Biryani, Pakistani

With my take on international dishes, I love to center my posts around special events that are celebrated in my family. This time around it was for Father’s Day, and I decided to make one of my dad’s favorite dinners: Biryani. 

My dad, mom, sister, and I lived in Pakistan for five years, and biryani was a dish that frequently made an appearance at our dinner table. Because of this, I’ve always thought of biryani as a Pakistani dish, and so I thought why not do a Pakistani-themed meal for Father’s Day dinner!

My earliest memories are from Pakistan since we moved there when I was one! Naturally, Pakistani food also developed my taste for spicier foods. Although Pakistan is a fairly new nation — it was born in 1947 when the British, as they were leaving the South Asian subcontinent, partitioned it into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan — its food culture is steeped in the culinary traditions of South Asia.

Pakistan was where my love for all these dishes bloomed, and I jumped at the chance to taste them again. So I made some authentic South Asian dishes that my family and I enjoyed when we lived there — biryani, raita, kachumber, and gajar ka halwa. These dishes have regional  roots, and are popular in both India and Pakistan.

KACHUMBER

Origin

Kachumber, a simple tomato, cucumber and onion salad, is often served as a side for bigger meals, or as a snack/appetizer while dinner is being prepared. It can even be used as a dip with chips or crackers. The salad is popular because of the quick preparation time and easy-to-find ingredients. It is comparable to Mexican pico de gallo, due to their similar ingredients and presentation. Kachumber, however, has an Indian origin.

Although it's local to South Asian countries, kachumber has traveled around the world and has found a second home in Africa. It is especially popular in the African Great Lakes region, which includes the countries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.), Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. In this region, the dish is served as a summer salad during hot weather, or with various rice-based dishes. There is even a Swahili word for the appetizer, kachumbari,  which originates from the Sanskrit kachumber or koshumbri.

Process

Kachumber is a simple salad to assemble. All you really need is cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. I diced the vegetables into small cubes and mixed them together. Then I squeezed some lemon juice over it along with a pinch of salt and pepper just before serving. And simple as that, the 5-minute salad was ready to eat.

Taste

The salad tasted just as expected. Although it was more of a plain-tasting dish compared to everything else on the table, it was refreshing, especially with the 90-degree heat we’ve been experiencing this month. Sometimes, we make kachumber as a salsa-like dip, and although I didn’t include it this time around, it’s also delicious with the addition of chickpeas. Either way, it was a good salad and a great side dish with Biryani.

BIRYANI

Origin

The word “biryani” is believed to be derived from the Persian words: birian (meaning “fried before cooking”) and birinj (meaning “rice”); Biryani is theorized to have a Persian birthplace, largely due to the origin of it’s name. The Mughals are thought to have brought the dish to India, which started their evolution in the Mughal royal kitchens. From India, the dish spread to neighboring Asian countries.

There are a few different versions of the dish, but it is fairly consistent with a few key ingredients: rice, meat, and plenty of spices. It is often cooked for festive occasions or for a table full of people because it’s so hearty.

Process

The biryani was on the more complicated side to make. I followed a fantastic recipe since I had no prior experience making the dish, but I chose to leave out a few things from the original recipe. Usually, chili peppers and dried plums are in the mix as well, but chili peppers would have made the biryani way too spicy and I personally don’t like the taste and  texture the plums bring.

First off, I prepared the chicken. I cut it up into pieces and let it marinate in spices for an hour in order to pack in lots of flavor. Meanwhile, I boiled the rice separately. There are a few different ways to incorporate the rice into biryani. Many choose to only partially cook the rice, add it to the chicken two-thirds of the way, and cook them together so they can blend. I chose to instead make the meat and the rice separately, only layering them towards the end.

Once the chicken was marinated, I cooked it in medium heat in a deep pan, stirring it occasionally, until the chicken was tender. We don’t have a clay Handi (Biryani pot), so I made do with our Romertopf clay baker. The clay Romertopf  has two parts  and essentially molds the top of the biryani into a beautiful dome-shape, allowing for a beautiful presentation. I started by putting an inch of thick chicken gravy at the bottom of the Romertopf, then added a layer of rice on top. The chicken pieces were then layered on top of the rice, and the cycle repeated.

I added the remaining rice in a fourth layer, drizzled the remaining gravy over rice, and added saffron, mint leaves, and lemon slices on top for presentation.

Taste

After years of not having biryani, I can safely say that a new taste of the dish had me falling back in love with biryani all over again!

Not only was it delicious, but I found a new love within the cooking process. Cooking meat with the right spices and flavors is very hard to do, so learning how to start seasoning and marinating chicken well was a huge step in my cooking journey. The seasoning ended up spreading throughout the rice as well, creating impeccable and consistent flavor. It was very hot -- temperature and spice wise -- but it wasn’t overdone or overpowering. I could taste the sour lemon in the rice and the delicious chicken. Not to mention, I also made raita to combat the heat...

