Old-fashioned Bryani

In my first year at University, there was a girl living on the same floor at my Hall of Residence who was called Bryony. I could never get her name right and to our mutual embarassment, used to call her bryani. Oh well, we were never destined to be friends.



Anyway, today I decided to make a bryani and consulted my Mum's faithful Ellice Handy cookbook. I think this cookbook is the same age as me, and dates back to the time when you couldn't get fresh dairy products in Brunei. Retro is cool, man.

One of the main ingredients is evaporated milk. Now that's something you don't see celebrity chefs using on TV, hahaha.












There's something so relaxing and fulfilling about pounding and grinding. I ground up all the spices fresh, and the smells permeated the kitchen even before I started cooking.

For added richness, the recipe also calls for ground almonds.









OK, rubbish photo - but trust me, it was delicious. It was a lamb bryani, by the way. *licks lips*