What is the difference between Tehri and Biryani? | How to cook Old Dhaka Tehari?

 

Old Dhaka Beef Tehri

About Tehri:

Tehri is a kind of Pilaf that is basically cooked with rice and beef. In Tehri cooking, the meat is cooked first and then rice is added. While making Tehri at home, we make it with beef. But shop Tehri is also made with mutton and in some cases chicken. Tehri is mostly cooked with meat only. However, we also add peas and small potatoes in Tehri cooking in the winter. Because in Bangladesh only winter peas and small potatoes (which we call new potatoes) are available. The taste of Tehri increases manifold due to the addition of these potatoes and peas. Small-cut meat is used in Tehri. And the amount of spices used in it is very little.

What is the difference between Tehri and Biryani?

1. Biryani uses huge types and quantities of spices.

On the other hand, very few types and small amounts of spices are used in Tehri.

2. Biryani is served with big-cut meat.

Small-cut meat is served in Tehri.

3. Biryani is cooked with ghee and soybean oil.

Ghee is never used in Tehri. Mustard oil is the main feature of Tehri. Tehri becomes tastier because of mustard oil.

4. Biryani is prepared with raw or partially cooked meat and pre-cooked rice.

But Tehri is prepared with fully cooked meat and raw rice.

Tips:

1. Although mustard oil makes the Tehri tastier, I don't like mustard oil in Tehri. I can't tolerate mustard oil stains because of my acidity. People like me who cannot tolerate mustard oil can cook Tehri with vegetable oil. I can guarantee that the test will come no less in any part.

2. For cooking Tehri always take meat with bone and fat. Then the Tehri will be moist. If you cook Tehri with solid meat, it will become dry.

3. If you want to cook Tehri like a shop, then dry the meat broth completely. But I personally like a little moist Tehri. A neat Tehri seems dry to me. So I don't dry the meat broth completely and add rice to it to have about a cup of broth. Then there is moisture as the cook cooks wet Tehri.

How To Make Tehri:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Pilaf Rice

• 1 kg beef

• 1 cup mustard oil

•  1.5 cup chopped onion

• 1.5 tablespoon ginger paste

•  1 tablespoon garlic paste 

•  1/2 cup yogurt 

• 15-16 green chilies 

•  1/2 cups milk
• 1.5 tablespoons rose water
• 1.5 tablespoon raisin or peanut paste (you can also use Kaju or Almond paste) 
• salt 

Dry Tehri Spice Making: 

•  5-6 cloves
• 8-10 green cardamoms
• 3 piece 1-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 nutmeg
• 1/2 strand mace

Blend these ingredients all together. This is our homemade dry Tehri spice.

* Then blend yogurt + 8-10 green chilies + raisins or nuts together.

Making Directions:

Beef cooking:

First, when the oil is hot, fry the onions until light brown. Then add the ginger and garlic paste and stir until the smell disappeared. When the smell disappears, add dry Tehri spice with a little water so that the spices do not burn. After 5-7minitue, add the meat and salt to it. Then add green chilies, curd, and raisins that are blended together. Stir well and cook on high flame for 5 minutes with a lid. Then cover and cook on a medium flame for 10 minutes and stir occasionally. Then cook the meat on low flame with enough hot water for 1 hour or until the meat is soft, tender, and completely cooked.

* Always use hot water to cook meat. Because by cooking with hot water meat will take less time to be prepared. It will become nice tender and soft. If you want to add potatoes to the Tehri then add them when the beef is half done.

Tehri cooking:

When the meat is cooked, remove the lid and let the meat broth should be completely dry. Separate the meat and fry the rice in broth for 5 minutes. If the rice is fried, add 7 cups of hot water + 1 cup of milk.

* Always remember that Water + milk twice the amount of rice should be given. For example, in 3 cups of rice, add 5 cups of hot water + 1 cup of milk = 6 cups. Again in 4 cups of rice, add 7 cups of hot water + 1 cup of milk = 8 cups.

If it is boiling, then add green chilies and salt. After that cover it and put it on a high flame until the water dries up. When there is a small amount of water, add rose water, stir and cover it. Then cook the Tehri for 15-20 minutes on a low flame. If you want to add peas to it, then you can add them now.

When the rice is cooked, take it off the stove and stir it again so that the bottom rice goes up and the top rice goes down.

Now it is ready to be served. You can enjoy Tehri with salad.