Name: Fish Biryani (Machi no Palau)
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 6 whole green cardamom pods, cracked open; 2 thin sticks of cinnamon; 1 dry bay leaf; 1 tbsp oil; 3 onions, finely chopped; 2 tsp garlic paste; 1 ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp cumin powder; 6 green chillies, finely chopped; 10 curry leaves; 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped; 1 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1-cup yogurt, with a pinch of sugar and salt at room temperature; ½ tsp turmeric powder; Juice of 1 lemon or lime; 1 tsp garam masala; ½ cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped; ¼ cup water; ½ tsp saffron threads, crushed; 3 cups basmati rice, thoroughly washed; ¾ kg/1 lb deboned, fish pieces; 8 cups boiling hot water, well salted with 4 tsp salt

Preparation info

6 to 8
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Art of Parsi Cooking

By Niloufer Mavalvala

Published 2016

About

Unique to our family, the Machi no Palau (Fish Biryani) is an all-time favourite. In fact, my mother-in-law is well known amongst the community for her amazing recipe, which I share with her blessing.

When I was getting married, as a gesture of their affection toward me joining the family, my cousin-in-laws put me to the test: whether I was able to recreate this wonderful, aromatic, soul-satisfying dish. It is now a personal favourite in our home.

Since most of our friends a