FOOD : Rice Spice : Egg Biriyani

Biriyani-the very thought of it has my tastebuds dancing away like there is no tomorrow. Rice is anyways one of my Favourite Comfort Foods, and Biriyani straight tops the charts. The very thought of Biriyani while writing this, has the smells and flavours of the ghee and the spices hitting my nose. The enchanting and the mystic smells of those spices and flavours that go into it, oh my god, I really have started dreaming about when I would make it again.
And this time, it was even more special for a reason that after years, the want, the dream and the wish to make the Biriyani in a Clay Pot was finally fulfilled!! I have hunted for a wide mouth and a wide bottom Pot for years now in India, but I just coundn't find one. I finally found the perfect pot in Turkey... :O in Cappadocia, where they make the traditional Turkish Ceramic Pots. I had to grab it!!
And even after that, for 1.5 months it sat in my Crockery unit as a display piece... One day I finally pulled it out and got down to making the biriyani... I don't eat chicken, and Raghu doesn't eat fish... So the egg biriyani is what we generally settle down for.

I soaked about 3 cups of rice in water first and started the rest of the preparations. Also soaked some Saffron strands in Warm milk.

When you are making an Egg Biriyani, there is no question about whether is it a Kacchi Biriyani or a Pakki Biriyani. The eggs have to be boiled. :) I boiled 5 eggs and cut them into half once they cooled down.

For the Gravy/Masala
1 Onion
2 Tomatoes
7-8 Garlic cloves
4" piece of Ginger
4-5 cloves
1" cinnamon
2 Cardamom Pods
1 spoon Jeera/Cumin
1/2 spoon Coriander
Half Fist of Mint Leaves
8-9 Cashewnuts

Fry all the above in Ghee and Grind into a smooth paste. Give it a final whip in the blender along with
1/2 cup Yoghurt, Little Lemon Juice and Coriander Leaves.

Take a pan, add ghee, and pour this paste into it, add chilli powder to keep it medium spiced. Let it not be too spicy. Add salt. Add water to make it into a consistency that is not tooo thin. (when you pour it into the pot, the clay pot will soak up the water content in the gravy a little and the heat will anyways have the liquid to evaporate)

The masala is ready.

Now for the Rice :
Drain the water
In a pan, take around 3-4 spoons of Ghee, add 6-7 cloves, 2 Green Chillies slit lengthwise (adjust the spice to suit you),Cinnamon and Fry the 3 Cups of rice for 3-4 minutes. Add milk(4.5 cups) or water and little rose essence if and only if u wish to. Add little salt(i add around 1 spoon of salt). Let it be on high flame for around 10 minutes. Reduce the flame and cover it. after around 15 minutes, when the rice is done to almost 70-80%, add some Saffron soaked in warm milk randomly (make sure you dont pour it all over the rice). Its nice to have dual Colored Rice. Let it cook for another 5 minutes till the rice is coated well with the saffron colour.

Final Assembly into the Clay Pot to cook the rice completely along with the Masala and Eggs

Heat the Clay Pot. Add ghee into it. When it is getting Hot, Throw in 2 Green Chillies slit lengthwise, add 1/2 of the Masala and 2 eggs cut into half. Layer it with Half of the Rice. Add/Pour 1/4th of the Masala. Layer this again with remaining Rice and Pour randomly the remaining Masala. Stuff the Halved eggs inb.w Cover the Pot with a lid and place a weight over it and let it cook within. Take off the lid after around 15 minutes of cooking over low flame and check for rice. If done, Throw in finely chopped Coriander Leaves and its Ready!! :) Allow it to cool for 5 minutes,   so that the rice(if any) sticking below to the pot will loosen out.

Enjoy with either Raita or simply Jesht like that !!!