Egg Biryani - Calcutta Style

Egg Biryani

A truncated version of its famous cousins - the Mutton and Chicken Biryani. But tasty nonetheless.As mandatory with Biryani - buy the best quality of rice possible.Egg Biryani also involves the 3 different phases: Preparing Par Boiled Garam Masala Induced Par boiled Rice, Preparing a Thick Egg Curry and lastly layering the Egg and Rice for the Dum.











Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 40 mins.

Cooking Time:75 mins

• Parboiled Rice: 15 mins
• Egg Curry: 30 mins.
• Dum: 30 mins

Preparation:

• Rice:Soak 200 gms of rice:Soak the rice in water for 30-40 mins.
• Fried Brown Onions:At the same time,while the rice is soaking, cut around 100 gms of onions into longitudinal slices and fry till they turn golden brown.

Phase I: Parboiling the rice:
Ingredients:

• Soaked Rice
• Whole Spices:
• Bay Leaf - 2
• Black Cardamon - 3
• Green Cardamon - 5
• Cinnamon Stick - One 2 inch piece.
• Cloves - 6-8.
• Nutmeg - Half.Crushed.
• Jaitri - 3-4 petals.Crushed.
• Black pepper - 8-10.Crushed
• White Pepper - 5-6.Crushed.
• Ghee - 3 tb sp.
• Salt - To taste.

Procedure:
In a deep heavy bottomed kadai, pour water to 80% of the level and heat it until it boils. Once boiling - add the biryani spices,salt and ghee. Then add the rice. Parboil the rice i.e. to say, 60-70% boiling and drain aside the water.Spread the rice on wide plates and preferably under a fan for sometime so that the moisture is removed completely. A sweet fragnance evolves from the rice - the after effects of the spices that was added during cooking.

Phase II:The Egg Curry
Prepare a thick Egg Curry with a couple of Big Slices of potatoes in the curry.For more details view: http://sayakskitchen.blogspot.in/2012/07/dimer-kosha-rich-bengali-egg-curry.html

Phase III: The Dum
It is a well known fact that the taste of Biryani is the result of the quality of the Dum.The Dum is also influenced by the quality of sealing used and the source of heat.Ideally Biryani used to be prepared on Charcoal ovens, but in reality we donot have that luxury. Grease some melted ghee in a deep and wide bottomed pan which can hold the rice,eggs and potato together.

Ingredients:
1. Kewra Water - 1 drop
2. Rose Water - 1 drop
3. Meetha Itra - 1 drop
4. Ghee - 4 tsp. Melted.
5. Saffron strands soaked in hot milk.
6. Boiled Egg.
7. Potato Slices
8. Parboiled Rice.
9. Fried Brown Onons

Procedure:
1. Coat a flat bottomed deep pan with some melted ghee.
2. Put a layer of rice. Add some saffron milk.potato slices and the egg pieces from the curry.
4. Repeat the layering until the rice,eggs and potato is exhausted.
5. Now, add the ingredients - 1 -4.At last spread the brown onion over the rice.
6. Seal the pan with a cover and some atta.
7. Set the oven on Low(SIM) and place a thick plate on the oven. The Biryani pan will be put on top of the plate so that it does not face the direct heat.
8. Leave it aside for 30 mins.

Serving: Keep the biryani sealed until the plates have been laid out to serve. This ensures that the flavours remain intact.