RAITA

Origin

Raita, is another yogurt dish, that’s thought to have originated in India. Yogurt is a common side in South Asian cooking, typically served alongside spicier foods as a cooling agent. Often cucumber, pomegranate, mint, cilantro, and other ingredients known for their cooling properties are mixed in for this reason. Pomegranate and cucumbers are native to the South Asian region, which explains their prominence in the traditional dish. Raita goes hand in hand with Biryani and helps balance out the often overwhelmingly spicy taste.

Process

Raita is a plain dish, because it’s made to go with the biryani. It’s intentionally made to taste plain to bring out the flavors of the more sophisticated biryani.

I started off by mixing the yogurt with some cumin powder, black pepper and salt . Once these were well combined, I added pomegranate seeds and mint leaves to complete the dish. These were refrigerated in order to keep  chilled, and served with the biryani.

Taste

The raita worked exceptionally well alongside the biryani! If there was anything I would’ve changed, I should’ve made more because we quickly ran out due to all the spices in the biryani.

At first, I was hesitant about making  raita because I already had three other dishes planned, but I’m glad I did. It complemented the flavor of the biryani and allowed us to eat as much of the spicy chicken and rice dish as we wanted. The pomegranate seeds added bursts of much-needed sweetness, and the cool temperature and ingredients made each spoon a delight and a relief. Raita isn’t super exciting when served alone, but with biryani, it is a must-have.

GAJAR KA HALWA

Origin

Gajar ka halwa (which is also known as gajrela or gajar halwa) is a popular South Asian dessert. “Gajar ka halwa” roughly translates to pudding of carrot, coming from the Arabic word “halwa” which means sweet and “gajar” which in Hindi means carrot.

The dessert dates back to the Mughal time period in India, but is speculated to have originated in Punjab long before then. Not to mention halva is believed by historians to have roots millennia before, in 3000 B.C.E.! Halva is a thick, sweet treat that is usually made from nuts and sugar, a category that gajar ka halwa falls under.

The name is derived from the Arabic word halwa, but the dish is known by many other names, such as halava, halva, hilwa, halawa, helva, or halawi. Gajar ka halwa, however, varies from the typical modern-day Middle Eastern halva. While the  Arab halva is dense, made from nuts and nut butters, and often looks like a block of cheese due its shape, Gajar ka halwa has the consistency of pudding and is made out of mostly ghee and carrots.

Process

Although this South Asian dessert is traditionally made from a few simple ingredients (carrots, ghee, sugar and an assortment of mixed nuts for a topping) I decided to try cooking the classic pudding with a twist. Coconut!

To backtrack, this all started because the recipe I was using called for mawa. Mawa is dried/thickened milk created by heating milk over a stove until it reaches a thick, curd-like state. Mawa can also be substituted with ricotta cheese due to it’s similar consistency. Although the older versions of gajar ka halwa are made from simple ingredients, the more modern versions also incorporate dairy products such as milk, cream, or mawa.

I didn’t have cream or mawa around the house, so I decided I needed to find a suitable substitute, since the consistency it created was essential to the pudding. Suddenly my mom thought of a genius idea — using coconut milk from our pantry instead!

When stored in cooler temperatures, canned coconut milk tends to separate, leaving the solidified coconut fat at the top of the can, and watery milk at the bottom. Since we were already using a coconut based substitute I decided to deliberately make coconut a key ingredient in the dish! I didn’t want it to overpower the carrot since that’s the main ingredient in gajar ka halwa, but along with the grated carrots, I added shredded coconut to the mix, and to step it up a notch, I used coconut oil, with the ghee that the recipe called for.

My first step in this long process was to grate the carrots. I did so, and measured out ⅔ of the amount that the recipe called for (the other ⅓ would be replaced with coconut flakes later on).

I  added the ghee and coconut oil to a non-stick pan and sauteed the grated carrots. From then on I continued a pattern of adding a new ingredient, mixing it in fully, and then cooking  it for a few minutes over medium-low heat.

I did have a minor problem, I added too much almond milk when it wasn’t needed which made the halva too liquid, so I had to pour out some milk from the pan, but other than that, it all went smoothly, even with my twist! Once all the ingredients had been added in to form the pudding, I removed it from heat and mixed in the coconut flakes. Next, I spooned the pudding into bowls and sprinkled some coconut flakes and dry-roasted diced almonds on top. And finally, it was ready to eat!

Taste

After a big meal of biryani, we were all so full, but we had of course saved some room for dessert, and finished the meal off with my gajar ka halwa. It was a big success all around! The bright orange color was stunning and it tasted delicious! I don’t have any memories of previously trying the halwa, so my first try caught me off guard a little. I know that carrots are fairly common in Pakistani cooking, but I didn’t realize how much the carrot taste would come through. The coconut element to the dessert certainly didn’t overpower the carrot but added a rich coconut undertone combined with a nutty flavor. If I made it again I would definitely include the coconut another time.

This was my first time trying to cook the halva, and it turned out fantastic! I was sure I would’ve burnt it or messed up the consistency, especially with the addition of the coconut oil and flakes, and almond milk that I’d never seen done before. It taught me a valuable lesson to not shy away from experimentation, because it can add something new to a dish that further improves its flavor!

Maybe I’m not such an amateur cook after all…