SV Short Rib Biryani

caliking

No real pics to post, but this turned out so damn good, I couldn't hold back.

A close friend and I  have been trying to iron out the kinks of chicken biryani recently. Its essentially meat pilaf. He came up with the base recipe, and we've been tweaking it over the past couple of weeks. I found some short ribs in the "gray meat" section at Kroger recently, 1.5lbs  on sale for $5, so figured this had to be done.

Short ribs 2-3 lbs ( I only had 1.5 lbs)
Cumin, ground   1 tsp
Coriander, ground  1 tsp
Cardamom, black    1
Cardamom, green    1

Bag, SV 160°F x 24 hrs. Then refrigerated overnight.
Soak basmati rice 2 cups x 6-8 hr ( I used jasmati this time). 

Red onion, thinly sliced     1/2
Red onion, chopped          1/2
(roughly the size of a baseball)

Soak a pinch of saffron in warm water 2 TBSP

Heat mustard or olive oil - 2 TBSP - in a DO.

Add:
Cinnamon stick          2" piece
Cardamom, black    1
Cardamom, green    1

Add sliced onion and fry until brown. Remove from the DO.

Add:
Mace    2 threads
Peppercorns   10
Garlic, minced    6 cloves
Ginger, minced    2" piece
Onion, chopped
Cashews, raw    10
Raisins, golden    10
Cumin seed   1 tsp
Chilies, dried (or cayenne powder) to taste
Sour plum        1

Saute x 10mins on medium heat. 

Bring water to boil in a pot, and parboil the rice for 10 mins on med-hi heat. Drain.

Warm up the SV bag, so the fat and drippings are fluid again. Add to the DO.

Add :
yogurt       1/2 cup
Sugar          1 tsp
Salt, table 1-2 tsp

Cook for 10-15 mins until the liquid has reduced. 

Layer the parboiled rice on top of the meat. 

Scatter the fried onion on top.

Drizzle the saffron water over the top.

Sprinkle a few drops of orange blossom water over the rice. 

Put the lid on tight, reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 mins or until rice is done.

Remove from heat and let it sit for 30mins before taking a peek.

Dig down and get the meat from the bottom when you serve it. 


I've been trying to make good biryani for many many years, and this was by far the best ever. The short ribs were amazing in this. Flavor penetrated deep into the meat, and the rendered fat and beef jus were just what this needed. Didn't take any nice pics, or plated shots, since I wasn't expecting to post this. Maybe next time. 

bgebrent

Nice details.  Thanks.

caliking

I guess I have to post some pics. 

Spices frying up.


Finished. 

Like a lot of Indian food, it’s not much to look at, but it truly was delicious. I wish I had figured this out years ago. 

Canugghead

Sounds like another home run. Swmbo has been tweaking chicken biryani,  definitely stealing this one for her. Thanks!

Killit_and_Grillit

I feel like this would be easier for me to just come over for dinner. 

caliking

Canugghead said:

Sounds like another home run. Swmbo has been tweaking chicken biryani,  definitely stealing this one for her. Thanks!

So, I actually thought of you when we were eating this. Its as close to Kolkata-style biryani as I've ever got. Very close to Nizam's or Arsalan's (I know, their's is greasy... but sooo good ). Just missing that greasy potato and the boiled egg!

caliking

Killit_and_Grillit said:

I feel like this would be easier for me to just come over for dinner. 

Any time, brother. Any time.

It sounds complicated,  but its really not. Admittedly, I have a cultural head-start The chicken biryani version we've been working on is meant to be done and served in 45 mins tops. 

SGH

It looks mighty fine brother liking. And a great write up to boot. 

Killit_and_Grillit

caliking said:

Admittedly, I have a cultural head-start

Did you just assume my ethnicity?!?  (Insert Caliprince stare of disapproval )

JohnInCarolina

caliking said:

Killit_and_Grillit said:

I feel like this would be easier for me to just come over for dinner. 

Any time, brother.  Any time.

Adam if you’re going to head over to his place, I feel like caliqueen needs at least a 24-hr heads-up, just so she can remove all of the bourbon from the house.  And maybe the food saver bags too, just to be safe.

Meal sounds good to me @caliking.  I think you should open your own restaurant within driving distance of Durham, NC.

thetrim

Sounds amazing!

Hotch

Killit_and_Grillit said:

I feel like this would be easier for me to just come over for dinner. 

What ever you do, don't take a rice cooker with you!
You won't be happy!!

@caliking Nicely done my friend!!

caliking

Killit_and_Grillit said:

caliking said:

Admittedly, I have a cultural head-start

Did you just assume my ethnicity?!?  (Insert Caliprince stare of disapproval )

Not at all. I know I’ve eaten and cooked more biryani.  

gdenby

The sour plum is a nice touch. Not come across that before.

If you care to mention, what differences in the recipe for beef compared to chicken?

caliking

gdenby said:

The sour plum is a nice touch. Not come across that before.

If you care to mention, what differences in the recipe for beef compared to chicken?

It gives a nice tangy note when you find that little nugget in the rice, without being mixed in throughout. 

The spices can be tweaked in many ways depending on your palate - asafoetida, amchur (dried mango powder), nutmeg, etc. should all be good.

Re: the difference between chicken vs. beef biryani, its essentially the cooking time.


