Tomato Biryani
You can make this in advance, just finishing it off when your guests arrive
Makes enough for: 6 people
Ingredients
for the marinade:
- 240 g thick yoghurt
- 30 g fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 5 mls ground coriander
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2.5 mls ground turmeric
- 1 large green chilli, stem and seeds removed, and finely chopped
- 0.625 mls cayenne pepper
- 460 g aubergines, cut into large chunks
for the rice:
- 750 mls water
- 280 g basmati rice
- 5 mls salt
getting ready:
- 60 mls milk
- 15 threads saffron
for the tomatoes:
- 45 mls canola oil
- 10 whole cloves
- 5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 quill cinnamon
- 580 g tomatoes, chopped
- salt to season
- 200 g baby spinach
for the biryani:
- 75 g ghee, divided
- 5 mls rose water
- 20 g cashew nuts, lightly toasted, plus extra to garnish
- 20 g pistachios, lightly toasted
- cucumber and mint raita to serve
Method
for the marinade:
- Place the yoghurt, ginger, coriander, garlic, turmeric, chilli and cayenne pepper into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine
- Add the aubergines, mix to coat the aubergines, and set aside to marine for 30 minutes
for the rice:
- Place the water into a saucepan, add the rice and salt and stir to combine
- Bring to the boil, then place the lid on the pan, and turn the heat off
- Leave to steam until the aubergines have finished marinating
getting ready:
- Place the milk into a small mixing bowl and blitz in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm
- Add the saffron threads and set aside
for the tomatoes:
- Once the aubergines have finished marinating, place the oil into a large frying pan and heat over a medium temperature
- When hot, add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and fry until fragrant
- Add the aubergines and the marinade and bring to a simmer
- Once simmering, add the tomatoes and season generously with salt
- Leave to simmer for 15 minutes then add the spinach and stir until it is wilted, then set aside
for the biryani:
- Place 50g ghee into a sauté pan that has a lid, and melt over a low temperature before turning off the heat to assemble the dish
- Drain the rice, and add a third to the sauté pan, and top with half of the tomato mixture
- Sprinkle over some of the saffron milk and a little of the rose water, and the cashew nuts
- Top with a third of the rice, the rest of the tomato mixture, some more saffron milk, and the pistachios
- Add the rest of the rice, and pour over any left over saffron milk and rose water
- Place the rest of the ghee into the microwave to melt then drizzle over the rice
- Place the lid onto the pan and cook over a high temperature until steam starts to rise (you will have to lift the lid to check this)
- Turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 30 minutes
- Spoon the biryani onto a serving platter, scatter some cashew nuts over the top and serve with raita