Ingredients
one unripe papaya; peeled, seeded, and grated
two cloves garlic, minced
one teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
two to three pounds of meat (mutton, beef, goat, or chicken), cut into serving-sized pieces
two cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
juice of two limes
oil for frying
four to six onions, sliced
four to six potatoes, sliced
two or three ripe tomatoes, chopped
small can tomato paste
three or four cups of rice
Spices
one-half teaspoon ground cardamom
four whole cloves (these are “cloves” not “cloves of garlic”)
one small cinnamon stick (or a quarter teaspoon ground cinnamon)
one-half teaspoon cumin seed (or a quarter teaspoon ground cumin)
one-half teaspoon coriander seed (or a quarter teaspoon ground coriander)
one-half teaspoon whole black peppercorns (or a quarter teaspoon ground pepper)
a few pinches of salt
Preparation
Grind together the papaya, garlic, and ginger, mixing them into a paste. Place the mixture into a large pot and add the meat, buttermilk (or yogurt), and lime juice. Cover and begin to cook over a low heat, stirring regularly.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Fry the onions in hot oil. When onions are browned, remove them from the skillet and set aside. Fry the potatoes in the same oil. When browned, remove the potatoes and set them aside. Keep oil in skillet.
Grind together all the spices (or whichever ones you have) and add them to the meat mixture. Stir. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and a few spoonfuls of oil from the skillet. Stir and continue to cook over low heat. Add warm water if sauce becomes to thick.
Cook rice in the usual way. (One part rice to two parts water, with a little of the oil from the skillet.) The meat should be done by the time the rice is cooked. Pre-heat oven to medium heat.
Line the edges of a large baking dish with the fried potatoes (save some of the potatoes for the top). Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a third of the cooked rice. Pour most of the meat mixture over the rice. (Save some of the meat mixture, keep it warm, and serve it with the biriani at the table.) Carefully cover the meat with a second layer of rice. Place the onions (but save a few onions for the top) over the second layer of rice. Cover the onions with the third layer of rice. Place the remaining potatoes and onions on the top. Bake this in a medium oven for twenty to thirty minutes.
Serve Cardamom Tea, or Chai with the meal, or afterwards.
