Saffron Studies: Beef Biriyani + Kesar Lassi #SpicesoftheSouk

Today, my Spices of the Souk students and I focused on saffron. You know: the most expensive spice in the world.

Saffron

Saffron is derived from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus (crocus sativus). The stigmas are red, but when soaked in water they render a vivid, golden hue. Beautiful!

A couple of years ago, when D and I were watching an episode from the second season of Mind of a Chef, we watched Chef April Bloomfield make lamb biriyani with Chef Stevie Parle. We loved the presentation with the naan on top of the pots. We've been making it that way every since.

Beef Biriyani

Quick Note: This recipe can NOT be done in a 75 minute class period. So, I did the beef the night before class. In class, we assembled the pots, baked, and enjoyed. This is well worth the efforts, I promise! Also, one of my cooking kiddos is dairy sensitive, so I substituted coconut milk yogurt for regular yogurt.

Ingredients

Spice Blend

• 1 t cloves
• 1 T black cumin
• 1 T coriander seeds
• 3 t peppercorns (we used a mix of white, black, pink, and green peppercorns)
• 1 t fennel seeds
• 6 white cardamom, seeds removed and pods discarded
• ¼ t ground turmeric
• 1 t paprika
• 1/2 t red chili pepper flakes
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 2" cinnamon stick

Curry

• 7 garlic cloves
• 1/2 t salt
• 1" knob fresh ginger, grated
• 1 T butter
• splash of olive oil
• 1 to 2 pounds beef (we used a sirloin steak), cubed
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 C tomato sauce
• 2 T vinegar
• 2 heaping T plain yogurt
• 2 T ground almonds

Biriyani

• 2 C basmati rice cooked
• pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 C boiling water
• 1 cinnamon stick

Naan for topping pots and serving on the side

• 1 t active dry yeast
• 1 T organic granulated sugar
• 1 C warm milk (or water if you're dairy intolerant)
• 4 C flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 C plain yogurt (or coconut milk yogurt if you're dairy intolerant)

Procedure

Curry
Prepare the spice mix by placing all the whole spices - except for the cinnamon - in a pestle. Grind with the mortar. Grate the cinnamon and stir in the cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, ground ginger, and nutmeg. Put to one side. In the same pestle grind the garlic and ginger with one teaspoon of salt until you have a rough paste. Set aside.

Place your meat in a large mixing bowl. Add in the dry spices, ginger, and garlic. Massage the spices into the beef. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a large pan - we used a Dutch oven - melt butter in a splash of oil. Brown the meat until golden on all sides. Remove meat from the pan and stir in the onions. Stir well. When the onions begin to soften, add the meat back in to the pan.

Add the tomatoes, vinegar, yogurt and ground almonds. Stir well to incorporate all of the spices that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add enough cold water to cover the meat. Bring to the boil, cover, and let simmer for three hours, until the meat is tender. You can stop at this point and resume the following evening...or keep going if you have planned far enough in advance to not be eating dinner at midnight!

Biriyani

An hour before you'll be ready to assemble, soak your basmati rice in cool water and make your naan dough (see below). Bring your curry to room temperature if you refrigerated it over night. Drain the rice and cover it with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt. Let it boil for five minutes. Drain the rice, then return it to a covered pot to let it steam.

Place saffron in a small bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let steep for 5 to 10 minutes before assembling your pots. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Drain the rice, place it in a lidded pot, and cover it with boiling water and a pinch of salt. Boil for four minutes, then drain and leave to steam in its pan with a lid.

Spoon some of the beef curry into the bottom of your dish.

  

Layer it with rice.

Add a drizzle of saffron water and a sprinkle of freshly grated cinnamon. Repeat: curry, rice, saffron water, and cinnamon.

Naan
In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the active dry yeast and sugar in the warm milk. Let it sit until it blooms, approximately 10 or 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt, egg, and 1 T olive oil to it. Whisk to combine. Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and blend the dough together with a fork. As the dough begins to come together, dust your hands with flour and knead into a soft, sticky dough. Knead just till it comes together.

Lightly grease a bowl and transfer the dough to it. Cover with a dish towel and let sit in a warm place for an hour.

Once you're ready to assemble and bake, press the dough into a circle that will cover the mouth of your baking dish. Sprinkle some of the flour on top of the dough and on your hands as needed.

 

Place the naan circle on top of your curry and rice pots. Press it down securely and place it on a baking sheet. Bake until the naan is cooked and golden brown. Ours took approximately 20 minutes, but it was pretty thick and deep. If you have extra naan, cook them quickly on a hot skillet.

Kesar Lassi (Saffron Lassi)

A lassi is a popular, traditional Indian drink made with a blend of yogurt, water, and sugar. This saffron lassi is tart and sweet. And, because I have one student with a dairy sensitivity, we did one version with cow's milk yogurt and one with coconut milk yogurt.

Ingredients makes approximately 2 C

• 2 C thick yogurt, chilled
• 3 to 4 t  granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 t  saffron
• 1 T  hot water
• 1 pinch ground cardamom
• 1 dash rose water, optional
• dried rose petals for garnish, optional
• saffron threads for garnish, optional

Procedure

Add saffron to hot water and let it stand for 10 minutes. Mix saffron water with rest of the ingredients and serve immediately. Top with garnishes, if using.