Looking through the TV schedule, I see this on National Geographic:
A cameraman uses himself as bait to attract polar bears.
Hmmm. There’s a certain Darwin Awards attraction to that, isn’t there? And speaking of the Darwin Awards, the 2006 Awards are posted!
Purists will be horrified, but I can’t help that. Back in Indiana, there was an Indian restaurant we frequented, and one of my favorite things there was the chicken biryani. Yes, I have tons of Indian cookbooks and tried every one of my biryani recipes, but none of them was quite as wonderful as the moist, richly-flavorted biryani at that restaurant. So I experimented, and finally came up with this.
It’s a bit moister than the biryani at the restaurant, but I like it that way. It calls for that paste in a jar (Patak’s or Ashoka, if they make biryani paste — if you can’t find biryani paste, you can use a curry paste, but use a mild one; biryani is a northern Indian dish, and isn’t supposed to be particularly hot).
I started experimenting pretty much playing with the recipes I had. The first thing I changed after I started using paste was the saffron. The white-and-yellow effect was ruined because the paste contained turmeric, so I just added a bit more turmeric to make it a more appetizing yellow. The second thing I changed was the yogurt. Yogurt was giving me a dry product, so I substituted cream, and that was a great success.
So here it is. Enjoy!
Chicken Pseudo-Biryani
2 chicken breasts, boned, skinned, and diced
4 T. clarified butter
2 T. biryani paste
1/4 t. turmeric
1 1/2 c. basmati (or Texmati) rice
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 c. chicken stock
1/2 t. salt
Preheat the oven to 400.
Basmati is a long-grained ricebut the grains are much more slender and brittle than regular long-grained rice, so handle (and stir) accordingly. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then drain thoroughly.
In a paella pan (I use my 14-inch paella pan) or a saute pan with a cover, melt the butter over high heat. When quite hot, add the chicken and stirring constantly, saute until the chicken turns white. Add the biryani paste and turmeric and stir thoroughly into the butter. Add the rice, and saute for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, until all the grains are coated with the paste.
Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until any excess moisture has evaporated. Add the cream, and again cook for a couple of minutes, until the cream has cooked down to half its volume. Add the salt and the stock, and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir up the biryani, and let it sit for about five minutes uncovered before serving.
Today is, of course, Lincoln’s Birthday. But it is also my mother’s birthday. She passed away six years ago.
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