So last night I decided to make biryani. I am having trouble with these initial steps.
It took about 1 hour to get 5 onions to be golden and another hour after adding 4 tomatoes to get blended. After that, I was not able to see if the oil had separated but the mixture had dried up considerably so I figured it was ready for the next steps (adding chicken yoghurt and spices only took 30 minutes of cooking to be ready after that). I wonder if I am not using enough oil?
I use a large copper bottom pot. My stove top is the old school coil and I keep the heat between 4 and 5 (medium) because anything higher sticks and burns.
I think there has to be a faster way (other than buying pre-fried onions cuz they taste weird). These initial steps shouldn’t take this long. My back is hurting and I might need to put a stool in front of the stove like my granny.
sounds like you are using too little oil
remember that you can use a larger quantity of oil to fry the onions and then remove some before you add the tomatoes.
that should help.
I can't see anything else that you might be doing wrong based on what you have shared......
Maybe you are using less oil.Try to increase it and see if it makes a difference.
Try cooking at a higher flame/heat setting.I have used the coil stoves and they worked perfectly.What kinda pot is the copper pot..??Maybe try using another pot so that nothing burns or sticks when you cook at a higher temperature.
I do not care how the tomatoes go into a biryani.I mean it is ok for them to be chunky.For other dishes where I want a smooth consistency to the gravy,I blend them in a blender before I add them to the pot.Maybe try that.This way you wont have to wait too long for them to actually cook up.It will just take the amount of time required for the extra fluid to evaporate and the oil will then separate.
Like most have said here , using a bit more oil would help ...
a few tips that will help you considerably while doing the first few steps :
- Heat pot on really high heat , then add oil about half cup for 5 onions .. Check that the onions are really thinly sliced ...
- A quick way to get the onions done is to add salt in the onions while they are frying ... ( dont add any more salt later on )
cover the lid , keep it on medium flame for the first 8 minutes and then lower the heat to medium low .. keep the lid on .. give it a splash of water every few seconds so it doesnt stick to the bottom .. and stir .. but ensure lid is put back on every time ..
This process helps browning the onions and at the same time soften up and break down due to steam ..
Five onions are too much for making biryani for two or three people. You can make a dawat size pot with five onions (if onions are on the smaller size then it is another matter).
For that many onions you will need a bigger pot and of course more oil so onions can properly get fried and don't get mushy in their own sweat.
