Ground Beef Biryani with Cumin Raita

by Susan Hanna

If you like Indian flavours, try this recipe from NYT Cooking. The list of spices is long, but the flavour is worth it. Cook the rice with spices. Meanwhile, cook the onion in ghee or butter and add the tomato paste and spices. Add the beef and cook for a few minutes before adding yogurt. Drizzle some milk over the rice and add the beef mixture to the rice. Add cilantro, cover and cook about 8 minutes. While it is cooking, make the raita by mixing yogurt, cumin, water, salt and pepper. When the biryani is done, fluff the rice, garnish with more cilantro and serve with the raita on the side. Cook’s note: I used butter instead of ghee.

Serves 4.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the dried spices to be sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Better Than Bouillon paste for the broth, Simple brand tomato paste and Astro yogurt. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For a Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups (375 ml) basmati rice, rinsed
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 cups (500 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) ghee or butter
• ½ large white onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups/375 ml)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) garam masala
• ½ teaspoon (5 ml) ground Kashmiri chile powder or ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground fennel
• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground turmeric
• 1 star anise
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cumin seeds, divided
• 1 pound (454 g) ground beef
• ¾ cup (187.5 ml) Greek-style plain yogurt, divided
• ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk
• ½ cup (125 ml) coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided

Preparation:

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine rice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, broth and ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt over medium-high heat; cover and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the ghee or butter in a 12-inch (30-cm) nonstick skillet over medium. Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant and well blended, 2 minutes.
3. Push onion mixture to one side of the skillet and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ghee or butter in the empty side. To the melted ghee or butter, add garlic, ginger, garam masala, chile powder, fennel, turmeric, star anise and ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) of the cumin; stir until well blended, 30 seconds.
4. Mix the spices into the onion mixture until well combined, then add beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes (it will finish cooking with the rice). Turn off heat and stir in ¼ cup (60 ml) of the yogurt until well incorporated.
5. Drizzle milk evenly over the rice, then add the beef mixture on top in an even layer. Scatter over half of the cilantro, cover and cook until the beef is tender and rice is cooked through, 8 minutes longer.
6. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup (125 ml) yogurt, ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) cumin and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
7. Gently fluff the rice with a fork and discard star anise and any other visible whole spices. Divide biryani among 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro. Serve warm, with the cumin raita on the side.

From NYT Cooking