Egg Biryani

"When I go to a restaurant I always ask for a chicken and an egg, to see which comes first."

I couldn't find the author of this quote, but it's such a silly, funny one and I liked it. Here's another egg dish combined with rice. As far as I can remember I think I have stuck to Mummy's recipe. But then on second thought, it's just not me to not add a bit of this or drop a bit of that. But this remains the exact egg biryani I ate as a child at mummy's table. It still feels so like home when I eat it!


Ingredients:

Serves 3-4
Eggs.................................4, hard boiled, shelled
Rice (basmati).................2 cups
Onion fr rice...................1 sliced
Onion fr green masala...4 tbsps
Green coriander............a handful, chopped
Fresh mint.....................2-3 leaves. (too much mint can leave a bitter taste)
Green chilli...................2-3, or acc to taste
Garlic............................3-4 flakes(big variety)
 Ginger..........................1" chopped coarsely
Cumin seeds.................1/2 tsp
Tomato..........................1 chopped small
Garam masala..............1/2 tsp
A pinch of turmeric
Green cardamom..........4 whole
Pepper corns................10-15
Cinnamon sticks...........2
Bay leaf........................2
Salt to taste
Olive oil

For Garnish:

Onion..........................1 sliced fine and fried
Cashew nuts................10-12 roasted in a few drops of oil

Accompaniment:

Onion-tomato raita

Yoghurt........................whipped till it's smooth and creamy

Add the following to the yoghurt:
Some chopped onions
A bit of chopped tomato. Add this just before serving or tomato juice will dilute the curd too much.
Salt to taste
Roasted cumin powder.......just a sprinkle
Some coriander leaves chopped


Wash and soak the rice for about 20 minutes. While this soaks, chop and slice the onions.
For the green masala: Grind the following in a blender:- Green coriander, 4 tbsps onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, cumin seeds, 2 tbsps water

Measure the water you will need to cook the rice with the ratio 1:2. (1cup rice:2cups water)

Heat 4 tbsps olive oil and drop in the cardamoms, pepper corns, cinnamon, bay leaves. Now add the sliced onion and fry till they are light brown. Drop in the chopped tomatoes, and cook till tomatoes are soft and mashed. Lower the heat and add 3 n 1/2 tbsps of the green masala, stir it in and stir-fry for a minute on low heat.

Now is when we add the soaked and drained rice and mix it gently into the masala. You have to be careful, you don't want to break the long grains! When the masala is incorporated and the rice is also fried a bit, add the water. Give it a stir, add salt, eggs and garam masala. Another gentle stir, raise the heat. Cover and wait till it starts to boil. Now lower the flame and let the rice simmer for 6-8 minutes. (the time factor can vary, due to variety of rice. There are many types of basmati too)

When it is done, uncover and leave open for a couple of minutes. This helps to stop further cooking and also evaporates the mild wetness that remains, so the grains separate. Now Tumble the rice carefully. Serve with a sprinkle of fried onions and cashewnuts. A bit of raita goes with each morsel of rice!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------