Goat Biryani with Raita made by a Trini

 Serves 3 -  4 persons

Marinade for 1½ lb Cubed Goat Meat:

• 5 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
• 3 green chillies chopped (more or less to your taste)
• 1 handful of fresh coriander or about 10 blades of shadow beni
• Salt to taste 
• ½ Cup dahee/plain yoghurt 
• 1 tbsp biryani mix; dried red chillies, peppercorns, cumin, cardamom, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, fennel, aniseed, bay leaves (Check your supermarket if there are any pre-made mixes - Chief Brand Products Biryani Mix is an option)

Mix well and marinate for at least a couple hours, overnight is even better

Rice:

• Wash 1 Cup uncooked basmati rice and soak in water for at least 2 hours.
• Bring 2 Cups of water to a boil and add 1 stick of cinnamon, 3 whole cloves, 3 whole cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf, ½ tbsp ghee, 1 tsp salt and then add the soaked rice.
• Cover with lid and steam/cook for 7 minutes on low heat (do not remove the lid during the cooking process and for 15 - 20 mins after removing from the heat)

Fluff rice with fork, remove the whole spices and set aside 

Raita: 

• 1 Cup plain yoghurt
• 1 medium red onion chopped
• ½ Cup cucumber peeled, deseeded, grated and lightly squeezed to remove excess juice
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 green chillies deseeded and chopped
• chopped fresh coriander or shadow beni
• mint leaves
• ½ tsp roasted cumin/geera

Mix together, adjust salt if necessary and chill before serving

For the Biryani:

2 tbsp ghee

1 stick cinnamon

3 pods cardamom 

3 cloves

2 green chillies chopped

1 medium red onion chopped

½ tbsp grated ginger root

½ tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp ground turmeric 

1 medium tomato chopped

2 bay leaves

Bring it all together:

1. Heat a medium to large pan over high heat and add the ghee (I used a clay pot, however, any heavy pan/pot with a secure lid will suffice)
2. Sauté all of the above biryani ingredients in the same order that they have been listed and cook for a few minutes
   
   
3. Add marinated goat, mix well 
4. Cover with lid and simmer under low heat for 10 minutes until meat has been browned, stir lightly to ensure the food is not sticking to the bottom of the pot (add about ½ cup of water if necessary, however, the meat should have released sufficient moisture)
5. Layer semi-cooked basmati rice over the cooking goat meat (do not stir or mix)
6. I used a simple flour and water mixture to create a dough and lined the top edge of my pot to seal in and further enhance the flavour development - this step is optional
7. Cover and continue cooking on low heat for about 20 minutes
8. Remove from heat add 1 tbsp melted ghee and allow to cool for at least 10 more minutes before mixing the biryani
9. Top with freshly chopped coriander/cilantro/shadow beni and mint leaves 

View Video: Goat Biryani on TikTok