Awadhi pulaos and biryanis

Ingredients

• 3 green cardamom pods
• 1 black cardamom
• 3 cloves
• 5 cm cassia bark
• 2 tejpat leaves
• 6 black peppercorns
• 1 tsp kala jeera

Method

1. Warm 2 tbsp ghee on low heat, add the whole spices and cook 30–40 seconds until the cloves swell and the cardamom puffs. Do not let them darken.
2. For the final aroma, grind ¼ tsp of cardamom seeds with a small piece of mace fresh at the end, and add it off the heat, over the rice, while the dish rests.
3. Never add dry ground spices to hot fat; add them to the stock or the marinade.

Ingredients

• Meat
• 800 g bone-in goat or mutton, in 5 cm pieces
• 200 g thick yogurt, hung 30 min
• 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp coriander seed and 1 tsp kala jeera, freshly ground
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• 3 tbsp birista (below), crushed
• 3 tbsp ghee and the khada spices
• Rice
• 500 g basmati, washed and soaked 30 min
• 2.5 L water, 1½ tbsp salt, 1 potli of khada spices
• Layers
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced for birista
• 100 ml oil for frying
• 0.5 g saffron in 60 ml warm milk
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp kewra water
• Handful of mint
• ¼ tsp fresh-ground cardamom and mace

Method

1. Marinate the meat in everything under ‘Meat’ except the ghee and spices, 4–6 h in the fridge.
2. For the birista, fry the onions in the oil over medium-low heat 18–20 min until deep gold, then drain; they crisp as they cool.
3. Warm 3 tbsp ghee in the pressure cooker, add the khada spices 30 seconds, then the meat with its marinade. Sear 8 min. Pressure cook 15 min after full pressure, until nearly tender. Reduce the juices to a thick coating gravy.
4. Bring the salted water and potli to the boil. Add rice and cook 5–6 min at this altitude until each grain breaks into 2–3 pieces when pressed but still has a hard white core. Drain.
5. In a heavy pot (kasera) spread the meat. Cover with rice, then birista, mint, saffron milk, ghee and kewra water. Seal with foil and a tight lid, or a strip of dough.
6. Cook on high heat 3 min until steam escapes, then on the lowest heat on a tava, 30–35 min; or in a 160 °C oven for 35 min.
7. Off the heat, sprinkle with the fresh-ground cardamom and mace. Seal again and rest 15 min before opening.

Ingredients

• Yakhni
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 3 cm ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 2 tejpat leaves
• 1 black cardamom, 6 peppercorns
• 1.2 L water
• Pulao
• 200 g basmati, soaked 30 min
• 100 g jhangora, soaked 15 min
• 2 tbsp ghee
• Khada spices: 2 green cardamom, 3 cloves, 4 cm cassia, 1 tejpat, 6 peppercorns
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 small carrot, diced, and 80 g peas
• 500 ml strained yakhni
• 1 tsp salt
• Finish
• 1 tbsp ghee and ½ tsp jambu

Method

1. Simmer the yakhni ingredients 40 min uncovered until reduced to about 700 ml. Strain.
2. In a heavy pot warm the ghee and cook the khada spices 30 seconds. Add the onion, cook gently until pale gold, then the carrot and peas for 2 min.
3. Add the drained rice and millet and stir gently 1 min. Pour in 500 ml hot yakhni and salt. Bring to the boil, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat 15 min.
4. Rest 10 min without opening. Warm the finishing ghee, remove from the heat and stir in the jambu. Pour over the fluffed pulao.

Ingredients

• 300 g peeled pahadi cucumber, grated
• 300 g thick yogurt
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp roasted cumin, ground fresh
• 1 tsp ghee or mustard oil and ½ tsp jakhiya

Method

1. Squeeze the grated cucumber lightly. Whisk the yogurt with salt and fold in the cucumber and cumin.
2. Heat the ghee, add jakhiya until it crackles for a few seconds, then pour over the raita.

Ingredients

• Vegetables
• 250 g cauliflower florets
• 150 g carrots, in 3 cm pieces
• 100 g peas
• 150 g paneer, cubed (optional)
• 150 g thick yogurt, hung 30 min
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp coriander seed and ½ tsp kala jeera, freshly ground
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• 2 tbsp ghee and the khada spices
• Rice
• 400 g basmati, washed and soaked 30 min
• 2 L water, 1 tbsp salt, 1 potli of khada spices
• Layers
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced, for birista
• 100 ml oil for frying
• 0.5 g saffron in 60 ml warm milk
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp kewra water
• Handful of mint
• ¼ tsp fresh-ground cardamom and mace

Method

1. Mix the vegetables with the yogurt, paste, turmeric, salt, coriander, kala jeera and chilli. Marinate 1 h at most.
2. Fry the onions in the oil over medium-low heat 18–20 min until deep gold. Drain; they crisp as they cool.
3. Warm 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy pot, cook the khada spices 30 seconds, then add the vegetables and marinade. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat 8–10 min, stirring, until the vegetables are about 70% tender and the yogurt is a thick coating. Stir in 2 tbsp of the birista.
4. Bring the salted water and potli to the boil, add the rice and boil 5–6 min at this altitude until each grain breaks into 2–3 pieces when pressed but still has a hard core. Drain.
5. Spread the vegetables in the pot. Cover with the rice, then birista, mint, saffron milk, ghee and kewra water. Seal with foil and a tight lid.
6. Cook on high 3 min until steam escapes, then on the lowest heat on a tava 25 min; or in a 160 °C oven 30 min.
7. Off the heat, sprinkle the fresh-ground cardamom and mace, seal again and rest 10 min before opening.