blueberry biryani vs. the ant-pocolypse
At the Vaisakhi festival the BC Blueberries council people were handing out recipe cards, and I picked one up. The recipe isn't on their website, and I don't really use recipe cards as a filing system for recipes, so I thought I would write it up on here. Then I can throw the card away.
Sweet and Spicy Blueberry Biryani Rice Salad
Created for the BC Blueberry Council by Chef Gurj Dhaliwal
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods
1 T garam masala
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. water
2 T minced shallots
1 T minced garlic
1 T minced ginger
1 fresh red chili, sliced thin
1/3 c. sliced toasted almonds
1/2 c. raisins
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 c. fresh blueberries
Directions (condensed, because I'm not writing down how to wash rice, give me a break):
1. In a large sauce pot over medium heat, heat 1 T vegetable oil for one minute. Then add coriander, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom, and toast for 3 minutes.
2. Add in raw rice and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add in garam masala, turmeric, black pepper, salt, and water. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and steam until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. (Or I could probably just add toasted spices to a rice cooker.)
4. When the rice is done, let rest 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
5. Heat remaining 1 T oil over medium heat in a small saute pan. Add in shallots, garlic, ginger, and fry for 5 minutes until mixture is translucent.
6. Turn the heat to low, add chili, almonds, and raisins and cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat.
7. In a large bowl combine the warm rice, shallot mixture, lime juice, lime zest, fresh cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Cool biryani (in the fridge? doesn't say) for 20 minutes, then gently fold in fresh blueberries.
I'm going to wait to try this myself until local blueberries are in full swing, which won't be until late summer.
---
I'm pretty tired but I got some stuff done today to hopefully aid in the fight against the ant-pocolypse. I went for the "half a loaf is better than none" approach and just did what I could, which meant sweeping as best I could without moving heavy furniture, being vigilant to deal with any food spills right away and do dishes quickly, scrubbing likely scent trails, and changing the tablecloth.
And killing every ant I see of course. They still seem to be in the "scouting" phase.
Sweet and Spicy Blueberry Biryani Rice Salad
Created for the BC Blueberry Council by Chef Gurj Dhaliwal
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods
1 T garam masala
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. water
2 T minced shallots
1 T minced garlic
1 T minced ginger
1 fresh red chili, sliced thin
1/3 c. sliced toasted almonds
1/2 c. raisins
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 c. fresh blueberries
Directions (condensed, because I'm not writing down how to wash rice, give me a break):
1. In a large sauce pot over medium heat, heat 1 T vegetable oil for one minute. Then add coriander, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom, and toast for 3 minutes.
2. Add in raw rice and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add in garam masala, turmeric, black pepper, salt, and water. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and steam until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. (Or I could probably just add toasted spices to a rice cooker.)
4. When the rice is done, let rest 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
5. Heat remaining 1 T oil over medium heat in a small saute pan. Add in shallots, garlic, ginger, and fry for 5 minutes until mixture is translucent.
6. Turn the heat to low, add chili, almonds, and raisins and cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat.
7. In a large bowl combine the warm rice, shallot mixture, lime juice, lime zest, fresh cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Cool biryani (in the fridge? doesn't say) for 20 minutes, then gently fold in fresh blueberries.
I'm going to wait to try this myself until local blueberries are in full swing, which won't be until late summer.
---
I'm pretty tired but I got some stuff done today to hopefully aid in the fight against the ant-pocolypse. I went for the "half a loaf is better than none" approach and just did what I could, which meant sweeping as best I could without moving heavy furniture, being vigilant to deal with any food spills right away and do dishes quickly, scrubbing likely scent trails, and changing the tablecloth.
And killing every ant I see of course. They still seem to be in the "scouting" phase.