About 125 years ago, trying to escape from severe famine conditions in India, many peasant and almost illiterate families tried to escape to non British colonies in Africa, such as German Tanganyika and Portuguese Mozambique beginning as little shop owners, small farmers and manual labourers. In the course of time a new culinary tradition was born out of the mix of Indian and African recipes. With education their 3rd generation became Sociologists, Economists, Doctors, Lawyers etc. The independent Africa, the Black Nationalism and the Nationalisations made many of these people emigrate again to the West.
Laila Khan is one of this tribe!
Firoz Manji
Lamb Biryani
For 5-6 persons
Ingredients
– 1 kg plus leg of lamb, cut into 3-4 cm pieces (some boneless, some with bones)
– 4 d! of full fat yogurt (Greek)
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp garlic paste
– 1 tsp ginger paste
– 4-5 medium sized potatoes, cut into large chunks
– 3 large onions, sliced lengthwise (or ready fried onions, 200gr)
– 1 tin chopped tomatoes
– 1tbs tomato pure
– Cooking oil
– Saffron, 3 pinches
– 4-5 dl Basmati rice, washed and soaked for minimum 1 hour
– Whole spices
– 7-8 sticks of cinnamon
– 7-8 whole cardamom – 12 whole doves – 12 whole peppercorns – Powder spices – 1 tsp chilli powder – 1 tsp garamasala (see below for method)
Garamasala powder – will make 2 tsp – 4 sticks of cinnamon – 6 black peppercorns – 6 whole doves
Grind all ingredients, preferably in a spice- or coffee-grinder
Method
1. Marinate the lamb overnight (minimum 5 hours) in yogurt, garlic, ginger and 1 tsp salt
2. Fry potatoes in oil until golden
3. Preferably use ready fried onions (if not, slice the raw onions lengthwise and fry until golden and crispy
4. In a large pot heat 3 tbs of oil
5. Add half the amount of the whole spices.
6. when the spices begin to splutter, add tomatoes and tomato pure
7. cook for about 5 minutes, until the oil separates
8. add the marinated meat let it come to a boil, lower the temperature, stir once in a
while. Cook for 45 minutes
9. Meanwhile, heat oven to 150 C
10. switch off the cooker add potatoes, fried onions and the powered garamasala
11. put the saffron in half a cup of boiling water, let if soak
12. cook the rice in plenty of boiling water, when comes to a boil, boil for 7 minutes. Drain the rice
13. Put the rice over the meat
14. Sprinkle the saffron-water mixture, mix it into the rice (with a fork)
15. In a small saucepan put 3 tbs of oil when hot add the second half of the whole spices. When they begin to sizzle, pour the oil and spices on top of the rice
16. If you dare to make smoky biryani, add the burning coal (on foil) before the oil and spice mixture
17 in oven for 45 min on 150 C. If you want to keep it longer reduce the heat to 75 C
Laila Khan
March 2018
Fotos e video de Minnie Freudenthal, Manuel Rosário e Monica Chan
