in style and splendour. Since they ate very rich food they reduced the number of intake during the day. Mughlai dishes as they are called have lots of milk and cream with spices to make rich and spicy meal that is the reason why Mughlai recipes are rich in fat, carbohydrates and proteins.

Even though the tips are helpful, they are not quick fix process to substitute the lengthy cooking preparation for biryanis which yields the desired result.

1. Make sure the rice which you use is the premium quality biryani rice which is less starchy than the rest of the rice. Wash your rice a few times and allow it to sit in just enough water for 15-20minutes. Drain the water before final use.

2. Use the papaya to soften/tenderize the Indian mutton to avoid the risk of them being not cooked fully with the rice if you are making “katchi” biryani (a biryani where the main ingredients like the rice and the lamb are both raw and cooked together unlike other biryanis where mutton will be cooked separately and then layered with rice).

3. The flavoring herbs and spices should preferably be used in the later stages, because prolonged use of them in the entire cooking process is just a wastage of their flavour and aroma.

4. The biryani in the last stage after layering should be cooked on a very low heat preferably on a hot plate to allow the steam to form and aroma to develop.

5. If you have pre-boiled the lamb for the biryani, try reserving the liquid/ stock to be used for biryani for extra flavour.

6. The lid for the biryani vessel has to fit snugly otherwise put some weight on top of the lid or stick together the side of the lid and the vessel with flour dough to prevent the steam from escaping.

Most of the restaurant biryanis due to the compulsion of managing cost are made to order; hence lack the complex flavour and aroma of an authentically made biryani. To see more of biryani, please refer to downloadable e-book available with us.

Tags: curries, tandoor, gosht, dhokla, bhatura, dal, bhatura, indian food, tikka masala, roti

Question : I make Indian and Mediterranean dishes from time to time. I can’t seem to get the spices just right (comes out a bit bland). Is there a certain curry powder that I should use or is there a spice that I should with the curry?

Kuntal Answers : Curry powder is a generic term for a mixture of spices put together to flavour the Indian dishes, including the eponymous curries from various parts of India. It will mostly constitute cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chilli, fennel, hot spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Some of the special curry powders are special blends of more than fifty different spices in which many of them are not easily found with our neighbouring grocers. The most commonly found curry powder on the shelf is Madras curry powder which is on the spicier side.

While most of the curries are explained in detail with their recipes in the e-book available with us, I will give a simple recipe to make your own curry powder even though its usage will be limited to north Indian curries only.

Curry Powder Recipe

2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted until just aromatic
2 tablespoons whole cardamom seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted
1/4 cup turmeric powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (alternatively cayenne)

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a dry air tight container and shake well to mix everything together. Use as required but use only dry spoon. It is advisable to make them at frequent intervals because the aromas do not last long.

Chef’s tip: sprinkle small pinch of hot spice powder alongwith with chopped coriander (cilantro) after finishing the dish for extra flavour.

Tags: curries, paneer, bhatura, gosht, dal, indian curry, roti, handi, kebab, palak