Sindhi Beef Biryani - www.ourCuisines.blogspot.com

Sindhi Biryani is a delicious creation of layers of perfectly cooked beef curry, rice and a fresh mix of tomatoes and green chili. Sindhi Biryani is best served with chopped salad (cachumbar), containing tomato, red onion, cucumber, lettuce and lemon juice, and with green yogurt dip (raita) containing crushed mint and green chili mix.

Sindhi Biryani is a traditional biryani recipe of Pakistan’s Sindh province and very famous all around the country.

The distinctive specialty of this Sindhi Biryani which distinguishes it from other biryani alternatives is that it is prepared with spicy fried potatoes together with the masala meat layer and boiled rice layer. The potatoes, before being added to the mix, are boiled and fried. This Biryani recipe can be prepared with all sorts of meat like lamb, mutton, veal, beef or chicken. The choice is yours! Which meat flavor you like the most. I’m gonna make this Sindhi Biryani with Beef as my family loves beef biryani the most. The meat and rice must be of very good quality. I always use Basmati rice for my Pulao and Biryani recipes.

The other thing which makes any biryani intensely delicious is partly due to the amount and variety of spices used and partly from the love and care that goes into the cooking process. So be calm and be patient when you make any type of biryani recipes, just because the process is a little bit time taking and we have to be patient while cooking J the preparation time for this Sindhi Biryani Recipe is 40-45 min and the cooking process will take almost 1 hour.

So let’s start the Recipe of Sindhi Biryani.

Ingredients:

List 1: For Meat

To make meat masala you will need:

گائے کا گوشت Beef - 500 gm, (good quality)
پیاز Onion - 4 large (Red), sliced
لہسن پیسٹ Garlic paste - 1 TBSP heaped
ادرک پیسٹ Ginger paste - 1 TBSP heaped
ہلدی پاﺅڈر Turmeric powder - 1 TSP
دھنیا پاؤڈر Coriander powder - 1 TSP
لال مرچ پاؤڈر Red Chili Powder - 1 TBSP
دہی Yogurt - 200 gm, whipped until smooth
ٹماٹر Tomatoes - 2/3 large, chopped
سبز مرچ Green chilies - 8/10 (fresh)
نمک Salt - 2 tsp or to taste
کھانا پکانے کے تیل Cooking Oil - 1/2 cup
پانی Water, as needed حَسبِ ضرورت
Sindhi Biryani Mix (Shan) - 2 TBSP
آلو Potatoes - 3 to 4 peeled, Half Boiled

List 2: List of Whole Spices (Garam Masala)

بڑی الائچی Black Cardamoms - 3 to 4
سَبَز چھوٹی الائچی Small Cardamoms - 4 to 5
تيج پات Bay leaf - 2
زیرہ Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
لونگ Cloves - 4 to5
کالی مِرچ Whole black pepper - 1 TSP
دار چینی Cinnamon stick 2-3

List 3: For Rice

باسمتی چاول Rice Basmati, 500 gm (soaked for 1 hour)
بایان کا پھول Star anise - 2
زیرہ Cumin seeds 1 tbsp
Salt 4 TSP
Green Chilies 2-3, cut into halves
Lemon juice ½ of the lemon (or vinegar can work too, 1 TSP)
تيج پات Bay Leaf - 1
Whole Dry Red Chilies
لال مرچ
(Round Button Chilies) 2-3

List 4: For Dum/Layering

Yellow food color - 1/4 tsp (I used zafarani yellow color)
دھنیہ کے پتے Coriander leaves chopped, 1 cup
پودینہ کے پتے Mint Leaves - 1 cup
سبز مرچ Green Chilies - Small, 4-5
آلو بخارا Dry Plums - 5 to 6
Fried Onions – as needed
Ghee 1 TBSP

Cooking Method:

1^st Stage:

1. Take a bowl and add 500 gm basmati rice, wash 3 times properly. Add fresh

water and soak for 45 minutes to 1 hr.

2. Take a big pot, turn on the heat, add 1/2 cup oil and add 4 large finely sliced onions. Stir continuously. Fry till golden brown.

3. Take out half of the fried onions to garnish the Sindhi Biryani.

4. Now add all the whole garam masala of List 2 with the remaining onions in a pot. Saute for 15 sec on medium flame.

5. Now add ginger and garlic paste. Keep stirring for 10 seconds.

6. Now add meat, fry until all its excess water dries.

7. Add all the dry spices including salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric and 2TBSP of Shan Sindhi Biryani Mix.

8. Add 8-9 sliced green chilies, chopped tomatoes and beaten yogurt. Mix well. Fry until the meat leaves the oil with the walls of the pot.

9. Add 4 big glasses water and let it cook till done. (Use just half cup water if cooking with chicken as it will cook faster than meat)

10. Cover the pot and keep the flame on medium-low.

11. After 45 min to 1 hour, check the meat, there should be 1-1/2 glass water left in this gravy.

While the meat is cooked, boil the rice for Sindhi Biryani rice layer.

2nd Stage:

1. Take 3-4 jugs of water in a separate big pot, add 4 TSP salt, 2 star anise and 3/4 TBSP cumin seeds, Green Chilies 2-3, cut into halves, lemon juice or vinegar, 1 bay Leaf, whole dry red chilies and let the water hot but don’t let it boil.

2. When the water is about to boil bubble comes up at the edges of your pot, add soaked rice and stir slowly. Let the rice cooked until 3/4th done. (Don’t overcook!)

3. When 1 kanni (3/4th done) remains, transfer the rice in a strainer.

3rd Stage:

Wash and cut the potatoes and boil with 1 TSP of salt till half done. Take out and mix 1TSP red chili powder with the potatoes, and fry with ½ cup oil and keep aside.

After the Meat is fully done:

When the meat is fully cooked, you will notice the meat is tender and the masala/gravy is nice and thick with the oil on top.

Now add the fried potatoes and dried plums and stir them in.

Final Stage - Layering:

1. Take a wide and deep cooking pot for layering.

2. Start the layering with the half portion of cooked meat with gravy, then half of the rice layer and sprinkle half of the green chilies + mint + coriander and half of the fried onions.

3. Again the layer of remaining cooked meat, then remaining rice with all remaining dum ingredients.

4. Mix 1/4 TSP yellow food color with ¼ cup milk and spread on the top. (Milk keeps the rice fresh and soft for a long time)

5. Cover the pot with a tight lid and place on high heat for first 2 min on tawa (flat skillet) when smoke comes out of the pot, lower the flame and place on dum for 15 minutes.

6. Once done, open the lid and fluff up the biryani gently from the sides only. Don’t stir from the center otherwise, the rice can be broken down.