Do you have those things that you postpone doing for such a long time and when you finally do it, you wonder why you put it off for so so so long? Yea, I know you can relate! You guys have been asking for a biryani recipe literally since the day I started this blog, and for some reason, I kept on putting it off. I am not a procrastinator, so I have no idea where aversion towards putting this behind me came from LOL! Better late than never, right? Since we said we are doing better in 2018, this biryani recipe is my gift to you. My love letter to you. My life promise to you. I’m sure you get the point now :DDD
This goat biryani recipe literally bubbles over with explosive flavor. This is the only biryani recipe you will need because not only is it easy, but hands down the best you will ever have. Cook this and show it off to your friends, because you are about to be the biryani pro in your crew.
PREP TIME: 24 HRS COOK TIME: 40 MIN SERVES: 3
Biryani Ingredients:
For the meat
500g of goat meat
50 ml of plain yoghurt
1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 a teaspoon of cardamom powder
1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 a teaspoon of dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes
1/2 a lemon, juiced
Raw pawpaw, grated
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of cooked red onions
For the stew
Red onions, thinly sliced
1 tomato, grated
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
Salt to taste
For the rice
1 1/2 cups of basmati rice
5 cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
1/2 a teaspoon of whole cumin
Food color (any color of your choice)
***
Whew! What a list of ingredients that was :DDD.!!! But please please do not let that intimidate you! It is super duper easy and once you get it down, you will be making it with your eyes closed! Watch the video first to get a visual of how easy it is to make, subscribe, then come and get an explanation to your why’s and why not’s
Method
First things first, you have to marinate your meat! Mandatory! Place your goat in a container. To it, add the plain yoghurt (Strictly plain yoghurt! Flavored yoghurt will throw everything off), the 5 spices, chili, thyme, garlic, ginger and lemon juice, cooked onions ad raw grated pawpaw. I love my goat meat with thyme and I have to always add it to my marinate and this wouldn’t be any different, same thing we did here. Mix it all up then add the cooked onions. Give it a final mix and once combined, cover and allow to marinate overnight.
You can use this exact recipe with beef and chicken. Only difference with chicken i would make is to add some rosemary.
We use cooked onion in the biryani and not raw red onion because the latter can be overwhelmingly pungent and may overpower everything else. Onions that have already cooked and have slight caramelization have enhanced flavor, introducing the taste of onion without compromising on everything else.
The raw paw paw is also a key ingredient since it aids in tenderization of the meat .
Once marination is done, next step is to cook the meat which will be the star of the biryani. Add some onions to the sufuria and cook them until browned. Add your yoghurt, tomatoes and tomato paste and cook until thickened. As I mentioned above, please do not use flavored yoghurt!
Add the marinated goat meat along with all the contents of the marinate + 1 cup of hot water to allow the meat to cook through. Do not create a soup-ocean since biryani needs to be very thick and rich. Go easy on the water boo. I prefer not to pre boil my meat before adding it to the tomato-yoghurt mix (you should do the same), but allow it to cook through in the tomatoes allowing it to retain and fully absorb the flavors of the marinate. It WILL cook through. Trust me.
Add some salt, mix it all up and cover and allow to cook until tender and completely cooked through.
As that is going, get started on your rice:
Put your water to boil, then add some salt and oil. Throw in your whole spices (clove, cumin, cardamom) and once the water has come to a boil, add the rice. The spices need to be added at this point so that the whole spices soften and release their flavor into the water that the rice will cook in.
Allow the rice to cook and once it is 3/4 way done, add your food color to half or 1/3 of the rice. Mix it into only that section, leaving the rest of the rice white. In case this sounds a bit confusing, watch my video which shows you much clearly exactly how to do it. You can use any color you want, however the most common ones are pink and yellow.
Cover the rice with a lid, turn down the heat to low and allow it to finish cooking. Once cooked, mix it all up.
After everything is done, both the rice and the stew, serve and garnish. I garnished my stew with onion chives, however dania would work just fine <3
Dig in!
I hid in the fence and ate this all alone since it was too good to share enjoyed this amazing goat biryani with my sisters and they totally looooooooved it. We served it with some coleslaw just to introduce some freshness, and kachumbari would work just as well. I am thinking about making this biryani a staple for my sister-dates!
I lack words to correctly describe the symphony of flavor that will ensue in your mouth!!! From the tender, marinated, spicy, herby goat meat to the very bold rice, both in color and flavor as a result of amazing warm whole spices! This is one life changing dish and if you have never tried biryani, you need to start here. Thank me later.
Do try this out, take pics, and tag me on social media!
XX
-K
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Hey there! My name is Kaluhi and I love food! Through my blog, I am happy to share with you my self-taught recipes, steeped in nostalgia and the happiest of memories. I hope each recipe you try out is as addictive as the previous one and is shared on a table full of love and hearty laughs!
Hey kaluhi. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it just looks so yummy. Can i use maziwa mala instead of plain yorgurt?
Yes!! Mala is a perfect substitute!
Amazing recipes you have… thank you got lost in this world of yours ..and glad I did .so much to try
Glad you are enjoying !!<3
Hi Kaluhi.Thank you for the awesome recipe.Quick question ,can you specify the exact brand of plain yoghurt you used?Thanks.I love biryani and now I don’t have to wait for Fridays when most places make them 😉
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
As for brand used, to be honest I think plain yoghurt is plain yoghurt. Any will do. I do not stick to one brand per se, but often switch between Daima and Bio. For this recipe I used bio coz that’s what I had in the fridge.
Hello Kaluhi, thank you for these amazing recipes…very doable. I was kindly wondering could you please send me the specific amounts for the yoghurt both for the marinade and the stew….thank you.
I would be lying if I said I measure the yoghurt. You can put as much as you want, for the marinade, add as much that will fully coat your meat. For the stew, about 1/2 a cup is ok
I’m so happy you share your creativity with us.
{hug}
hi,
I love this recipe but my daughter is allergic to lemons (anything citrus). is it absolutely necessary to the recipe and if it is what can I replace it with.
The recipe can do without them
Hey Kaluhi, can I use the same recipe for mutton?
yes
Oh thankyou am defenitely trying this out.And you just gained a faithful follower.
Welcome to the family boo!
You are a lifesaver!!! Thank you for all brilliant recipes that all have a Kenyan touch. Aki I was here struggling as I am abroad and we have a ‘make a dish from your home country night’. First I was completely clueless on what to make (shakes with embarrassment) lol and 2nd it’s really hard to find a lot of what I use in Kenya to cook. Welcome to Kaluhi who introduced me to an extra amazing world. Most of your recipes are simple and require a small number of ingridients and look yummy. Thank you for unstressing a rather foreseaable stressful evening haha. You are heaven sent. I’m definately a member here now. Bring me the offering basket haha
Beyond happy to know you enjoyed this!!! Cheers to many many maaaaaaaaany more!
Hello! Your recipe looks delicious! Quick question – where do you get raw pawpaws?
Any gorcery store