Ingredients
- Diced haunch of Muntjac
- Part cooked basmati rice (washed and
- Soaked for ½ hour then boiled for 5 – 6 minutes before allowing to cool)
- Boiled and halved potatoes
- 6 tomatoes
- Green chillies
- Caramelised Onions
- Saffron
- Greek Yoghurt
- Salt
- Rapeseed oil
- Tomato paste
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Ginger and garlic paste
- Kashmiri Chilli
- Turmeric
- Toasted Cumin
- Garam Masala
- Fresh Coriander
- Fresh Mint
Method
Start by creating a marinade for the meat. In a blender add a cup of Greek yoghurt (the best quality you can find). 2 good handfuls of the caramelised onions, 3 tbsp of ginger and garlic paste. 2 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp of Cumin and 2tsp of toasted cumin, 3 tsp coriander, 1 ½ tsp turmeric, 4 tsp of tomato paste, pinch of salt, 1 tsp of Garam Masala. Blend all together to create a grainy paste then add 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil and blend. Add to your meat and leave to marinade at least 8 – 10 hours.
Set the hob to a low heat and add your marinated meat to a deep pan with a well fitting lid. Do not set the heat too high, you are not trying to fry the meat! Cook the meat for around an hour and when cooked though add a handful of freshly chopped coriander and mix through followed by a handful of freshly cut mint. Add a cup full of water to loosen the sauce and stir through.
Add some oil to another pan and fry off your halved potatoes until they have some colour. Quarter your tomatoes ready for layering.
In a large deep pan add a layer of rice followed by a layer of half of the meat. Add some tomatoes and mint leaves and half of the potatoes. Then repeat the process for the next layer. If you wish to create more heat you can add green chillies to taste. Finish with a final layer of rice, the remainder of the caramelised onions. Mix some saffron with a small amount of water and pour over the top of the biryani.
Set an oven to 140°C/284°F, Cyrus uses a steam oven. As an alternative to a steam oven you can simply add a bowl of water to the oven and heat alongside your biryani to increase the humidity. Put your pan in the oven for around 45 minutes before serving steaming hot. Enjoy!