Layered Egg Biryani with Saffron and Fried Onions

What you need

• 300 g (1 1/2 cups) basmati rice
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 4 tbsp ghee, or oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 5 cm (2 in)
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 120 g (1/2 cup) plain yogurt, whisked
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp red chilli powder, Kashmiri if you have it
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 20 g (1 cup) fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 20 g (1 cup) fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 3 tbsp warm milk
• salt, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs clear, then soak in cold water for 30 min. Drain.

2. 2

   Crumble the saffron into the warm milk and set aside.

3. 3

   Heat 3 tbsp of the ghee in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Fry the onions, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 12-15 min. Lift out half and spread on a plate for layering.

4. 4

   Make 2 shallow cuts in each egg. Add the turmeric, 1/2 tsp of the red chilli powder and a pinch of salt to the pot and fry the eggs for 2 min, turning, until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.

5. 5

   In the same pot, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and chillies and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

6. 6

   Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft and pulpy, 6-8 min.

7. 7

   Lower the heat, add the yogurt with the remaining red chilli powder, ground coriander, 1 tsp of the garam masala and salt. Cook, stirring, until the fat separates from the masala, 5-6 min.

8. 8

   Return the eggs to the pot, turn them in the masala and spread it out in an even layer. Take the pot off the heat.

9. 9

   Boil a large pot of well-salted water. Add the rice and cook for 5-6 min, until about 70% done, with a firm center. Drain well.

10. 10

    Spoon the rice over the masala and eggs. Scatter over the reserved fried onions, the mint, coriander and remaining garam masala, then drizzle with the saffron milk and the remaining 1 tbsp ghee.

11. 11

    Cover the pot with foil and a tight lid. Cook over the lowest heat until the rice is tender and fluffy, 20 min, then switch off the heat and rest for 10 min without opening.

12. 12

    Gently fold the layers together from the edge, taking care not to break the eggs, and serve hot.

Imported from tarladalal.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.