Beef Biriyani (Kerala Style)

Steps

1. Marinate cleaned beef with ingredients listed under marination - chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, aniseed powder and salt. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

   

2. Soak rice in water for 1 hr.
3. Add 2 tbsp water and cook beef in pressure cooker until beef is done. Usually it takes around 2-3 whistles.
4. Meanwhile, you can start masala preparation. Grind the green chillies, ginger and garlic.

   

5. Slice 4 onions. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a wok. Saute these onions with salt until golden brown.

   

6. Add grounded green chilli mix and saute it well.
7. Add sliced tomatoes to it and saute until tomatoes are done.

   

8. Mix the curd and cook for 2 -3 minutes.

   

9. Saute the grated coconut until golden brown. Grind the coconut and ground cashew with some water and make it a good paste. Alternatively, I sometimes ground the cashew and fried coconut into fine powder, mix it with  water and make it a good paste. Add coconut cashew mix and then garam masala. Saute it well.

   

10. Add cooked beef with the water (gravy) . Adjust salt. Water should be just enough to mix well with rice. Cook it for around 5 - 10 minutes.

    

11. For rice preparation - Drain the water from the rice. Heat ghee in the pan/ cooker. Add turmeric powder, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom seeds, curry leaves, cloves, star anise and aniseeds.

    

12. Once it is sauted well, add rice. Saute it till rice is crispy.

    

13. Add 4 - 4 1/2 water to it with enough salt. Cover and cook until rice is done. Depending on the rice, you may need to add extra water as well. It would approximately take 15 minutes. Refer notes on tips to cook rice.

    

14. For garnish - Thinly slice onions and deep fry it in ghee. Sprinkle salt and bit sugar. Roast cashews and raisins.
15. ** Never miss this step. Layer a pan / cooker with alternating layers of rice and the beef masala. Extract lemon juice. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves, lemon juice, 1 tsp ghee, fried onions, cashews and raisins at every layer.

    

16. Heat the layered biriyani for about 20 minutes. It is a good option to bake it as well. Rice and biriyani masala gets blended well with this. You need not add water since biriyani masala has good gravy content.
17. Serve it with raitha, pickle and papad.