Cape Malay Fish Biryani Recipes

CAPE MALAY FISH BIRYANI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and garlic until the onion is tender and all the flavours have blended. Add the fennel seeds, cumin, coriander, garam masala and a little water. Simmer until an aromatic paste has formed.
• Season the fish with salt with the 1 tsp garam masala and add to the paste, along with the potatoes. Fry until the mixture is a nice yellow colour. Cover and braise until cooked. The potatoes Should be tender but still whole (about 15-20 minutes). Add extra water if necessary.
• Put the lentils in plenty of boiling, salted water and cook 5 minutes. Add rice and turmeric to water and continue boiling until done (about more 20 minutes). Drain and set aside.
• Arrange layers of the fish mixture and rice in a saucepan. Add a little water, cover, and steam for about half an hour. Garnish with quartered hard-boiled eggs.
• Variation: Layer the biryani in an ovenproof dish, cover, and bake for half an hour at 180°C (350°F) until heated through.

CAPE MALAY PICKLED FISH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish with salt and place in the skillet. Fry on both sides until fish is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
• Fry the onions and garlic in the same skillet over medium heat until translucent. Add the peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves, and red chile pepper. Pour in the vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Season with curry powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander. Taste and adjust the sweetness if desired.
• Layer pieces of fish and the pickling mixture in a serving dish. Pour the liquid over until the top layer is covered. Allow to cool then cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.

CAPE BIRYANI/BREYANI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 deg F/160 deg Celsius.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Mix together the buttermilk, cilantro, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, masala and hot pepper. Pour over chicken pieces and marinate 3 hours or overnight.
• Parboil rice in 2 cups water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
• Simmer lentils in 2 cups water water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
• Heat a fair amount of oil in a saucepan, and fry onion and potatoes until softened. Add the cinnamon, ground coriander, cardamom seeds, cumin and saffron (or sub with a good pinch turmeric) and cook, stirring, for a minute. Set aside.
• Layer half the rice, followed by half each of of the lentils, and the spiced potatoes and onion in an ovenproof dish. Top with the chicken.
• Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients, top with saffron/turmeric water, and cover it all with tinfoil and a tight-fitting lid.
• Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until chicken and rice are cooked through.
• Garnish with quarters of hardboiled eggs and sprinkle with cilantro/coriander leaves.