May, 2015 | eSoupRecipes

Biryani is a classic Indian dish of rice and meat lavished with spices that is often served on festive occasions. When you taste it, you’ll understand why.

Made Tender with Yogurt

Imagine stew beef; velvety, in a coating of yogurt.

Yogurt is a much-used marinade for Indian cooking. It is a fantastic tenderizer and works great to coat beef, chicken or lamb in whatever herbs and spices you choose to apply. And it’s very forgiving – if you leave your dish draped in yogurt a couple extra hours there is no harm done.

So we first yogurt-ize and spice the beef.

And then the Biryani is…

Made awesome with spices

Infused with flavor – redolent with cayenne, coriander, cumin, ginger, turmeric and ginger

Simmered, Oh, so slow!

Then we take the marinated beef mixture and slow-cook it in a bath of onions and clarified butter until it’s Sunday-roast tender…

Lentils and Rice come to the Party!

You know they want to!

Biryani… Become Soup!

And then – and only then – do we take the final liberty and add beef broth to make Biryani “soup.”

  • 1 pound stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • ½ cup plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoon coriander
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter (ghee)
  • ½ cup water
  • ¾ cup red lentils, rinsed thoroughly in cold water
  • ¾ cup basmati rice, rinsed thoroughly in cold water
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 1 onion, minced
  1. Put the beef into a plastic bag or non-reactive container and add the yogurt, cayenne pepper, ginger, salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander and garlic
  2. Let marinade for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours
  3. Drop ghee into a large Dutch oven and melt over medium heat
  4. Toss in onion and cook until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes
  5. Add beef mixture and cook until beef browns on outside
  6. Pour in water and reduce heat to simmer
  7. Cover and let simmer 1 hour, until beef is fork tender
  8. Stir in lentils and rice and pour in beef broth
  9. Bring to boil
  10. Cook for 20 minutes, or until rice and lentils are tender
  11. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley

Summer-like weather finally(!) arrived in northern Wisconsin this weekend, with temps “soaring” into the upper 70s. It was a perfect opportunity for the first gazpacho of the year. This Spicy Cucumber Gazpacho features a wealth of green vegetables and can be put together quickly. No cooking is required and all the ingredients can be dumped together into a food processor or blender for a soup that comes together in about 1 minute.

There are many variations on gazpacho, but this is one of my favorites. It’s bursting with freshness and I love the cool flavors of the cucumbers fighting it out with the spicier jalapeno pepper and bit of hot sauce. If you prefer your soup mild, feel free to leave the jalapeno out – it will still be delicious.

And even if you think you don’t like cold soups, give this one a try.  I bet it will change your mind about cold soups and give your something else to enjoy throughout the summer months.

  • 2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
  • 10 sprigs cilantro
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • Greek yogurt to top
  1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth
  2. Transfer to a bowl or non-reactive container and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until very cold
  3. Serve in small cups topped with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and additional cilantro, if desired