Cape Biryani/Breyani
- Reviews 1
Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 lbs chicken thighs, on the bone (750 g, or use drumsticks and thighs, but don't remove the skin)
- salt and pepper, to taste, for the dish
- 3⁄4 cup buttermilk (180 ml)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh, chopped (30 ml chopped coriander leaves)
- 1⁄2 tablespoon cinnamon, ground (7 ml)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric (5 ml)
- 1 tablespoon cumin, ground (15 ml)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed, ground (15 ml)
- 1 tablespoon masala (15 ml)
- 1 hot pepper, chopped (1 chilli)
- 3⁄4 cup basmati rice (180 ml)
- 4 ounces lentils, brown, rinsed (125 g)
- oil (for frying)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 -3 large potatoes, peeled, chopped into chunks
- 2 cinnamon sticks (or use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed, ground (extra to amount mentioned above)
- 3 cardamom pods, slit and seeds removed to use
- 1 tablespoon cumin, ground (extra to amount already mentioned)
- 1 pinch saffron, soaked in a little water (sub with a good pinch turmeric)
- 3 eggs, hard-boiled
- chopped cilantro, to garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 deg F/160 deg Celsius.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Mix together the buttermilk, cilantro, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, masala and hot pepper. Pour over chicken pieces and marinate 3 hours or overnight.
- Parboil rice in 2 cups water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
- Simmer lentils in 2 cups water water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
- Heat a fair amount of oil in a saucepan, and fry onion and potatoes until softened. Add the cinnamon, ground coriander, cardamom seeds, cumin and saffron (or sub with a good pinch turmeric) and cook, stirring, for a minute. Set aside.
- Layer half the rice, followed by half each of of the lentils, and the spiced potatoes and onion in an ovenproof dish. Top with the chicken.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients, top with saffron/turmeric water, and cover it all with tinfoil and a tight-fitting lid.
- Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until chicken and rice are cooked through.
- Garnish with quarters of hardboiled eggs and sprinkle with cilantro/coriander leaves.
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