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.
Ingredients - group 1
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| Home cooked Yakhni Biryani Photo: Seema Iqbal |
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)
Step by step method for easy cooking:
Step 1: Keep all the ingredients ready and handy.
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| Ingredients used to cook this Yakhni Biryan Photo: Seema Iqbal |
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.
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| Yakhni Biryani served with onion-tomato salad Photo: Seema Iqbal |
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!
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| Yakhni Biryani served with home cooked KFC type chicken Photo: Seema Iqbal |
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:
