Cape Malay Fish Biryani (Breyani) Recipe, A South African Delight That You Can Easily Prepare At Home

Nestled along the coast of South Africa, the Cape Malay community has enriched the country's culinary landscape with its vibrant flavors and unique dishes. One such dish that showcases the rich heritage of Cape Malay cuisine is Fish Breyani.

This aromatic and colorful rice dish combines fragrant spices, tender fish, and fluffy rice, creating a symphony of flavors that tantalize the taste buds. Let's explore the art of preparing Cape Malay Fish Breyani, taking you on a journey through the streets of Cape Town and beyond. Check out the complete recipe here.

Serves: 8 people
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For Marination:

• 8 cloves garlic
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh ground red chillies
• 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
• 1-2 teaspoons crushed cumin seeds
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree

For Biryani:

• 1 kg fish fillets
• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 2 cups masoor (red or pink lentils)
• 2 onions, grated
• ½ cup oil
• 1 tomato, grated
• 1 cup oil
• ½ cup ghee
• 8 small potatoes
• A few cloves, whole peppers, tuj pieces
• 4 whole green chillies
• 4 green cardamom pods (elachi)
• 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera)
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup yoghurt

How To Prepare

1. Pound garlic and chillies together to make a paste. Mix in the coriander, cumin, lemon juice, turmeric, salt, oil, and tomato puree to make the marinade.
2. Smear fish fillets with the marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Boil the rice and the masoor separately until cooked.
4. Fry onions in the ½ cup oil until golden. Strain out extra oil.
5. Combine strained onion oil with ghee. Heat this mixture and use it to fry the patties. Keep aside oils in which onions were fried.
6. Fry fish in separate oil.
7. In a deep bowl, add yoghurt, grated tomato, spices, and fried onions (reserve 1 teaspoon of onion for top of rice). Dip fried fish in the marinade for a few minutes.
8. In a large flat-bottomed pot, pour the oils that were left aside. Add the remaining ghee and oil. Sprinkle some masoor over it.
9. Arrange fish slices and all marinade over masoor and oil/ghee. Cover with rest of masoor.
10. Arrange patties over masoor and finally cover with rice. Sprinkle top of rice with reserved fried onion and hot ghee.
11. Sprinkle ¼ cup water over rice. Close lid tightly and put on heat. When pot starts sizzling, lower heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Nutritional Values (per serving)

This Fish Biryani recipe is a delightful blend of spices and flavours that will surely impress your family and friends. Enjoy this traditional dish from Cape Malay cuisine!