Sunday Lite : Nasi Briyani Pun Orang Rela Di Tipu

I posted this too early on Friday. Here it is again. 

(Note : There is a short 4 minute video at the end of this. Do watch if you have the time.)

Just before noon Friday I stopped at a warong which had a banner saying 'beriyani kambing'.    But I did not buy any. It was not beriyani. It was another fake. 

Nowadays a lot of warongs and restaurants sell 'nasi beriyani', 'beriyani gam' and what not.  Here are some sample pictures of the local 'nasi beriyani'.

Tuan-tuan let me assure you 'Ini bukan nasi briyani'. 

These are fakes.  

This is just coloured rice with a piece of chicken or kambing placed on the rice. 

One state in the south even proclaims to have 'invented' beriani entah apa.  

That is also a fake. 

Briyani comes from India. India including Pakistan, Afghanistan and that part of the world. 

Beriyani does not come from Johor ok. 

The Italians, Spanish, Arabs have also copied the Indian beriyani and it has evolved into their cuisine to become pulao rice, perhaps also rice pilaf and etc.  

The bottom line for a beriyani is this : the meat must be cooked inside the rice. 

You cannot take a piece of fried chicken or kambing kari that was cooked separately, put it on top of some coloured rice (nasi kuning)  and then call it nasi beriyani.   I don't know what to call that. That is not how it works.

But then once I attended dinner at the Prime Minister's residence (Najib) and they served ikan sadin dalam tin !!  Canned sardines at the PM's residence !!  Maybe someday there will be beriyani sadin dalam tin ?? 

Here is some real beriyani. The first one is a chicken dhum beriyani and the second is a mutton or kambing  dhum beriyani.   As you can see the meat is cooked INSIDE the rice.

Above : Chicken dhum beriyani

Below : Mutton dhum beriyani

Dhum means towards the end of the cooking the beriyani pot is sealed with flour dough  (I use a wet cloth with a heavy weight placed on the pot) to seal the pot while the beriyani is still cooking inside.  This sealing the pot is called the "dhum".  

During the 'dhum' the fire is turned down (I actually turn off the fire) and the beriyani is let to simmer in its own heat for at least 30 - 45 minutes. During this simmering period or dhum the rice and the meat cooks perfectly.

I cook beriyani as a hobby and I also do some beriyani catering on a small scale among friends,  to hone my beriyani skills.  Here is some chicken dhum beriyani and salmon  beriyani  which I prepared. 

Above : Chicken dhum beriyani

Below : Salmon dhum beriyani still in the pot.

Below : Salmon beriyani dished out and ready to serve.

Now here is that short 4 minute video that shows you how to prepare and cook a good chicken dhum beriyani.

The most important elements are the 

• garam masala
• golden fried onions
• the yoghurt and of course 
• fresh lemon
• fresh coriander (daun ketumbar - bukan daun sup, yo)
• fresh mint or daun pudina  

(I believe the local fake beriyanis do not use all these ingredients either. Many use daun sup instead of daun ketumbar. Daun ketumbar is RM38 per kilo !! Daun sup is much much cheaper.) 

The garam masala is the great big secret because how exactly you make the garam masala (its ingredients) has significant impact on the taste. Of course I have my own garam masala recipe.

The lady in the video "marinades" the chicken for at least three hours. 

I marinade chicken / mutton overnite. 

The lady in the video uses oil. I do not use any oil. 
(Except to golden fry the onions).

The chicken and mutton will give out their own oils.

Neither do I add any water. 

Link :  https://youtu.be/gtZ4D4bHUac

As you can see the ingredients are a little complicated. 
The method of cooking also requires some focus.
I precook my meats to about 90% cooked. 
Then I layer the almost cooked rice on top.
The end result is really good stuff.  

In ancient India the cooks in the army (especially the Moghuls) cooked beriyani in large pots, sealed the pots (dhum) and placed it in the howdahs on the backs of elephants. The army would then march. The beriyani would continue simmering in its own heat. After a few hours the army would rest and the cooks would open the pots and have Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) for the soldiers.  

The dhum beriyani was literally 'fast food' or 'food on the go'.