INGREDIENTS:
Dry spices and powders for egg biryani
- Star anise – 1
- Bay leaf – 1
- Shahi jeera / black cumin – 1/2 tsp.
- Green cardamoms – 3 nos
- Cloves – 3 or 4 nos.
- Cinnamon stick – 1 inch
- Black cardamom – 1 no.
- Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
- Red chilli Powder - 1 tsp.
- Homemade Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp.
- Freshly ground black pepper – 1/2 tsp.
For the Eggs
- Eggs –3
- Red chilli powder -1/2 tsp.
- Gram flour/besan flour-1 tsp.
- Finely chopped onion – 1 Tbsp. (optional)
- Chopped coriander leaves – 1 tsp.
- Salt as needed
For Fried Onions
- Onion for frying – 1medium, very thinly sliced
- Rice flour or corn flour – 1/2 tsp.
- Oil for deep frying
For Garnishing - Fried Onions – 1 cup.
- Cashew nuts –10 nos.
- Raisins – 10 nos.
- Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp. finely chopped
- Ghee/clarified butter -1 tsp.
- Saffron - 3-4 strands
- Milk - 1 tbsp.
Preparation
- Wash and soak Basmati rice in water for 30-40 minutes. Drain the water completely and set the rice aside in a colander.
- Heat 1 Tsp. of ghee in a wide pan and sauté basmati rice in the pan for a few seconds. This step is optional but adds flavor to the biryani. Keep it aside.
- Hard boil 2 eggs, remove the shells and wash them. Give four long cuts on the white portion of each egg without separating them.
- Thinly slice 2 onions lengthwise and keep it ready. Wash well and finely chop mint and coriander leaves. Chop the tomatoes.
- Soak saffron in a tbsp. of warm milk. Keep it aside.
METHOD:
STEP – 1
How to make Fried Onions – Cut 1 medium sized onion lengthwise into very thin slices, and ensure that they are almost of same thickness. Sprinkle corn flour on the slices and toss them. Heat oil in a deep pan till hot. Reduce the flame to medium. Add few onion slices at one time and deep fry until brown. Transfer them to an absorbent paper. Keep it aside.
STEP – 2
- Heat ghee in a wide, heavy- bottomed pan and fry cashew nuts stirring them on low flame. Fry them till they start changing color.Remove from the heat and transfer the cashews on to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- In the same pan, fry raisins stirring n a low flame as it might burn very quickly and impart an undesirable flavor and color. Fry till it turns a little brown . Remove them immediately from the heat and transfer them on to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Add 2 Tbsp. oil to the same pan, add the dry spices (Star anise, Shahi jeera / black cumin, Green cardamoms, Cloves, Cinnamon sticks, Black cardamom and allow them to sizzle. Add bay leaves.
- Then add thinly sliced onions to the pan and saute until it turns golden brown. Add salt to speed up the process.
- Add slit green chillies and chopped tomatoes saute for a few more minutes.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw flavor of the ginger goes.
- Add mint and coriander leaves.
- Add Red chilli powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt needed. Saute well on medium flame until the raw flavor of the spice powder goes. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes on medium flame. Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy.
- Add yogurt/curd and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
- Add 2 cup of water. When water starts boiling, add basmati rice and lemon juice. Mix well and cook covered. Check for salt by tasting the water. If it is slightly salty, it will be perfect once rice is cooked. When rice is three fourth done, you will see holes appearing on the surface. Add some fried onions, coriander leaves, mint leaves kept for garnishing, saffron soaked in milk and a tsp. of ghee.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook covered for another 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft. Mix gently until rice and egg masala are mixed well.
STEP – 3
How to prepare eggs for egg biryani
- In a bowl, break an egg, add chilli powder, chopped onion, salt need and gram flour (besan/kadalai mavu). Mix well.
- Coat well the hard boiled eggs in the above mixture.
- Heat a tsp. of oil in a pan and add the mixture along with the coated boiled eggs. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and cook until the mixture scrambles.
STEP – 4
Garnishing the Yummy Egg Biryani
- Add the hard boiled eggs and some egg scramble to the rice and mix well gently and
- Garnish Egg biryani with remaining scrambled eggs, fried onions, fried cashew nuts, fried Raisins, and chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve egg biryani with a raita and papad or chips.
