RecipesGoyaAugust 17, 2021sindhi biryani, sindhi community

Spicy, Sour & Sweet: The Joy of a Classic Sindhi Biryani

RecipesGoyaAugust 17, 2021sindhi biryani, sindhi community

A Sindhi biryani is unique in its collection of ingredients — dried plums, sweet caramelised onions, rich yogurt, sour tomato, fresh chillies, potatoes, nutmeg and mace, as it is in flavour — spicy, sweet and sour.

Biryani is believed to have originated in Persia and brought to India by the Mughals. Perfected in the Mughal kitchens, this delicacy has evolved into several iterations, making it a staple in our country. It is one of those dishes that adapts to different settings — a high-brow affair with a heavy price tag at a wedding, or dressed down with a bottle of Thums Up at a roadside establishment, both uncompromising in flavour.

While Sindhis are infamous for their dal pakwan and koki, very few are aware of our ability to whip up a mean biryani. The Sindhi version of biryani, originating from the Sindh region of Pakistan is recognised by its spicy, sour and sweet taste. This biryani is believed to have evolved from the Awadhi style of biryani. The cornerstones of a Sindhi biryani are, sella (parboiled) basmati rice, aloo bukhara, chicken, khatta (sour) curd, a lot of tomatoes and chillies.

The overarching flavour of this dish is the floral notes of the star anise, black cardamom, green cardamom along with the heat of the garam masala. The sweet caramelised onions and plums meld into the sour tomatoes and the rich yoghurt. The potatoes, fresh coriander and fresh chillies in the layering bring this dish to life. The method of layering (if done correctly) yields a fluffy biryani with a crispy bottom almost reminiscent of the crispy rice in a tahdig. The slow cooking of the gravy ensures that the chicken is juicy and falls off the bone.

This recipe provides a framework of a biryani with certain fixed and a few variable elements.

Recipe: Sindhi Biryani

(Serves 6)

Ingredients
For the rice
300gm parboiled basmati rice/ regular basmati rice
Water

For the dried plums
12 dried plums
250ml water

For the boiled potatoes
4 potatoes
1 tsp salt
Yellow food colouring (optional)
Water

For the biryani masala
2.5tsp jeera seeds
1tsp white jeera seeds (shahjeera)
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1.5 tsp turmeric
12 dried Kashmiri chillies
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 bay leaf
3⁄4 tsp fennel seeds
1/8th piece of nutmeg
1 flower of mace
2 cinnamon sticks
4 green cardamom pods

For the chicken gravy
400g bone in chicken breast
100g ghee
2 tbsp oil
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom
1 black cardamom
1-star anise
2 cloves
Coriander stems from 1 bunch (50g) or coriander leaves bundle
3 onions
6 tomatoes
3 green chillies
12 cloves of garlic
2-inch piece of ginger
*Rehydrated plums
2.5 tsp red chilli powder
*Biryani masala
200g yoghurt
Salt
1⁄2 tsp sugar
300 ml hot water

For cooking the rice
*Soaked rice
1.25 L water
1⁄2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp jeera
1 tbsp salt
1 bay leaf

For the layering
2 tomato, de-seeded and sliced into thin wedges
Pinch of salt
6 chillies (can be reduced depending on heat preference), finely chopped
*Boiled potatoes
Coriander leaves, roughly chopped (save the stems for the chicken gravy)
1 tbsp ghee
1⁄4 cup milk + 1 tbsp ghee, warmed until the ghee is mixed in
1⁄2 tsp mace + nutmeg powder
1⁄2 tsp garam masala
Mint leaves (optional), chopped
Fried onions (optional)

Method

To soak the rice, place the rice in a strainer and wash the rice under cold water for 2-3 mins agitating the rice grains with your fingers.

Place the washed rice in a deep saucepan and cover with water till completely submerged and the water level is about an inch above the rice. Let the rice soak for 2 hours at room temperature.

To rehydrate the plums, bring 250ml water to a boil and pour it into a heatproof bowl. Drop in 12 pieces of dried plums. Cover and let them rehydrate for 7-8 mins. Remove the lid and drain. Leave them whole or chop into bite size pieces.

To boil the potatoes, in a saucepan, bring water to a boil, add 1 tsp of salt and a pinch of yellow food colouring. Peel and quarter the potatoes and cook them with a lid on, till 80% cooked and they are firm and not mushy. This ensures that during the dum phase of cooking, the potatoes retain their shape and do not fall apart and are perfectly cooked. Once cooked, drain and set aside uncovered.

