Rice and Meat Dish (Biryani-style)

Ingredients

• 1400 g (approximately 1½ seers) Tender meat (Cut into large pieces suitable for slow-cooking; lamb or goat are historically appropriate choices)
• 900 g (approximately 1 seer) Rice (Long-grain rice such as basmati works well)
• 450 g (approximately ½ seer) Ghee (Use about 340 g (1½ powa) for the frying stage; reserve the remainder for later use as described in the original)
• 225 g (approximately 1 powa) Curd (plain yoghurt) (Full-fat plain yoghurt is the closest modern equivalent)
• 30 ml (approximately ½ chhatak) Lemon juice (Freshly squeezed)
• 115 g (approximately ½ powa) Fresh ginger (Peeled and ground to a paste)
• 60 g (approximately 1 chhatak) Raisins (Standard seedless raisins)
• 30 g (approximately ½ chhatak) Pistachios (Soaked in water for 30 minutes, then peeled and cut into pieces)
• 115 g (approximately ½ powa) Almonds (Soaked in water for 30 minutes, then peeled and cut into pieces)
• 24 g (approximately 2 tolas) Black pepper (Ground to a fine powder after the meat is boiled)
• 6 g (approximately ½ tola) Cumin seeds (Ground to a fine powder after the meat is boiled)
• 16 leaves Cassia leaves (tejpatta / Indian bay leaves) (These are Indian bay leaves, not Mediterranean bay leaves; do not substitute)
• 4 whole (a few, if desired) Dried red chillies (Optional; break each in two before adding to the pan)
• 60 g (approximately 1 chhatak) Salt (Half (30 g) is added to the boiling water with the meat; the remainder is used later in the recipe)
• 225 g (approximately 1 powa) Onions (Peeled and cut into pieces)
• 4 cloves (a few pieces, if desired) Garlic (Optional; bundled with the ginger and coriander seeds in the spice cloth)
• 11 pods (10 to 12 in number) Cardamom pods (Seeds extracted from the pods; discard the husks)
• 12 g (approximately 1 tola) Coriander seeds (Bundled with the ginger paste in the spice cloth)

Instructions

1. 1Place the almonds (115 g) and pistachios (30 g) in a bowl and cover completely with cold water. Leave them to soak for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain the water and peel the skins off the almonds by pinching them between your fingers — the skins should slip off easily. Peel the pistachios in the same way if the skins are loose. Cut both the almonds and pistachios into smaller pieces and set aside.
2. 2While the nuts are soaking, peel the onions (225 g) and cut them into medium-sized pieces. Set aside.
3. 3Peel the fresh ginger (115 g) and grate or grind it to a smooth paste. Lay a clean piece of muslin cloth (or a clean cotton cloth) flat on a surface. Place the ginger paste and coriander seeds (12 g) in the centre of the cloth. If using garlic, add the garlic cloves now as well. Gather the edges of the cloth together and tie it tightly into a bundle using kitchen string, so the spices are sealed inside. This bundle will flavour the cooking liquid and can be easily removed later.
4. 4Place the meat pieces (1400 g) into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the spice bundle from step 3 and half the salt (30 g). Pour in approximately 4.25 litres of water (approximately 4½ seers), which should cover the meat generously. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce until it is roughly halved — this will take approximately 45 to 60 minutes depending on your stove and the size of your pot. Check occasionally and skim any foam from the surface. The meat should be tender and cooked through when done.
5. 5Using a slotted spoon or tongs, carefully lift the cooked meat pieces out of the broth and transfer them to a large plate or bowl. Remove and discard the spice bundle. Reserve the remaining broth in the pot — do not discard it. While the pepper (24 g) and cumin seeds (6 g) are listed as whole at the start, they should now be ground to a fine powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle if you have not already done so. Sprinkle the powdered black pepper and powdered cumin seeds over the boiled meat and toss gently to coat all the pieces. Set aside.
6. 6Measure out approximately 340 g (1½ powa) of ghee and place it in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan or pot over medium heat. Once the ghee has melted and is warm, add the 16 cassia leaves (tejpatta) and the seeds extracted from the 10 to 12 cardamom pods — discard the cardamom husks. Stir briefly so the whole spices are coated in the ghee. Heat for approximately 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the spices are fragrant. Keep the heat at medium so the ghee does not smoke or burn.
7. 7If you wish to add heat to the dish, take a few dried red chillies (approximately 4) and break each one in two with your fingers. Add them to the pan with the ghee and whole spices. Stir briefly to combine. If you prefer a milder dish, skip this step entirely.
8. 8After the ghee and spices have heated for 4 to 5 minutes, add the onion pieces (225 g), along with the soaked, peeled and chopped almonds and pistachios from step 1. Stir everything together so the onions and nuts are coated in the spiced ghee. Fry over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the onions are half fried — meaning they have softened and turned translucent but have not yet browned fully. This should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Do not walk away from the pan as the nuts can catch and burn quickly.
9. 9The original source text ends abruptly at the point where the onions are half fried and the next ingredient is about to be added. The ingredients listed in the recipe that have not yet been used at this point are: rice (900 g), curd (225 g), lemon juice (30 ml), raisins (60 g), and the remaining half of the salt (30 g). These were clearly intended to be incorporated in the remaining steps of the method, but as the original text is incomplete, no further instructions have been added. Do not proceed beyond this point based on assumption — the recipe as documented is incomplete.