Beef Biriyani

Serving: 6

Ingredients:

• Beef stew meat - 4-5 lb (2.5 kg), cut in small pieces
• Basmati Rice - 5 cups
• Onion - 1 lrg, thinly sliced
• Green Chili - 6 -7 , sliced lengthwise (seeds removed if you do not like the heat)
• Bay leaf - 1 or 2 lrg
• Green Cardamons - 5 pcs
• Cloves - 4-5 pcs
• Cinnamon stick - 2.5 inch long
• Whole pepper corns - 1 tbsp
• Unsalted Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup
• Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/2 cup
• Full cream milk - 1.5 cups
  
• 
  
• For the marinade:
• Plain yogurt - 1 cup
• Garlic Cloves - 5, crushed
• Ginger root - 2 inch, grated finely
• Salt - 1 tbsp
• Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Hot spice powder - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Method:

• 1. Wash the beef thoroughly and drain off all the water. In a seal able container, mix in all the ingredients for the marinade, and marinate the beef for 24 hours, refrigerated or minimum of 2 hours. The longer you marinate, the tender the beef gets.
  
• 2. On the day of cooking, take the marinated beef out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before cooking. Wash the Basmati rice, let it drain and set aside.
  
• 3. In a large non-stick pot, or a dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of oil with the ghee. The oil is added to reduce smoking as butter/ghee burns very quickly.
  
• 4. Add the cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, and the pepper corns. Saute till they pop. Add the onions and saute till they turn translucent.
• 5. Drain the beef from their marinade (reserving the liquid) and saute on high heat to get a crispy brown coating. Add the reserved marinade and green chilies(add half the amount or skip if you do not like the heat), cover and simmer on low heat until the beef is cooked/al dente, for about 35-40 min. Remember to stir occasionally to avoid any burns at the bottom of the pan. If the liquid seems to dry up very quickly then add 1/2 cup of hot water, however the trick is to cook the beef in its own juices.
• 6. Once you are happy with the tenderness of the beef, add the basmati rice to the pot and stir very gently to combine. Saute for 4 - 5 min on med heat. Remember to keep stirring otherwise the rice will burn.
• 7. Add 8 cups of water (using the same cup you used for measuring the rice), bring to boil on high heat. Add the milk (warmed up in the microwave), stir to redistribute, then lower the heat to med, cover and simmer for 10 min.
• 8. After 10 min of simmering, stir the rice gently only once. That is, fold the rice from left bottom side to the upper left side, then the right side. DO NOT over stir it, as it will make your Biriyani soggy. Even if you are worried about burning at the bottom, then lower the heat, still do not stir it vigorously. Scatter few of the green chilies on top of the rice (this is for the scent), cover and simmer on low-med heat for 10 more minutes. Turn the heat off, sprinkle the cashew nuts on top, cover and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
  
• 9. After the long wait, your Beef Biriyani is ready. Serve and enjoy!