To make the biryani masala, on a cold, dry, cast iron tava (cast iron pan), add the Kashmiri chillies, coriander seeds, bay leaf, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, mace and green cardamom pods. Place on a medium flame and move the spices continuously on the pan so that they toast and do not burn. Once aromatic, take the pan off the heat and mix in the turmeric. Grind this into a powder.

To make the chicken gravy, wash the chicken well and pat it dry. Cut into 2 inch size pieces.
Char the tomatoes on an open flame till the skin is black and blistered. Cover the tomatoes in foil and set aside for 5 minutes. Peel the layer of charred skin off and grind the flesh into a smoky puree.
Grind the garlic and ginger into a paste.
Chop up the chillies into fine pieces.
Grind the onions into a puree.
Finely chop up the coriander stems
In a heavy bottomed high sided saucepan or supri, add the ghee along with 2tbsp oil. Heat on medium heat till tiny wisps of smoke appear. Add in 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 black cardamom, 1 green cardamom, 1 star anise, 2 cloves and let the spices bloom and become fragrant (1 min)
Add the onion puree to the ghee along with the finely chopped coriander stems and chillies. Cook stirring intermittently till the onions are medium brown (8-10 mins) Add the chicken to this mix and give it a stir. Cover and cook for 5-7 mins.
Add in the tomato puree along with the ginger garlic paste and the biryani masala and red chilli powder and stir and cook on high for 1 minute till the rawness of the spices is mellowed. Cover and cook. Bhuno/ cook stirring intermittently till the oil separates and coats the vessel.
Add the rehydrated, drained plums and 2 tsp salt and 1⁄2 tsp sugar (to balance out tartness of tomatoes and yoghurt).
Reduce the flame to low and add in the beaten curd along with 300ml water while stirring constantly (the tangier the curd, the better).
Cover and cook for 20-25 mins.
If using regular rice (and not parboiled rice), let the sauce be a bit more runny. Use hot water to increase the quantity of the sauce.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Let the chicken gravy cool down.
A layer of fat will float on top of the chicken. Skim this off the surface, and set it aside.

To cook the rice, in a deep and wide saucepan, bring 1.25L of water to a boil. Add in the whole spices, salt and the vinegar when the water begins to simmer. Drain the soaked rice and add it to the boiling water. Cook till 70-80% done (about 8- 9 mins) such that the centre of the rice grain is soft and breaks when pierced with the index finger; and the edges of the rice grain remain pointed and do not become blunt or turn to mush.

For the layering (this process needs to be done quickly), place a wide, flat and high sided utensil (degh)(can also use a nonstick utensil) on a heavy bottom tava which is placed on a medium high flame (the tava acts as a diffusor that disperses heat evenly along the bottom of the utensil preventing the rice at the bottom from getting burnt).
Add 5 tbsp of the fat collected from the chicken to the bottom of the degh.
Layer 1/3 of the freshly cooked rice over this. (This layer of rice will crisp up similar to the Persian tahdig)
Layer 1⁄2 of the chicken and its gravy over the rice leaving a small ring of uncovered rice around the edge.
Layer on 1⁄2 of the boiled potatoes along the uncovered rim of the rice.
Chop up and add 1⁄2 of the green chillies and sprinkle them over top of the chicken and potatoes.
Sprinkle over 1/2 of the tomato wedges.
Sprinkle 1⁄2 the chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Sprinkle over 1⁄4 tsp salt.
Add 1⁄2 of the remaining rice on top of this.
Add the rest of the chicken, and potatoes.
Sprinkle the rest of the tomato wedges, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves. Sprinkle over 1⁄2 tsp garam masala and 1⁄4 tsp salt.
Add the last layer of rice.
Pour over 1 tbsp of melted ghee and 1⁄4 cup milk
Sprinkle over 1⁄2 tsp of nutmeg + mace powder (for fragrance).
Tightly seal the mouth of the vessel with layers of foil.
Place the lid on top.
Cook on medium high flame for 5 mins.
Reduce flame to low and cook for 20- 25 mins.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (and mint leaves and friend onions optional) and serve.

Tips:

Make ahead in time (1-2 days): onion puree, ginger garlic paste, tomato puree. Store the onion paste in the freezer and the tomato puree and ginger garlic paste in the refrigerator.
Make ahead in time (1 week): Biryani masala. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Make ahead (1-2 days): Peel and boil the potatoes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Akshina Mehta is the co-founder of @moonllightbakers, and is happiest in the kitchen cooking with her dadi, and a cup of tea.

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