Christmas Goose Dum Biryani

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

500gms leftover goose shredded

210 gms white onion thinly sliced

50mls vegetable oil

To cook the goose;

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

5 green cardamom pods

5 cloves

2” cinnamon stick broken

200gms white onion thinly sliced

6 cloves of garlic pounded to a paste

2” peeled ginger pounded to a paste

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

200mls water

1 tsp fennel powder

3 tbsp greek yoghurt

Salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala powder

2 tbsp melted butter or goose fat

Generous pinch of saffron infused in 2tbsp of warm milk

1 tbsp finely chopped mint

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander

Red onion, lime wedges, pomegranate to garnish

For the rice;

500gms basmati rice washed & drained

2 bay leaves

3 green cardamom pods

1lt water

Salt to taste

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas! A feast with family and friends, lots of good times and of course good food is the order of the month of December. I hope you all are having a wonderful time over the holidays and getting that well deserved rest. This year I’ll be cooking turkey and goose for Christmas day (As you can tell I am feeding an army so to speak!). I love a traditional turkey and leftovers are savored in a delicious Korma or in Frankie rolls.

I love including a spiced Goose on the festive table too. Its full of flavour, rich and compliments warm spices beautifully. Most opt for turkey so we always have some goose leftover. Which is perfect the following day to rustle up this delicious biryani. Flavoured with ground spices, saffron and fennel. The fat rendered from the goose is great when layered with basmati rice for the biryani. Simply served with raita and some salad. Its perfect to feed a crowd and the sort of meal that will keep you coming back for seconds and perhaps thirds if there is any left! This recipe would be great with leftover lamb or even turkey so hope you give it a go.

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir well making sure they evenly colour all over. Fry until they turn golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
To cook the biryani; heat the vegetable oil in a heavy based pan and add all the whole spices. Fry them for a minute over a medium heat and add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions 12-15 minutes until they soften and turn light brown.
Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry stirring well for a minute. Add the tomato puree and fry for 2 minutes stir well. Add the powdered spices and cook for a further minute stirring making sure it doesn’t burn
Now add the water scraping the base of the pan. Simmer on a low heat for 2 minutes. At this stage add the yoghurt a little at a time and stir well letting it cook through for 6-7 minutes. Season to taste and add the shredded goose. Cover with a lid and let it warm through for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the garam masala, stir and set aside
Preheat the oven to 180c (Gas mark 4). Bring a large sauce pan with a litre of water to a boil. Add the rice, bay leaf, cardamom pods and salt. Bring to a boil and cook the rice for 7-10 mins until three quarters done (the rice grain if broken should have a slight bite to it) Drain the rice and set aside.
Brush the base of a deep casserole with half the butter or goose fat. Cover the base with half the goose curry followed by half the rice. Topped with sprinkle of saffron milk, half the mint and coriander and handful of fried onions. Repeat with another layer of the remaining goose then the rice topped again with saffron, mint, coriander and fried onion and leftover melted butter.
Cover the dish with grease proof paper and a tight fitting lid. Place the dish in the oven for a final cooking time of 25 minutes. Turn the heat of the oven off and rest the biryani in the oven for 15 minutes. Once done take the lid off and the aromas will fill the kitchen! Fork the rice gently and place on a serving dish garnish with coriander and serve warm with onion rings, pomegranate and lemon wedges. Serve with raita.