There are basically 2 methods for making biryani - "kachchi (raw) biryani" where you add raw meat, uncooked rice, spices, etc to the pot and it all cooks together. This is harder,  as you have to get the timing and other factors right, so that the meat and rice finish cooking at the same time. The easier method is to parcook the meat and rice separately, then layer in the pot, to finish cooking together. 

Chicken biryani is easier, because the chicken cooks fairly quickly, compared to other meats (lamb, goat, beef). The recipe my buddy and I have been working on is meant to be banged out quickly, lending itself to being a great weeknight meal. 

 For chicken biryani start with the following, then proceed with the recipe above (with a few amendments). Soaking the rice is optional. 

Chicken 2 lbs
Yogurt 1/2 cup
Cumin, ground   1 tsp
Coriander, ground           1 tsp
Cayenne               1/2 - 1 tsp
Ginger, grated         2" piece
Garlic, minced         6 cloves

-marinate x 4 hrs, or SV @ 165°F x 1hr

Then:
"Soak basmati rice 2 cups x 6-8 hr ( I used jasmati this time). 

Red onion, thinly sliced     1/2
Red onion, chopped          1/2
(roughly the size of a baseball)

Soak a pinch of saffron in warm water 2 TBSP

Heat mustard or olive oil - 2 TBSP - in a DO.

Add:
Cinnamon stick          2" piece
Cardamom, black    1
Cardamom, green    1

Add sliced onion and fry until brown. Remove from the DO.

Add:
Mace    2 threads
Peppercorns   10
Garlic, minced    6 cloves
Ginger, minced    2" piece
Onion, chopped
Cashews, raw    10
Raisins, golden    10
Cumin seed   1 tsp
Chilies, dried (or cayenne powder) to taste
Sour plum        1

Saute x 10mins on medium heat. 

Bring water to boil in a pot, and parboil the rice for 10 mins on med-hi heat. Drain.

Warm up the SV bag, so the fat and drippings are fluid again. Add  chix and marinade to the DO.

Add :
yogurt       1/2 cup
Sugar          1 tsp
Salt, table 1-2 tsp

Cook for 10-15 mins until the liquid has reduced. 

Layer the parboiled rice on top of the meat. 

Scatter the fried onion on top.

Drizzle the saffron water over the top.

Sprinkle a few drops of orange blossom water over the rice. 

Put the lid on tight, reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 mins or until rice is done.

Remove from heat and let it sit for 30mins before taking a peek.

Dig down and get the meat from the bottom when you serve it. "

gdenby

Good recipe and clarification. Didn't know about the difference/problem between mixing in the raw meat w. the rice, vs. not. Which would explain why my attempt w. lamb was such a mess.

caliking

gdenby said:

Good recipe and clarification. Didn't know about the difference/problem between mixing in the raw meat w. the rice, vs. not. Which would explain why my attempt w. lamb was such a mess.

Believe me, I have been there and done that more times than I care to admit.

Forgot a couple of tips:
- Bone-in thighs are preferred if making the chicken version. Chop the chicken through the bone, so that some of that bone juice gets out.

- My buddy adds Better Than Bouillon 1 TBSP (any flavor) when the chix is added to the pot. Amps up the flavor. 

 - Add chopped cilantro and mint, 1/2 cup each, when cooking the chicken.

Let me know how it turns out  

Wolfpack

Awesome write up as always. Thanks for sharing- on the list. 

Spring Hen

I wish you would have figured this out before we moved to Louisiana. It can't be any better than the chicken dish you cooked at the Eggfests. I dream about that stuff....and you, of course :-)  Miss you, CaliQueen, and CaliPrince...

caliking

Spring Hen said:

I wish you would have figured this out before we moved to Louisiana. It can't be any better than the chicken dish you cooked at the Eggfests. I dream about that stuff....and you, of course :-)  Miss you, CaliQueen, and CaliPrince...

I wish I had figured this out way before then even

Glad to see that you're still popping in to check up on us. Caliqueen and I were just talking about y'all the other day. And all the "rental grandmas" who volunteered for cuddle time with caliprince when he wasn't such a hellion!

Theophan

caliking said:

I guess I have to post some pics... Like a lot of Indian food, it’s not much to look at, but it truly was delicious. I wish I had figured this out years ago. 

I was all set to give you a hard time for no pictures, and I'm SO glad you decided to post some.  It just makes a huge difference to me when I can look at the dish you're describing.

It sounds AND looks wonderful!!!  I think Indian food is every bit as gorgeous as any other world cuisine.  Thanks for posting!

caliking

@Theophan Thanks. 

I wasn’t planning on posting this cook, and so didn’t take any good pics. Or even a plated pic. 

But I knew I’d catch some shït if I didn’t post any

Stormbringer

Oh I'm trying this, sounds amazing.

blind99

good god.  the complexity of indian cuisine is remarkable.  nice work taking on the biryani!  wish i could swing by for a taste test.   

i'm a carnivore, but have to say a good vegetable biryani is one of my favorite meals.  might have to get some now...

SciAggie

I always have to Google whatever the h#ll you are cooking because it’s always something I’ve never heard of. Always something delicious. Always something I put on my “to cook”list. 

caliking

SciAggie said:

I always have to Google whatever the h#ll you are cooking because it’s always something I’ve never heard of. Always something delicious. Always something I put on my “to cook”list. 

You’re too kind, Gary. 

And trust me... I have  waaaay more of your cooks on my to do list