Zanzibar Birian (Biriani)

Zanzibar Birian (Biriani)

Various Biriani rice dishes are common in the cuisine of India and neighbouring countries. Swahili cuisine has Biriani showing influences from both Arabia and India. But the original Zanzibar Biriani is much more Turkish taste rather than Asian. It is the Shirazis - hassan bin Ali and his seven sons who introduced Biriani in Zanzibar approximately year 750 A.D.

The origin of Biriani is not very clear, but according to the gastronomical Medieval History, the first people to cook Biriani were Gypsies from Spain who got the idea from Moors. The Moors from Turkey Iran and Muslims from North Africa invaded Iberian peninsula early in the eighth century and surged deep into France but turned back by Charles Martel at the battle of Tours in 732, the Muslims retreated across the Pyrenees, firmly entrenching themselves in what is now Spain.

The Moors introduced rice in this Islamic Spain which was among the most civilised places on the planet-renowned for its scientists, philosophers, artists, architects, poets, musicians and culinarists.

Still there are the milestones of this civilisation in Alhambra, Almeria and Andalusia. The Gypsies who converted into islam after their marriages with Muslims cooked their rice dishes with dried saffron flowers. In Valencia where it was populated with Gypsies, the dish was named 'Paella a la Valencia'.

The method of cooking 'Paella' is similar to Biriani, but instead of using a dish they use a pan which is called 'Paella'. The dish is popular from Alhambra to the French beach resort city of Nice.

Ingredients

• 10 ms dried Turkish saffron flowers
• 4 cloves garlic ( minced )
• 1 tea spoon minced fresh ginger
• 11/2 kg. Meat ( mutton, beef, goat, or chicken) cut into serving sized pieces
• 2 cups sour milk or plain yogurt
• 2 dl. Fresh lime juice
• 3 dl. Red vinagre
• 50 gms. Peeled almonds
• 4 hard cooked eggs
• 5 - 4 spoons ghee
• 1 kg. Fine sliced red onions
• 1 kg. Potatoes cut in big cubes
• Spices
  • ½ teaspoon cardamon grains
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 5 pcs. Cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tea spoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tea spoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• salt
• 3 spoons pilau masala mix
• 4 ripe peeled tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 5 cups of rice

Method

• Heat oil in a large skillet. Deep fry the onions in hot oil until they are golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Deep fry the potatoes, in the same oil until golden brown. Remove the potatoes and set them aside. Do not throw the oil from the skillet, keep the oil, you will need it.
• Add the rice and salt.
• Boil the meat apart. Strain and keep aside.
• Saute all the spices using the oil from the skillet. Place the mixture in a large pot, add yogurt or buttermilk and lime juice, cover and let it to cook over low heat, stirring regularly. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and few spoonful of oil from the skillet. Stir and continue to cook over low heat. Add buljong from the cooked meat if sauce becomes too thick. Prepare to taste by checking salt, add meat, potatoes and red vinagre. Simmer the dish until the potatoes and the meat is cooked. Finnish the sauce by adding the dried saffron flowers.
• Cook rice in the usual way. ( one part rice to two parts water ) with a little bit of oil from the skillet. The meat should be done by the time the rice is cooked. Pre-heat oven to medium heat.
• Cover the Biriani sauce with the cooked rice. Mix 1 dl. Cold water with the remaining dried saffron , and pour it on the rice. Put some dried raisins , peeled almonds and insert cooked eggs in Biriani. Cover it and bake it a little bit in the oven, about twenty minutes before you serve it.
• Serve your Biriani hot with traditional Zanzibar Kachumbari.

Bon Apetite.

Benn Haidari