Omelette Briyani

Omelette Briyani

Oh, my Briyani!” - that’s how my son always say when the word is mentioned with his eyes widen open and dancing happily. So you’re looking for something to fill up your empty stomach. You search high and low, through thick and thin for something aromatic, nice, slightly peppery and covered with a twist of spice. The perfect meal to fit these requirements? Briyani, of course! One scoop of Briyani on your plate is more than enough to set your hearts racing for another.

It is not surprising people crave for biryani rice, with the distinct flavor even for the non-Indians. The process of cooking in dum style enable the aroma and flavor imbue into the rice grains, which make every bite blissful. 

Known fact is that briyani is a wholesome rice-based dish prepared with spices, rice (eg basmati) and meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. The popularity of this exotic dish is attributed to its aromatic flavors and distinctively rich taste.

At times I use to wonder why many people love Briyani so much. Perhaps the spices that create the harmonic aroma and flavours in a biryani like cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, garlic, onion makes us to crave for a plate 🧐🧐🧐Hmmm maybe but . Frankly, it’s easy to see why: basmati rice is infused with assorted herbs and spices. And then, the rice is cooked together with meat, seafood or vegetables for hours until the overall dish is flavorful enough. Served with curry and side dishes, this dish is all ready to be served. With all the rich ingredients tossed together with the this rice, no wonder it was known as one of the dishes worth drooling for.

Anyways since the spring break was about to end I decided to prepare Briyani with omelette gravy to make my son feel enthusiastic before the school starts. Another version of mouth watering plate of Omelette Briyani from Saras’s Kitchen to yours!!!

Ingredients

For the rice:

3 Basmati Rice

2-4 tbsp ghee

1 tsp Shahi Jeera

2 Black Cardamom

2-3 Green Cardamom

2 flowers Javitri

3-4 Cloves

1 -3 Star asin 

2 Bay Leaf

2 inch Cinnamon

2 tsp Salt

Preparation Methods:

For the rice:

Wash the rice and soak in water for 40-45 minutes. Heat water in a large pot-  add black cardamom, green cardamom, javitri, cloves, cumin seeds, black peppercorn, cinnamon bay leaf  shahi jeera  and salt in the pot and bring the water to a boil. Drain the rice and add it in the boiling water. Cook and keep aside.

For the omelette:

3 eggs

1 small onion finely chopped

1 small tomato finely chopped (optional)

1 green chilli finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped

½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder (or cayenne pepper)

½ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil or butter

1 tsp lemon juice

Add the chopped onions, green chillies, coriander, chilli and turmeric powder to a bowl. Break in the eggs and whisk lightly. Season to taste. Heat the oil in a large non stick frying pan.  Pour in one-third of the egg mix in the pan. Give it a quick swirl making sure to distribute it evenly across the pan. Cook the underside for a minute on medium heat till it sets, is light brown and slightly crisp around the edges. Flip the omelette over and cook for a further minute on medium heat. Set aside & keep warm. Repeat and fry two more masala omelettes. Transfer the omelette to the chopping board and cube them evenly. Keep aside.

For the plain gravy:

2 large onions (cut into quarters)

2 medium tomatoes (cut into quarters)

3Tbsp vegetable (or canola or sunflower oil)

2 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

2tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Grind the onion and tomato together in a food processor until you get a smooth paste. Add water if it is too thick and not processing well, but try not to add too much water while grinding. Heat the cooking oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the paste you just prepared. Fry for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and fry for 2 more minutes. Add the powdered spices and fry until the oil begins to separate from the masala. Finally add the cubed omelettes and mix well.

Another ingredient:

1/2 cup Milk

10-12 strands Saffron Soaked in 2 tbsp milk

1/2 cup Golden Fried Onion

2 tbsp Ghee

2 tbsp rose water

chopped coriander and mint leaves

Assemble the Briyani:

Place the omelette gravy in a heavy bottom pot. Spread half of the rice on it. Spread half of the remaining fried onions, coriander and mint leafs on the rice. Layer the remaining rice on the fried onion, coriander, and mint leaves. Add some the ghee. Close the lid and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Place a saucepan under the pot and cook the rice over very low heat for another 30 minutes. Garnish with more coriander, mint leaves, fried onions