Beef Biryani
This is a dream of a recipe, not only because it is an easy to prepare one pot wonder, but you can tailor it to suit yourself, like using chicken, pork or prawns instead of beef. This will definitely be a hit with the grown-ups and it should be mild enough to suit the rest of the family too, but you could use a milder korma paste if preferred. I think you are going to love the mix of textures and variety of flavours in this biryani.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sunflower oil
750g diced beef steak
2 garlic cloves
2cm piece fresh ginger
2 tbsp biryani or balti curry paste (Pataks is a good brand)
350g basmati rice
400ml can coconut milk
50g raisins
150g baby spinach
1 bunch of spring onions
Small handful coriander leaves
25g toasted flaked almonds, optional
Heat the oil in a medium pan over a high heat and brown the meat all over for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.
Meanwhile, crush the garlic and finely grate the ginger. Add them along with the curry paste and cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, tip the rice into a sieve and rinse it really well under cold water. Add to the pan with the coconut milk, 100ml (4 fl oz) of water, raisins and salt and pepper.
Cover with a tight fitting lid, bring to the boil and then turn it down to a very gentle simmer and leave to cook away for about 10-12 minutes until the rice is tender. Don’t be tempted to stir the rice in that time.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the spinach and slice the spring onions. Once the rice is tender, add these with half the coriander, heating everything through for a minute or two until the spinach is wilted.
Then serve with a scattering of the remaining coriander and the almonds over the top if liked.
