Linguistically, the word "Biryani" is obviously a Persian one; from a historical point of view, the dish is assumed to have found its way towards Indian kitchen from Persia, via Mogul tribes who attacked and conquered both countries.
The term "dum cooking method" in Indian cuisine refers to the steaming of rice in a sealed clay pot. There also is a similar Persian word for this method: "Dam" . The same word is used for the method Iranian rice is cooked. In my BLT Tah-dig post, I fully explained the method. This method is called "dam kardan"(kardan is the verb meaning "to do"). Furthermore, The word Dumpukht is also Persian, meaning 'Steam-cooked' and is a popular method in Persian cooking and is usually referred to mixed pilaf dishes.
Using clay pots is also very popular in Iran and in some traditional dishes like dizy (that is a meat and legume soup, slow-cooked in a clay pot).
Here I used my clay pot slow-cooker to imitate the dum cooking process. The result I have to say is great!
Ingredients:
2 cup Basmati rice, divided
¼ cup vegetable oil (ghee optional)
2 lamb shanks
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 TSP cumin
1/2 TSP coriander
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP gram masala
1 TBSP curry powder
1 onion, finely chopped
1 TBSP garlic, finely chopped
1 TBSP ginger paste(or grated)
1 green chili(2 jalapeno peppers), finely chopped
2 TBSP cilantro, finely chopped
2/3 cup 2% yogurt
12 cloves
Optional:
5 star anise pods
Couple of new potatoes
Chopped tomato
Chopped lime
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First things first! Parboil one cup of rice. Drain when ready to use.
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Brown the lamb shanks and put them in the clay pot . |
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Add the sugar and all the spices to the same pan in which shanks where browned. Toast for a minute to get the oil infused with the spices.
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Then add the onion, garlic and ginger. Saute for 5 minutes on medium heat until vegetables are soft and translucent.
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Add the chilies, coriander, potatoes, tomatoes, and lime wedges. Cook for a minute. |
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Finally Add the yogurt, mix well, turn the heat off, and set aside. |
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Pour the mixture on top of the shanks, spreading evenly |
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Cloves and star anise give this incredibly earthy and smokey flavor to the dish so do not skip them!
Evenly spread the other half of the rice(uncooked) on top of the yogurt layer. Since this rice is in direct contact with the wet matter, I found it best uncooked, as opposed to the other half that were parboiled earlier.
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Finish with the drained half of rice. |
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Use parchment paper and a heavy object to trap the steam |
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Another security layer to keep the steam inside! This is dum cooking! |
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Cook for six to eight hours on the lowest possible heat! |
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This meat was fall-off-the-bone-tender! |
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