Mince Biryani

Rinse mince (ground beef or lamb).

To the mince, add salt to taste, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon dhania (coriander) powder, ½ teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder & 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder.

Add the ginger & garlic paste.

Next, add in ¼ cup chopped dhania (coriander), ¼ cup chopped mint & the sourmilk (maas).

Mix well using your hands. Cover & set aside until ready to use.

Place the biryani dhall (masoor) into a small bowl. Remove any blemishes or stones.

Rinse a few times.

Add the biryani dhall (masoor) to a small pot, fill the pot with water & add a teaspoon of oil.

Bring the biryani dhall (masoor) to a boil on medium heat until soft but not mushy.

Once the biryani dhall (masoor) is soft, drain the excess water out.

Empty into a bowl & set aside until ready to use.

Add the rice to a bowl.

Rinse the rice until water runs clear.

Add the rice to a medium pot. Fill the pot with water & place on the stove-top on medium heat.

Bring the rice to a boil.

When you notice a lot of starch build-up (white foam) on the rice, empty out the water, give the rice a quick rinse & fill with more water. This step can be skipped, if you prefer a more sticky, starchier rice. I tend to rinse mine as I do not like it too starchy.

Place the pot back onto the heat & add in 2 bay leaves, 1 star aniseed, ½ cinnamon stick & salt to taste.

Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.

Mix & boil until soft.

Once the rice is cooked, drain in a colander & set aside.

Peel both onions. Chop 1 onion & cut the other onion into rings.

Peel & cut potatoes into quarters.

Place the potatoes into a microwave safe bowl & steam for 4 minutes.

Once the potatoes have steamed, add in ¼ teaspoon yellow food colouring (egg yellow).

Place the potatoes into a pot of hot shallow oil.

Fry the potatoes until soft & golden.

Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat & set aside.

In the same oil that the potatoes were frying in, add in the onion rings.

Fry the onions until golden.

Remove onions from heat & set aside.

Blend or grate tomatoes & set aside.

Place eggs in a small pot, fill with water & a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. (Click here to find out how to properly hard boil eggs).

Once the eggs have boiled, remove the shells & set into a bowl.

Slit eggs into halves & set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot. Add in the chopped onion, 1 star aniseed, ½ cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, curry leaves, jeera (cumin) seeds & soomph (fennel) seeds.

Mix & simmer until onions are translucent.

Thereafter, add in ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, elachi (cardamom) powder – note that the elachi pods may be used but I prefer using the powder as it won’t be a disturbance to bite into the pods later on. Add 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon dhania (coriander) powder, ½ teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder & 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder.

Mix well.

Add in the blended or grated tomatoes.

Mix well & allow tomatoes to cook for 10 minutes.

Once the tomatoes have cooked, drop in the marinated mince (ground beef or lamb) & add salt to taste.

Mix well.

Allow the mince to cook for 10 minutes until browned. Turn off the heat.

Add the rice from the colander into a bowl.

Add in a few drops of yellow food colouring (egg yellow) & mix well.

Next, add the cooked biryani dhall (masoor) to the rice.

Mix well.

Add a little of the rice to the mince.

Mix well.

Continue this process until you have a little of the rice left behind.

The extra rice will be used in the end, so keep about a cup of the cooked rice aside.

Tuck the fried potatoes into the mince/rice mixture.

Spread over the extra rice that was left aside.

Spread the fried onions over.

Next, place over the halved boiled eggs.

Garnish with dhania (coriander).

Add a few dollops of butter here & there.

Cover with the lid & steam in the oven for 20 minutes at 180° Celsius.

Plate & serve.

Serve this mince biryani with pea dhall, curried dhall, carrot salad, carrot sour milk salad or pickles.

This Mince Biryani stores in the refrigerator for up to a week.