Eid is always a special time to bond with loved ones. This year I had great time celebrating both the Eid’s at mom’s place. Though I usually go to my In-laws place to celebrate Eid, this time due to rain and Andhra-Telangana issue, I thought of staying back at mom’s place. Its been long time I stayed at mom’s place for Bakrid/Bakreed (Eid-ul-Adha) and I am so happy.
Eid is not only a time to bond with family and friends but also a good time to worship and seek blessings from elders….also a time to feast on the delicacies made during that day. This Eid is celebrated with much joy and tranquility After Eid Namaz which will be early rather than the Ramadan Eid Namaz, men in the family who are giving ‘qurbani’ will go out to tabela or to open grounds where the entire process of qurabi will go on. The qurbani meat will be divided into three portions, where the family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors and the other third is given to the poor and needy. By the time this whole process completes it will be evening….
A lavish meal will be prepared in the evening, lot of meat delicacies will be served…this Eid celebrations will go on for three days. Parties, gatherings, meeting relatives and friends, etc., will go on…As we usually end up with large amounts of meat, we make dry kebab out of them to store for months. My mom freezes minced meat in zip lock bags in the freezer section to use as the days go by. Biryani is one of the most important main course recipe in the menu. A lot more varieties of biryani are served at Eid parties and of which ‘kofta biryani’ is very famous.
Soft and spicy meat balls are deep fried and cooked in rich and creamy yogurt gravy and then added to flavored rice with lots of masala and spices…..a one pot meal in itself. My mom makes a droolicious ‘kofta biryani’ that I bet you will not stop licking your fingers….This time, as I got opportunity to preserve this recipe in my blog and share with you all lovely people. Wish I could get you taste this wonderful and aromatic biryani…..Read out the recipe clearly before going to try this out in your kitchen.
FOR KOFTA BIRYANI/SPICY LAMB MEAT BALLS PILAF:
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For kofta and kofta khorma/curry, check out this detailed post, Mom’s Special – Koftoh ka Khorma. Now coming to Biryani, this biryani is made by layering rice, gravy from kofta’s and kofta’s. So be careful to adjust salt, as you have salt in the kofta, gravy and in rice. The best thing is to check for salt in between.
INGREDIENTS:
FOR RICE:
- ¾ kg. Basmati Rice, wash and soak for ½ hr
- 1½ tbsp. Ginger-Garlic paste
- 5 Cardamom, 5 Cloves and 2 1” inch pieces of Cinnamon
- 1 Badi Elaichi/Black Cardamom, 1 Star Anise and 1 Bay leaf
- Salt
TO SOAK:
- ½ tbsp. Saffron
- 3 tbsp. lukewarm Milk
FOR GARNISH:
- 3 tbsp. minced Coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp. minced Mint leaves
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
- ¾ cup Ghee
- 2 Onions, sliced
- 1 Cardamom, 1 Clove and 1 1’inch piece of Cinnamon
- 4 tbsp. fresh Lemon juice/3 tbsp.Vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Garam Masala
PREPARATION:
- Prepare Kofta and Kofta Khorma. Set aside.
MEAN TIME:
- In a heavy bottom cooking vessel, add ghee along with cardamom, clove and cinnamon. When the spices start to leave aroma, add in finely sliced onions.
- Fry till crisp and nice brown. (Be careful, fry on low flame, stirring frequently). Now carefully using a slotted spatula separate fried onion slices from ghee. Collect ghee in
a cup and set aside.
COOKING RICE:
- Ina heavy bottom cooking vessel (used for cooking rice) add 10-12 cups of water (if more also no problem, as we will drain off the water), salt, ginger-garlic paste, 3 cardamom’s, 3 cloves, 2 sticks of cinnamon, black cardamom, star anise and bay leaf. Bring water to boil. When the water starts to boil add soaked basmati rice and cook till rice is just done.
- Drain and collect the water using a sieve in a cooking vessel. Drain well and set aside.
LAYERING
- Now in a heavy bottom cooking vessel add little ghee (the one which we fried onions) and on this layer half of cooked basmati rice. On this, layer khorma (only gravy not the kofta’s), ghee, garam masala, kesar (soaked in lukewarm milk), deep fried onions, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh minced coriander and mint leaves.
- Cover it up with another layer of basmati rice. If you have more khorma then layer them on rice and so on.
- Now add remaining ghee, kesar, fried onions, garam masala, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh coriander and mint leaves. Arrange the kofta’s on top delicately in a circle leaving little gap in between each kofta. Cook on a low flame by covering with a lid. Keep the strained water on top of the lid or seal with foil.
FINAL STEP:
- Cook for nearly 20-25 minutes on low flame. Turn off the flame and leave the vessel on the stove for another half an hour. Alternatively you can bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes.
SERVING:
- When you are ready to serve, very gently take out the kofta’s in a bowl. Mix in the biryani slowly and gently. Take biryani in a serving plate and top with kofta’s, minced fresh coriander and mint leaves.
- If you want you can add fried cashews on top. Serve hot and serve with love.
If you are looking out for flavoursome and yummy recipes which are mostly made during Eid-ul-Adha or Bakrid or Bakreed then click on this link Eid-ul-Adha Recipes to check out the page loaded with delicious meat recipes….
Sapana Behl says
Lovely presentation !
Finla says
Love love them I am going to try this and also going to check out the other recipe you mantioned from your mom.
Happy to hear you had a good festival time in your mom's place.
madiha shafi says
Eid Mubarak to you too !!!never had a kofta biryani before would love to try as this looks really delicious:)
Rekha Vengalil says
This is awesome . Looks really delicious 🙂
Yes Cook says
Eid Mubarak to you and your family.
Love the recipe. Delicious.
Thanks for sharing.
Yow may want to come join the group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Halal.Food.Recipe.Hub/
Shama Nagarajan says
happy eid dear….tempting biriyani
Priya Suresh says
Eid Mubarak wishes to u and ur family.. Wat a fantastic,flavourful and irresistible kofta briyani, actually am waiting to make them since a long..Dunno when am gonna make them.
easyfoodsmith says
A very tempting post Lubna. And Happy Id-ul-Adah
The Cooking Doctor says
hope its not too late to wish u and fsamily Eid Mubarak! We had lovely time with qurbani too, and bookmarking this to finish up our meat storage!
Meena Kumar says
That is such a beautiful biriyani.Love the koftas sizzling on the gas and so cute is Lil M's baby kofta :))