This South African Durban style tinfish biryani is made with spiced pilchard chutney, fragrant basmati rice, soft potatoes and boiled eggs layered and steamed together into one deeply satisfying meal.
Equipment
- Large pot with lid (for layering and steaming)
- 2 medium pots (for rice and tinfish chutney)
- Small pot (for eggs)
- Sharp knife and chopping board
- Wooden spoon
- Colander or strainer
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- 2 onions
- 1/2 tsp methi seeds
- 1/2 tsp jeera seeds
- 1/2 tsp somph seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 5 red chillies
- 1 tsp ground ginger and garlic
- 5 mined garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp mixed Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 potatoes
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 cans tinfish (pilchards in tomato sauce)
- rough salt (to taste)
Rice
- 250g basmati rice
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tbsp rough salt (to taste)
Other
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 6 eggs
- coriander
Instructions
Rice
- Wash and rinse the basmati rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the turmeric. Add the rice and cook for about 30 minutes until almost fully cooked - the rice will finish cook during the 10 to 15 minute steaming process. Strain and set aside.
Eggs
- Place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Add half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the water. This makes the shells easier to peel. Boil for 10 minutes then transfer to cold water. Peel and set aside.
Tinfish
- Open the cans of pilchards and gently remove each piece. Clean the tinfish by removing the centre bone and peeling away the dark outer coating from each piece. Set the cleaned tinfish aside along with the tomato sauce from the cans – you will need both later.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the methi seeds, jeera seeds, somph seeds and cinnamon stick and fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the onions and cook slowly until soft and lightly golden.
- Stir in the curry leaves, red chillies, ginger and garlic paste and minced garlic. Cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the turmeric and mixed Kashmiri chilli powder with a small splash of water and cook until the spices are fragrant and well combined.
- Add the quartered potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the spice mixture. If the pot is too dry add a small splash of water. Cover and allow the potatoes to steam and cook through until fully soft.
- Once the potatoes are fully cooked add the tomatoes and allow them to cook down until soft and a thick chutney forms.
- Add the cleaned tinfish to the chutney and stir gently to combine. Pour in the reserved tomato sauce from the cans along with salt to taste. Allow to simmer until the curry is fragrant and the gravy has thickened. Taste and adjust salt if needed. You can also add more water if needed to adjust the consistency.
Layering
- In a large pot begin layering. Start with a layer of rice on the bottom, then add a layer of tinfish chutney. Repeat with layers of rice and chutney. Finish with a final layer of rice on top and then place the boiled eggs. Garnish with fresh coriander.
Steam
- Cover the pot tightly with the lid. Cook on the lowest possible heat for 10-15 minutes. If you smell any catching on the bottom remove from heat immediately.
Serve
- Remove from heat and gently fluff and mix the layers together before serving.
Notes
- Clean the pilchards thoroughly before adding by removing the centre bone and dark outer coating.
- Caramelise the onions slowly. This is the flavour foundation of the entire dish and rushing it results in a flat tasting chutney.
- Parboil the rice to only 90%. It will finish cooking during steaming.
- Keep the heat on the lowest setting during steaming and do not lift the lid.
- Add the bicarbonate of soda to the egg boiling water as it makes peeling significantly easier.