Beef Biryani

The best Indian food I ever ate was in Portugal. I still think of that meal. Husband and I were tired after a busy day of sight seeing outside of Lisbon and managed to nap through the dinner hour. The only restaurant that we could find that was open was a small Indian place close to our hotel. Incredible food, great service and a nice story to tell. A new Indian restaurant just opened in town and I’m thrilled. Before this restaurant opened there wasn't  an Indian restaurant in town so I had to find a way to make my own Indian cuisine.

I’ll be the first to admit, this isn’t 100% true Indian food. First off, this recipe contains beef. Second it’s made in a crockpot. I do have an Indian food cookbook, Husband brought it back from a trip to Dehli as a gift from the head chef at the Intercontinental. I will delve into that cookbook soon, until then I will continue to make this recipe.

I don’t add cardamom pods, cinnamon, or peas. Mince the ginger, don’t grate it. Be sure to drain the beef after you cook it or you will end up with not so tasty beef biryani. I have tried lots of yogurt and Greek woks the best. You can get saffron for a great price at World Market.

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

Seeds from 3 black cardamom pods

6 whole cloves

6 to 8 peppercorns

2 cinnamon sticks, broke into pieces

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 ½ lbs. beef sirloin, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup water

3-4 cups cooked rice, preferably basmati

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

½ tsp. saffron threads, soaked in ¼ cup water for 20 minutes

1 teaspoon salt

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Combine the cumin, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon in a mortar or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium to high heat and add the oil. Add the beef and cook, turning, for 10 minutes until browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer to a plate. Add the onions to the sauté pan and cook stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for three minutes. Add the spice mixture and stir well. Add the meat and yogurt and toss well.

Transfer to a slow cooker and stir in the water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the meat is very tender. Stir in the rice, peas, saffron water and salt 30 minutes before the end of cooking. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro. 

The Gourmet Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley