Brilliant Biryani for the Bahrain GP

Ingredients

• 300g basmati rice
• 25g butter
• 1 large white onion
• 1 small red onion
• 1 finely sliced pepper
• 1 finely chopped spring onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 chicken breasts cut into large chunks
• 4 tbsp of curry paste
• 85g raisins
• 850ml chicken stock
• 30g coriander
• Other herbs and spices as you like, or as you see fit. I used saffron in mine. See the video for more.

Instructions

1. Soak the rice in warm water and then wash in cold until the water runs clear.
2. Melt the butter into a large pan and cook the vegetables in there, once softened, add the bay leaf, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.
3. Add the chicken in and then sprinkle with the turmeric, and stir in the curry paste. At this point add any other spices you've elected to use.
4. Stir in the rice and the chicken stock.
5. Put a tight-fitting lid on and raise the heat to start to cook the rice. Once at a hard boil, lower the heat to a minimum and cook for five minutes.
6. After those five mins, turn off the heat and leave for ten minutes. Stir the dish well mixing in the raisins. Now you can add in a twist of chopped coriander, or toasted almonds if that's your bag.

Recipe Notes

I put a bit of garlic into mine, along with dried crushed chillies and some mustard seeds to add a bit of heat. Saffron adds a nice premium twist to the dish. Be careful to not overcook the rice otherwise it's a big soft mess. The dish in the video was a little soft.

Recipe by

I did.