Working in kitchen is a favorite pastime and a joyful experience even for the novices. When it comes to home-cooking there is no end for learning and innovation. The recipes posted here are thoughtfully modified either to make the cooking process easy or for attaining desired great taste. Previously a few of my recipes have appeared in a Mangalore based internet portal which eventually inspired me to have this virtual kitchen on the web. I wish you all a fun-filled cooking time! Enjoy cooking and Bon Appétit!!

Yakhni Biryani

Here goes the basic recipe for the delicious Yakhni Biryani, a meat and rice dish of marvelous taste.  It is a classic North Indian dish cooked differently south Indian Biryanis and holds a high place in north Indian menu.  It gets its name from the Yakhni - the meat stock - it is cooked in.
Home cooked Yakhni Biryani
Photo: Seema Iqbal
Ingredients - group 1
1. Lamb/Mutton: 1 Kg
2. Onion (medium size, chopped lengthwise): 3 - 4 Nos
3. Turmeric powder:  a very small pinch
4. Tomato (small - medium size chopped): 4 - 5 Nos

Ingredients - group 2
1. Oil: 5 - 6 Tablespoons
2. Onion: 2 (medium size, chopped lengthwise)
3. Ginger-garlic paste: 2 ½ Tablespoons
4. Green chilies (less hot ones): 8 - 10 Nos
5. Salt:  To taste
6. Lemon juice: 1½ Tablespoons
7. Yogurt: 2½ Tablespoons
8. Rice: 1 Kg. (Soaked in water for 10 minutes. Use short grain rice like Jeerakasala or the rice which is generally used to prepare ghee rice)
9. Coriander leaves (Cilantro) coarsely chopped:  1 Cup
10.Water (generally for short-grain rice, a ratio of 1.5 cups of water is required to every 1 cup of rice)
Ingredients used to cook this Yakhni Biryan
Photo: Seema Iqbal
Step by step method for easy cooking:
Step 1:  Keep all the ingredients ready and handy.

Step 2:  Take a cooker, add lamb/mutton, turmeric powder and chopped onion, mix it and let it cook till the mutton is 75% done.  Then remove the lid and add chopped tomatoes and cook it until tomatoes are dissolved, then keep aside. (This step needs only the ingredients listed in group 1 above. No oil or water is needed at this stage).

Step 3:  Take a heavy-bottom cooking vessel and heat the oil.  Add chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste and sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes.  Now add green chilies (less spicy ones), already cooked mutton/lamb (step 2) and sauté it for 2 more minutes.  Now add salt, lemon juice, yogurt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, keep stirring from time to time.  Then add water as per the ratio mention above (refer item 10) and turn the flame to high.  While it starts to boil, add soaked rice and wait for 1 minute.  Now add chopped Cilantro leaves and mix the whole thing very carefully without causing any damage to the boiling rice.  Now cover the lid tightly and cook in low flame until rice is fully done.  This would take 6 to 7 minutes but keep checking to be on safer side.  The delicious Yakhni Biryani is now ready to serve.
Yakhni Biryani served with onion-tomato salad
Photo: Seema Iqbal
Serving:
Serve the hot and yummy Yakhni Biryani with a portion of traditional onion-tomatoes salad or raita, or any other side dish of your liking.  Pickle is a great combination too.  Bon appétit!
Yakhni Biryani served with home cooked KFC type chicken
Photo: Seema Iqbal
Important and useful tips:
1. You may adjust the water-rice ratio based on the type of rice you would use.
2. Short grain rice is always advised for this dish but basmati rice also goes well.
3. If the meat is real tender then avoid using cooker at Step 2.
4. You may replace the lamb/mutton with chicken or any meat of your liking, but adjust the cooking time accordingly.
5. In case you don’t find the chilies that are less hot, you may have to reduce the quantity.

My Yakhni Biryani recipe is published in:
     1.  www.coastaldigest.com