Recipe: delicious Midlands breyani
We are back in the Midlands this week, making a lip-smacking breyani with Gordon and Rekha Kisten of Honeydew Dairy. Watch the ‘how to’ video and get the full recipe here.
We are back in the Midlands this week, making a lip-smacking breyani with Gordon and Rekha Kisten of Honeydew Dairy. Watch the ‘how to’ video and get the full recipe here.
Gordon and Rekha’s Yoghurt-Marinated Breyani
This superb dish is cooked on a fire made in the drum of an old Defy washing machine.
A 3-legged African pot (No. 3 size) fits snugly into the drum. The whole contraption can easily be moved about and is windproof; Gordon can do his open-air chef thing on his veranda or the lawn within sight of the rugby on TV. (those with less ingenious “cookers” can make this in a pot on the stove.)
The recipe is long only because the Kistens have de-constructed the dish, step-by-step, to make it easier.
Ingredients:
Meat and Marinade:
1 ½ kg mutton/lamb cubes
1 small bunch dhania, mint
5 stems thyme
1 ½ tsp each garam masala, coriander, cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 ½ Tbsp curry powder
3 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
500ml plain yoghurt
Rice
2 cups rice
½ cup brown lentils
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 pinch salt
Potatoes
4 potatoes, peeled
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp turmeric
Cooking the meat
2 Tbsp oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
4 bay leaves, 3 cloves
3 star anise, 3 cardamom
Method:
Meat and Marinade: Chop herbs. Combine ingredients, marinate 2-4 hours in fridge.
Rice: Put rice in pot, cover with water (2cm above rice). Add lentils, turmeric, salt. Boil 1 hr. Strain, set aside.
Potatoes: Slice into thirds. Microwave 5 mins to soften. Combine oil and turmeric, drizzle over potatoes. Roase at 190c for 25 mins.
Cooking the meat: Coat bottom of potjie/pot with oil, add onion. Fry until golden, add spices. Stir, cook 5 mins. Add marinated meat mixture. Cook, covered, for 1 hr. Check meat at 30-45 mins, stir gently.
To serve: Combine rice, potatoes and cooked meat. Serve as is, or with roti. On the side: the following yoghurt dish...
Kisten Yoghurt Salad
A partner to the breyani above, this recipe from Gordon and Rekha Kisten is good with any curry, and though it has a bit of a nip, does the business for those who feel the need to tone down their Indian dishes. In the Kisten family, one of the children likes it hot, the other cooler: this salad/sambal keeps everyone happy.
Ingredients:
500ml plain yoghurt
1/2 cucumber
1 handful mint
1 green chilli, roughly chopped
1 small bunch dhania/coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 pinch salt
Whizz in blender, refrigerate until ready to serve.