sharing my mom's biryani recipe (part 4)

Step 7 - While the cooker stuff is happening, you can start on the second component, which is the rice. Boil the water (almost 2 + 2 times the cup of rice added) only with the bay leaf, a cardamom and a clove and a few drops of oil. Add a few leaves of mint. Squeeze a little lemon for a zing.

Step 8 - Add the soaked rice from step 2 to this hot (boiled) water. Don't cover it with the lid. Let the rice cook. This is a tricky step. Since my curry is thick in consistency, my rice to be cooked is to be a little more than half cooked. Not completely cooked, not half cooked or anything less than that. If your curry is a little more fluid, then cook the rice a little less than that.

Step 9 - The trickiest aspect is done. Now drain the rice.

Step 10 - You combine the two components now. Always remember that the rice part is to be prepared later. Combine the two. How? Separate the oil from the curry beforehand, you can apply that on the topmost layer. Alternate rice and the curry in the vessel. Rice first, part of curry thing next, then rice again and then curry. Okay, now don’t stir and try mixing, just take the spoon and separate the rice from the side of the vessel very subtly to let the curry seep in.

2 more steps to go. Stay tuned!