FOOD........................................20

Biryani

By Tim O’Connor

We talked a while ago about Derrick, my friend from Togo, and his love for black-eyed peas cooked in a peanut-tomato broth with a grilled fish on top. I want to tell you this time about my friend Shantanu, whom I once chased down the street because I love his food so much.

Shantanu loves talking about Indian food and showing what his food is. He comes from Hyderabad in Telangana in India, which he hails as the land of biryani.

He learned by watching his mother make Hyderabadi Dum Biryani, which is cooked with raw meat and parboiled rice in a sealed pot. This is his comfort food, his happy place.

He’s taught me how to make biryani, which is steaming your rice and finishing it over meat. The recipe with this column is his. He lines a clay pot with beef, chicken legs, goat or other meat and pours the rice over top. (You can use an enamelled cast iron pot or pressure cooker.)

Shantanu revealed to me a few things he learned in his mother’s kitchen.

First, buy quality basmati. I use Tilda – not to promote one brand over the other, but if Tilda wants to give us sponsorship, Tilda!

Second, run water over the rice until it runs clear, which allows you to cook a flaky rice. Don’t oversoak or rice will get too soft and break apart.

Third, seal the pot tightly to keep

as they make it in Hyderabad

Shantanu (left) showed chef Tim O’Connor how to make biryani the way his mother made it.

PHOTO: PETER SIMPSON

steam in. Shantanu’s traditional method uses a cover of simple dough, but tinfoil works as long as it’s snug around the pot when you put on the lid.

Fourth, make sure the meat covers the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn’t burn. Think of the chicken as a forcefield protecting the rice from a Klingon attack.

This is one of those great recipes where you can add items to your taste – but don’t put fruit in around Shantanu. I put in strawberries, and I got scolded.

When you take off the lid, the rice looks white, but scoop everything up and the rice turns that beautiful yellow colour. With those bold flavours in such a simple dish, no wonder it’s one of India’s favourite meals.

Tim O’Connor was born and raised in the Glebe and is head chef at Flora Hall Brewing.

Shantanu’s recipe for Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 500 gm

Chicken (skinless/bone–in) – 500 gm

Garam masala (whole) for rice:

Cloves – 4

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Green cardamom – 4

Bayleaf – 2

Star anise – 2

Peppercorns – 1/2 tsp

Shahi Jeera (black cumin) – 2 tsp

Javitri (mace) – 2

Marinade: Salt – 3 tsp Ginger paste – 1/2 tbsp Garlic paste – 1/2 tbsp Red chilli powder – 1 tsp Turmeric – 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder – 1 tsp Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp Lime juice – 1/2 Lime Yogurt – 1/2 cup

Additional ingredients:

Canola oil – 1/4 cup

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Brishta (onions thinly sliced and fried in oil until golden crisp) – 1 cup

Mint leaves – 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves – 1/2 cup

Green chillies (chopped) – 2

Flour (dough) – 250–500 gm, depending on pot size (or use tinfoil)

Saffron – 1 pinch (optional)

Milk – 2 tbsp (optional) Method:

Marinate chicken with ingredients in same order as on list. Massage chicken with marinade and put in fridge overnight or for at least 1 to 2 hours.

An hour before cooking, wash and soak basmati in water.

In a heavy bottom pot, add chicken with oil, half of the herbs and half of brishta. Chicken must completely cover bottom of pot.

In another pot, add water to boil rice (1:3 or 1:4 water to rice) and set on medium high. Add salt until water tastes quite salty. Add garam masala (whole). Cook rice until al dente, soft on outside but still a bite. Drain and spread on chicken. Add ghee, remaining herbs and brishta.

Add saffron to 2 tbsp milk and pour on rice. (Optional)

Seal pot with dough (or foil) and cook on medium high for 5 min. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 min. Turn off heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 min. Carefully remove lid and seal.

Lift biryani from bottom of pot to top with serving spoon or spatula and transfer to a dish. Do not over mix rice as it breaks the grain.

Note:

Flour (Dough): Make a dough ball with flour and water. This contains the steam and seals flavour in the pot.

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FAMILY PROGRAMMING Glebe author’s first novel exceeds expectations

Willow’s Run, by Robert Bockstael. Pender Lake Press, c2021

Review by Lisa MacDonald

Willow’s Run is Robert Bockstael’s debut novel and hopefully not his last.

I’ll admit that the back-cover blurb for Willow’s Run didn’t sell me on the book. In fact, I would now say it did a disservice to both the main character and a twisty storyline that includes a decades-old murder, repugnant villains and an ensemble of engaging characters that kept me entertained through all 415 pages. But that isn’t how I felt at the outset. As I started the prologue, with no context other than the blurb, my enthusiasm was muted.

The immediate surprise of wellcrafted dialogue and solid storytelling draws the reader into the opening pages, but it was with chapter two’s introduction of Alcima “The Willow” Willoughby that the real fun began. The female protagonist of Willow’s Run is a retired professional volleyball player who also happens to be 194 pounds of dense muscle and six-anda-half feet tall. When we meet her, she has escaped from an abusive husband in an RV bus she’s named Ravi. She’s broke, detoxing and in search of a safe place to hide. Alcima’s arrival in the small town of Fall River is the catalyst for the surfacing of old and new secrets, all spiralling towards a violent end for those involved, including Alcima.

The fictional Fall River is placed south of the border, just “across the lake from Canada.” Its depiction as a small town that caters to the whims of seasonal tourists rings true, and the public library (“A hulking Victorian brick structure . . .”), Ravi the million-dollar RV, the local diner and a remote island house provide the backdrop for most of the action. It’s easy to place yourself in Fall River, and the setting lends itself to the novel’s mood of isolation, eccentricity and desperation.

Bockstael gets full marks for creating vivid characters that bring his story to life. Booker Thompson, another major character, is the town librarian whose tragic past equals that of the Willow in terms of emotional damage. Booker has his secrets too, closely guarded by his friend Sam, an enigmatic “hunter” who locates things – properties, cars, even a qualified chef – for a commission. There is a host of other smalltown personalities including: Petite Lieutenant Terry, who is captivated by the larger-than-life Alcima; Lieutenant Terry’s shady twin brother Lawrence; Jimmy, who works in the theatre box office but has a vicious secret; and Harold of Harold Baker Real Estate, whose sin of gluttony is only the tip of the iceberg. Every character has a role to play in this percolating thriller where character loyalties are suspect and the threat of violence simmers close at hand.

Be prepared for Willow’s Run to get a bit gritty. The author doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to the morals, or lack thereof, of his characters. Sexual deviance, greed, blackmail and jealousy drive the plot and make this book more of a suspenseful “thriller” than your typical murder mystery. There is humour too. Don’t expect laugh-out-loud giggles but rather a lightness that is written into the resilience of the main characters who’ve been through too much.

Short chapters help to keep the pace snappy as three stories unfold around Alcima, Booker and Jimmy. The author succeeds in weaving a layered plot that keeps the reader guessing. Bockstael takes his time revealing all the secrets, but it makes for a satisfying read when characters collide and plot lines converge.

There are no clear winners in the battles of good and evil that Willow’s Run chronicles, but there is redemption, loyalty between friends and a sense of optimism at its conclusion. It’s a story that leaves you wanting more.

Visit robertbockstael.com for information on purchasing Willow’s Run in e-book, paperback or hardcover format.

Lisa MacDonald is a non-fiction book editor who teaches a creative writing class at GNAG. She is now on the lookout for an amazon woman driving a Winnebago down the 401.