Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 lb. cooked turkey meat, chopped into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (2" piece) ginger, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. garam masala
• 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1½ tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri or other red chile powder (such as cayenne)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ⅔ cup plus 2 Tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil
• 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 (2"-long) cinnamon stick
• 6 whole cloves
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅔ cup golden raisins
• ⅓ cup unsalted roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups coarsely chopped mint

Method

1. Rinse the basmati under cold water until it runs clear, then soak the grains in cold water to cover by an inch for 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. While the grains soak, combine the chopped cooked turkey with the garlic, ginger, yoghurt, garam masala, salt, tomato paste, coriander, chile powder and cumin, and set the bowl aside so the turkey takes on the spices.
3. Melt two thirds of a cup of ghee in a large Dutch oven over high heat and fry the sliced onions, stirring often, for 25 to 35 minutes until they turn dark golden and begin to crisp at the edges.
4. Lift half the onions out with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain, leaving the rest in the pot, and heat the oven to 350°F.
5. Boil the drained basmati in well-salted water with the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods for about five minutes, until the grains are mostly cooked but still chewy in the centre, then drain and rinse them cold.
6. Melt the remaining two tablespoons of ghee with the onions left in the pot over medium heat, add the turkey mixture, and cook for about four minutes until the turkey warms through and browns in spots.
7. Stir in the milk, bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then spread the par-cooked basmati over the turkey in an even layer and scatter the golden raisins across the top without stirring the layers together.
8. Cover the pot and bake for 20 minutes, then let the biryani rest off the heat, still covered, for eight minutes.
9. Uncover, shower the chopped cashews, mint and reserved fried onions over the surface, and fold the layers together from the bottom of the pot as you serve.

Cook: 1 hour 5 minutes · Total: 1 hour 25 minutes

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data