Here in the United Arab Emirates, our weekend is Friday and Saturday, with Sunday being a normal working day. Most Fridays will find us out on the water in our Drascombe Longboat, a small single hull sailing vessel. It’s not fancy but is perfectly suited to day trips amongst the islands all around the bigger island of Abu Dhabi with a two-man (one dog) crew.
After a day in the sea, salt air and sun with friends, we return to shore and spend the evening sipping gin and tonic with those same friends and we almost invariably order curry for dinner. I am familiar with most of the dishes, typical Jalfreezis and Kormas and Vindaloos but egg biryani was a new one for me. Spicy rice with whole boiled eggs! Apparently it isn’t even on the menu so one just has to know to order it. And I’m so glad my friends did.
I wish my whole Sunday Supper family could join us out on the water someday but at least you can eat some egg biryani of a Friday evening. It’s got a lot of ingredients but don’t let that discourage you. It doesn’t take long to make and is so worth it.
Make sure you scroll on down to see all of the delicious egg recipes we are sharing today, along with our eggstraordinary host, Wendy of Wholistic Woman.
Recipe adapted from Swasthi's Recipes.
Serves 3-4 as a main course, 5-6 as a side dish
Ingredients
5-6 eggs (We are going to boil these so you could use leftover Easter eggs!)
1 1/2 cups or 300g basmati rice
1 large potato
For the tarka:
3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
1 star anise
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 green cardamom pods
4 to 5 cloves
1 inch or 2.5cm cinnamon stick
1 strand mace
For the spice paste:
1 large onion
2 medium tomatoes
Generous handful mint and cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish, if desired
1 small knob fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons plain thick (Greek style) yogurt
Salt
2 green chili peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons biryani masala powder (premixed spices for biryani, any one will do)
2 1/2 cups or 590ml cold water
Method
Rinse your rice until the water runs clear and then soak it in cool water for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Drain water and set the rice aside in a colander or strainer.
Put your eggs to cook in a pot of cool water. When the water comes to the boil, cover the pot, turn the fire off and leave for 10 minutes. Drain and fill with more cool water. Peel the eggs when they are cool enough to handle. Prink them all over with a fork. Set aside.
Peel and cut your potato in small cubes. Thinly slice the onions and chop your tomatoes.
Peel the ginger and garlic cloves and mash them into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Split your green chili peppers down the middle, just up to the stem.
In a pot with a tight fitting lid that will be big enough to hold all the biryani, heat your ghee and then fry the dried spices in it briefly, stirring constantly. Watch out for popping cardamom pods.
Add in the sliced onions and fry till golden brown, stirring frequently. Add in the ginger garlic paste and fry for just a few minutes again, stirring well.
Add in the tomatoes, chopped herbs, turmeric, cayenne, salt, split green chili peppers, yogurt and a good sprinkling of salt. Stir well and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and you have a good thick paste.
Add the eggs and cubed potatoes. Stir gently to coat them with the seasonings.
Add in the drained rice and the biryani masala powder and stir again to coat the rice with the wet and dry seasonings, being careful not to break the eggs.
Pour in the cold water and one teaspoon of salt. Stir again. Over a medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot with its tight fitting lid.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has been fully absorbed and the rice is cooked. Leave the lid on the pot until you are ready to serve as the rice will continue to steam inside.
To serve, fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle on some chopped herbs and make sure that everyone gets at least one egg.
Enjoy!
Appetizers & Sides
- Classic Deviled Eggs from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
- Classic Deviled Eggs(-alad Sandwiches) from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Easter Deviled Egg Chicks from Pine Needles In My Salad
- Guacamole Deviled Eggs from Momma’s Meals
- Ham and Swiss Deviled Eggs from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Hrudka – Ukrainian Egg Cheese for Easter from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Jalapeño Popper Deviled Eggs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Smoky Deviled Bacon And Eggs from Taste And See
- Spicy Sriracha Deviled Eggs from An Appealing Plan
- Achiote Pulled Pork and Black Bean Huevos Rancheros from Cooking on The Ranch
- Asparagus Sausage Skillet with Egg from Wholistic Woman
- Avocado Egg Chilaquiles from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Baked Eggs in Cream from Tramplingrose
- Baked Scotch Eggs from Curious Cuisiniere
- Chorizo, Dubliner, and Vegetable Quiche from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Classic Egg Salad Sandwich from My Imperfect Kitchen
- Classic Shirred Eggs with Gruyere and Ham from The Weekend Gourmet
- Egg Biryani from Food Lust People Love
- Fri-Tot-Ta from Feeding Big
- Hashbrown Egg Nests from The TipToe Fairy
- Italian Style Stuffed Bread from The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
- Jalapeño Popper Quiche from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Japanese Egg Crepes (Kinshi Tamago) from NinjaBaker.com
- Low Carb Breakfast Pizza from My Life Cookbook
- Make Ahead & Freeze Omelette Cups from Hardly A Goddess
- Mediterranean Frittata from A Mind “Full” Mom
- Mini Frittata with Asparagus and Six Italian Cheeses from La Bella Vita Cucina
- Papas con Huevos (Potato and Egg Tacos) from Kitchen Gidget
- Pasta Carbonara with Shrimp and Leeks from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Poached Eggs over Roasted Asparagus from Monica’s Table
- Potato, Egg and Cheese Scramble from And She Cooks
- Spaghetti with Fried Eggs from The Texan New Yorker
- Steak Benedict from Palatable Pastime
- Steak Omelette from From Gate to Plate
- Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Quiche from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Sunny Side Up Burger from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Tex-Mex Migas from Caroline’s Cooking
- Toad in the Hole Breakfast Sandwiches from Daily Dish Recipes
- Tomato Asiago Frittata from Books n’ Cooks
- Yemeni Shakshouka (Yemeni Spiced Scrambled Eggs) from Tara’s Multicultural Table
- Creamy Flan from The Freshman Cook
- Creme Anglaise from The Redhead Baker
- Croquembouche from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Dark Chocolate Mousse from The Chef Next Door
- Orange Coconut Bundt Cake from Desserts Required
- Pavlova with Strawberry Curd from Love and Confections
- Pistachio Chai Baked Alaska from The Crumby Cupcake
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Pies and Plots
 |
| Jade - our Drascombe Longboat. |
 |
| Our salty dog, Beso. He loves sailing! |
