One Year of Food Blogging! - Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

Happy Birthday! Poet and Flower turns one this week. I can't believe it's been a year. What have I learned? I've learned a lot, more than I thought I could or would in a year. It has been a whirlwind of learning photography, writing and recipe tweaking. I try to work on the blog any chance I get, in between OR cases, waiting for the kids or after the kids have gone to sleep.

Write about what you are passionate about. I think this is the most crucial detail. If you write about something you are familiar with and enjoy, it will come through. I love to cook, and my mother's cooking has been an inspiration and cornerstone for me. It has not only been about cooking meals daily but teaching Poet and Flower about their family and where they come from.

If you do what you are passionate about, then you can write consistently. My goal is to write a blog post weekly. For me, with work and family, this is a realistic goal. Writing a blog post, putting together the recipe, testing it out, taking the photos, and then plugging it into WordPress takes time. When I first started, I ambitiously thought I could do two posts a week, but it was simply too much. Do what you can, don't let it be a chore, and stick with it.

Taking pictures has been an evolution. When I started, I thought I'll use the window, make it pretty, and voila, it will just happen. But good photography is an art. I am lucky to have G as a teacher. I take a lot of bad photos. G is emphatic that it will take me 10000 before I get anywhere. But who's counting. After a year and a half of taking photos, I am now slowly happy with a few I take. I've learned how to use a DSLR camera, a tripod, and all about iso, shutter speed, and aperture. I had a small point-and-shoot as a kid, but I can now talk somewhat intelligently about cameras and lenses.

Yikes! Lamb biriyani shot a year ago

This week I reshot one of my mother's most classic recipes, Hyderabadi Dum biriyani. Biriyani is ubiquitous in India, and there are quite a few different kinds out there. Its origins are from Persia. "Dum" is a technique where the meat and spices are layered with rice, then cooked in a tightly sealed pot. The rice becomes infused with all the simmering flavors. We enjoyed it for Eid and when family came to visit. The aroma of biriyani in the house will always remind me of special times and joy.

I reshot biriyani as a little experiment to see how far my photography and the blog have come. I love pushing myself to write better or take better pictures. And that is the last critical lesson I've learned, that blogging is a journey - I've learned about myself, helped to remember and celebrate my family, and teach Poet and Flower about where they are from.

I'm excited to see where the next year takes me. Thank you for reading!

Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

Biryani is classic Indian dish. Lamb, spices and rice are layered and cooked together. The layers gently steam and come together to make a special occasion dish.

Serves 8

• 2 1/2 pounds lamb, lamb shoulder or boneless lamb (cut into 3 inch pieces)
• 3/4 cup neutral oil
• 2 1 inch pieces of cinnamon
• 6 cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 3-4 medium onions (very thinly sliced)
• 3 inch piece of ginger (minced)
• 6 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2/3 cup thick yogurt
• 3 tablespoons coconut powder
• 1 lemon, juiced
• pinch saffron

Parboiling the Rice

• 2 cups Basmati rice (rinsed)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2-3 quarts water

Kachaa Green Masala

• 2 green chilis - slit vertically
• 1/2 cup fresh mint (chopped)
• 1 cup cilantro (chopped)
• 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 teaspoons salt

1. In a dutch oven or large stainless steel pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the cardamon, cinnamon and cloves and saute for a minute. Add the onions and saute until soft. Give this a good 10 to 15 minutes. You want them to be soft and almost caramelized. Add the garlic and ginger paste, saute about 5 minutes. The onions and garlic will be golden and stick to the pan, and almost seem like its going to burn but this is ok.

2. Add all the katchaa green masala ingredients along with the lamb. Cook uncovered, stirring constantly until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Lower heat to med/low and simmer, occasionally stirring for 20 minutes. The lamb and tomatoes will release a good amount of liquid so you shouldn’t need to add any. But check occasionally and add 1/4 cup water if needed. You want the khurma to simmer and bubble gently.

3. Add the yogurt and cook for 20 minutes again at medium/low heat. Add the coconut powder and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. You can check that the meat is soft and tender.

4. Meanwhile, parboil the rice. In another large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil with 2 teaspoons salt. Rinse basmati rice and add to the boiling water. Cook rice for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.

5. In a small bowl, mix the lemon jucie and saffron.

6. Now add the basmatii rice to the simmering khurma in layers. Layer the rice gently over the khurma. No need to mix. Add the saffron lemon mixture and sprinkle over the rice.

7. Simmer over low heat. You can always peak and make sure there is a little bit of steam coming up into the rice, the classic “dum” part. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until rice is cooked. About 10 minutes in you can give the rice a few stirs. When its done give it a few stirs to help distribute the lamb and spices. It doesn’t have to be all even.

8. Serve with yogurt chutney or tomato chutney, or the best way - all by itself.