Egg Dum Biryani/ Mutta Biryani/Anda Biryani

It seems the world moves fast; likely really fast; may be a little too fast for me! Its already the end of 2015 and I am an year older. I guess this is the fact that dreads me. However I am moving along with the force and it seems quite interesting too at times!

Having taken up a full time job, sitting back and relaxing seems to have almost vanished as even on Sundays my To- do list drives me crazy. At times I m determined and at times am just sluggish. However i try to finish all my work and at the end of the day food and cooking have taken a seat back. This little thought passed through my mind only a few days back and i decided to break the monotony and cook something for me and my soul. My love for eggs is an open secret and so i naturally towards this biryani which i cooked after a long time and had a pretty hefty portion. This is my to- go recipe. If you are a die hard eggy-tarian, then you should for sure give this dish a shot! I m sure you will be impressed!

Ingredients:

For Rice:

Basmati Rice-2 cups

Cloves-2

Cinnamon-2 inch long piece

Cardamom-2

Star Anise-1

Fennel seeds-1 tsp

Bay Leaf-1

Lemon Juice-1 tsp

Salt- as needed

Water-5 cups

For Egg Masala:

Eggs – 5,hard boiled and peeled

Onion-6, sliced

Tomatoes-4, sliced

Ginger and garlic-1 tbsp, crushed/ground

Green chilli-2, slit

Mint leaves- ½ cup

Coriander leaves-1/4 cup

Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder-2 tsp

Garam masala powder-1 tsp

Curd/Yoghurt-3/4 cup

Oil-2 tbsp

Ghee-2 tbsp

Salt-as needed

For Layering:
Onion-2, sliced

Saffron-2 pinches

Warm milk-1/4 cup

Oil-2 tbsp
* Soak the saffron strands in the warm milk and set aside.

* Heat oil and fry the onions until golden brown, switch off the flame and set aside.

How It Happened:

Preparing/cooking the Rice:

1. Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the water in a large pan, add the whole spices (given in the list) along with oil and salt.

3. When the water starts rolling, drain the water and add the rice to the boiling water and cook in medium flame for 10- 12 minutes.

4. When the rice is 80% cooked, switch off the flame, immediately drain the water completely and set aside.

Making of the Masala:

1. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add the sliced onions and slit green chilli and cook until they turn glossy.

2. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and cook in simmer until the raw smell goes off.

3. Then add the tomatoes, mint leaves and coriander leaves and mix well.

4. Cover and cook in medium flame for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are completely mashed.

5. Add the spice powders and salt and mix well and let it cook for a minute.

6. Then simmer the flame and add the beaten curd and mix well. Add the eggs and mix slowly. Take care not to break the eggs.

7. Let the mix boil for 2-5 minutes and switch off the flame.

Layering and Dum Procedure:

1. Now take a pan, add a layer of the cooked rice, then spread a layer of the egg masala.

2. Repeat the process until all the rice and masala is used up.

3. Finally strew in the fried onions and pour in the saffron milk.

4. Close this pan tightly with a lid, place a heavy pan above the lid and place this on a tawa and place the tawa on the stove.

5. Switch on the flame and add ½ cup of water to the tawa and keep the flame in simmer.

6. Let it cook for 10 minutes. Switch off the flame and let it sit for 30 minutes.

7. Remove the lid; carefully mix the rice without breaking the grains.

8. Serve hot with raita.

Notes:

* You can add ½ tsp of biryani masala powder to add a flavour. But it’s optional and i didn’t add any.

* You can fry around ¼ cup cashews to golden and add it while layering that gives a royal touch to the dish.

* Make slits on the eggs for the spices to get into it.

* Do not overcook the rice else they may turn mushy and will spoil the whole dish.

* Dum procedure really takes the dish to another level. But you can skip it if you are pressed for time. In that case cook the rice for a little long, may be 5 minutes.

* Just layer the rice and gravy and keep it tightly covered and let it rest for 30 minutes for the flavours to blend with the rice.

* Fried onions add a nice texture and saffron adds a beautiful aroma. So try not to skip them.