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Fish Biryani

Rosie Nanji, for the UK Youth Cultural & Social Network

Love your biryani but believe it’s out of bounds? Then try this salmon biryani that is lower in saturated fat but scores high in flavour!

Fat

Saturated Fat

Sugar

Salt

 

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 large onions, sliced lengthways
oil, for deep frying
2 medium potatoes, peeled
500 g basmati rice
500 g low fat natural yoghurt (1%)
200 g tinned tomatoes, liquidised
2 L water, cold (approx 8 cups)
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
¼ tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp saffron
1 kg salmon fillets, cut into 6 pieces
¼ tsp red colour
1 lime, juice only
1 tsp garam masala, ground
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tbsp fresh coriander, to garnish

Source

This recipe had been sourced from A private contributor

Healthy Hints

Biryani is a dish that is generally saved for special occasions, and this one uses healthy oily fish. However it is high in fat, mostly because the onions and potatoes are deep fried. You could try using lightly stir-fried onions and boiled potatoes to keep the fat content down. Accompany with a large serving of fresh salad and low-fat natural yoghurt.

Cooking Guide

1. Deep fry onions in frying oil until they are dark brown, drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
2. Cut potatoes into 8 pieces and deep fry until they are cooked and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
3. In a large bowl soak the rice in cold water for 10 minutes.
4. In a large saucepan put 1 cup of water and add the yoghurt, tomatoes, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, 1 teaspoon salt and about half the saffron. Bring to the boil over a high heat without covering the pan.
5. Add the fish and cook for approximately 10 minutes, until the fish is tender and the liquid reduced by half. Turn the fish once half way through cooking so it is evenly cooked.  Make sure the fish does not stick to the pan.
6. In a large pan boil 1½ litres of water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and the rice. Cook until just done, for no more than 5 to 7 minutes. Do not over cook the rice. Drain and keep aside.
7. In a cup, mix the remaining saffron, colour and ½ cup of water.
8. Add a third of this saffron mixture to the saucepan with the fish in it. Then add lime juice, fried potatoes and garam masala. Mix carefully making sure that the fish does not break. Cover with the fried onions.
9. Add the rice to the saucepan and sprinkle the remaining saffron mixture onto the rice.
10. Separately, mix plain flour and 3 tablespoons of water in a bowl to form a stiff dough.
11. In a small pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil until it is just beginning to smoke. Pour it over the rice.
12. Cover the rim of the pan with the stiff dough and place the lid on top. Press down to seal the pan; this will allow the biryani to cook in its own juices without any of the flavours escaping.
13. Cook in a preheated oven, gas mark 4 or 180⁰C for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander.