The past one month has been hectic and taxing, in several ways, for me. All posts that you saw in the month of June were pulled out of my draft folder (this being the last one). I had some lovely recipes lined up, for sharing, but I really need to re-energize myself before that. Therefore I am going to take a break from the blog for a few weeks. I hope to be back soon. You all take care and stay safe.
What do you do when the hard core non vegetarians in the family tell you that your egg biryani stands a few notches higher than even you Chicken Biryani? Well, if you are me, then you share it with the world! 😀 Ever since I turned to being a vegetarian, well, ovo lacto vegetarian to be precise, the only biryani that I get to enjoy is the Kale Moti Biryani and the Hyderabadi Veg Biryani. Eggs are one of the major source for my protein intake. So, some years back I decided to make this egg biryani to have a protein rich biryani and also to bring in some change for myself from the regular veg biryani. And my family loved it so much that I knew I had to catalogue it here among the other family favourites. It is similar to the recipe that I had shared for the veg biryani but one different thing I did here was to smoke the biryani before I sealed the pot and set it for dum. And that, my friends, took the flavours of the biryani to the next level. In fact, the Dhungar Murg recipe that I had shared a couple of years back, too had been smoked, though it was smoked while it was still raw. It remains one of the most loved recipe on the blog. I regularly receive mails and messages from all those who tried it, telling me how much they loved the smoky touch added to the chicken. You can do the same for Chicken Biryani. It adds a very rustic yet wonderful flavour profile which gives it the feel of a restaurant made biryani. And the same can be applied to Palak Paneer and also to Dal Makhani and Murg Saagwala (Spinach Chicken Curry)
Do try it and I would love to hear from you via email, here or on my Instagram account, in case you try it 🙂
FOR RICE TOPPING
¼ C Milk
1 pinch Saffron
Few Mint Leaves
2 tbsp chopped Fresh Coriander
3–4 tbsp Desi Ghee
½ tsp Garam Masala
FOR EGGS
6 Eggs (60 gm each)
2 tsp Cooking Oil
¼ tsp Haldi
¼ tsp Chili Powder
FOR MASALA
3 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 Black Cardamom
5 Green Cardamoms
4 – 5 Cloves
1 inch Cinnamon
2 Bay Leaves
½ tsp Caraway Seeds (Shah Jeera)
1 small sized Star Anise
1 Cup thinly sliced Onions
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
½ tsp Green Chili paste (freshly pound)
1 tsp dry Kasoori Methi, crushed
Salt to taste
¼ to ½ tsp Red Chili Powder (adjust to taste)
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Garam Masala
¼ tsp Cardamom Powder
1 medium ripe Red Tomato, finely chopped
3 tbsp Yogurt (I use thick homemade)
¼ C lightly packed Mint Leaves
FOR RICE
1½ C Biryani Basmati Rice
¼ tsp Shah Jeera
2 Bay Leaves
1 Black Cardamom
1 inch Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
Warm the milk and add saffron to it. Set it aside (Keep it soaked or 3 – 4 hours for the flavours to steep well)
Wash and soak rice according to the instructions given on the pack (I usually soak the rice for half an hour)
Meanwhile boil eggs. Remove the shell and make a few horizontal or vertical slits around the eggs (I forgot this step while prepping for this post).
Cook the rice in plenty of water, along with the salt and spices, till it is 80 percent cooked. Drain excess water and keep the rice aside. Keep the rice in a large sieve or plate so that the rice does not cook further in its own heat.
Heat a frying pan and add oil. Reduce the flame (the oil should not be too hot else spices will burn) and add spices and sauté for a few seconds. Add eggs and fry till the eggs are coated well with spices and the egg skin is blistered and turns golden in colour. Remove from heat and transfer the eggs to a bowl or plate.
In a cooking pot, heat oil and add the whole garam masala. Add onions and sauté till the onions turn golden brown.
Add a few tablespoons of water and stir. Now add ginger garlic paste along with chili paste. Sauté till the ginger garlic no longer smell raw.
Add kasoori methi and spices. Sauté and add finely chopped tomato. Cook till tomatoes get nicely cooked and the masala turns mushy.
Remove the pan from heat and after two minutes, stir in mint leaves and yogurt. Mix gently. (I had to add two tablespoons of water since the yogurt I used was thick in consistency)
Spread the masala evenly in the pot (I use the same pot, in which I cook the masala, for making the biryani) and place eggs over the masala. Cover the eggs and the masala, evenly, with par-boiled rice.
FOR SMOKING
Heat a piece of coal (for 7 – 10 minutes) and then place it in a small bowl / catori (covered with foil). Place the catori over the rice and drizzle the coal piece with half a teaspoon of melted ghee. Immediately cover the pot with a lid, firmly in place. Smoke the biryani for five to six minutes. Remove the bowl and discard the coal piece.
Next, drizzle the rice with ghee, and saffron milk. Sprinkle fresh coriander and mint leaves and garam masala. Seal the pot with a lid and cook for 15 – 20 minutes on low heat. (For the initial half a minute, keep the heat at maximum to heat the contents faster and then lower the heat and cook on low heat)
Switch off the heat and keep the contents covered for ten minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice and serve the biryani. Enjoy!
Serves 3
Thanks for your visit and see you soon again with another exciting recipe!
The rice looks so fluffy and tasty with eggs!
We all need a detox from the internet from time to time. Take good care of yourself and enjoy the rest!
This looks terrific! I’ve never met a biryani I didn’t love! Haven’t had an egg one — need to try this. Great recipe, such nice, clear directions. Take care during your time off — I how how stressful things are for you at the moment. We’ll be here waiting for you when you return. 🙂
This looks and sounds fantastic! It a little bit reminds me Kedgeree (a curried rice dish with eggs and salmon), but the Egg Biryani probably even more exciting and bold in terms of flavours.
I hope you enjoy our rest from blogging (Ths detox is needed every now and then!)
This biryani looks absolutely gorgeous! I’ll definitely be making this one soon. Enjoy your break and take care. xoxo
Such a wonderful biryani, Taruna! The smoke adds a lovely flavor!
This looks delicious! The smoking step must add so much flavor. Take care, and see you here again when you’re ready.
Such delicious looking Biryani!