Chicken Biryani

I am a hardcore rice eater, I guess everyone in South India is. If I could help it, I’d eat rice for breakfast too. All forms of rice preparations are welcome in my kitchen; so pulaos, biryanis, khichdi, fried rice etc are looked forward to.

Today I share with you an excellent Chicken Biryani recipe. I have copied this recipe a long time ago, 12 years to be precise, so I can’t remember where I took it down from. Needless to say, I have tweaked the recipe a bit, mostly in the preparation phase to suit my needs. So here goes !

Ingredients for Rice:

1. Basmati Rice – 1 kg (4 glasses)
2. Oil – 2 tbsp (Use oil as much or as little as you want)
3. Bay leaves – 4 nos
4. Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
5. Onion – 1 no (small, sliced)
6. Maggie cube – 4 nos
7. Salt – to taste
8. Water – 6 glasses (use the same glass used to measure rice)

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice for fifteen minutes before the rice preparation.
2. Put oil in the pan, add the onions and bay leaves, sauté for a minute and add the ginger garlic paste, fry well.
3. Add the water, Maggie cubes and wait for the water to boil.
4. Wash away the excess water, and add the rice into the pan. When the rice starts boiling, lower the flame and let the rice cook for 5 minutes.
5. Check for salt, and ensure that the rice is 3/4^th done.

Ingredients for the chicken gravy:

1. Chicken – 1.5 kg
2. Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
3. Onions – 6 medium (Sliced)
4. Tomatoes – 6 medium (Sliced)
5. Turmeric – 2 tsp
6. Coconut milk – 1 cup
7. Yoghurt – 1 cup
8. Ghee/ Butter – as required
9. Salt – to taste

I) Make a paste of the following:

1. Green chillies – 6 nos (Increase or decrease depending on your spice quotient)
2. Coriander leaves – 1 cup
3. Mint leaves – ½ cup (optional)
4. Kashmiri Chillies – 10 nos (soak in hot water and keep for at least 10 mins)

II) Dry roast on a tava/ flat pan and powder the below ingredients:

1. Cardamoms – 4 nos
2. Cloves – 8 nos
3. Cinnamon – 4 inches
4. Peppercorn – 1 tsp
5. Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
6. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Method for gravy:

1. Heat a pan, add oil, fry the onions till they are brown, add salt, and the ginger garlic paste, fry well.
2. Add the chicken, and brown it on high flame for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the roasted powdered spices, turmeric and tomatoes, and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the ground paste and mix well. Let all the masala fry and blend well. Cook till the chicken is almost done.
5. Lastly add the yoghurt and coconut milk and mix it into the gravy. Let it cook for about 3 minutes. Put off the flame.

Garnish:

1. Onions – 4 medium (Sliced and fried in oil till dark brown, almost black, and kept aside.)
2. Potatoes – 6 medium (Either halve or cut lengthwise, ensure they are not cut too small. Par boil in salt water and fry till golden.)
3. Food colour – a pinch of yellow, green, orange (soaked in 2 tbsp of milk each)
4. Or Saffron – a few strands soaked in milk.

Finally the Biryani!

1. Take a big handi (saucepan), put in generous portion of melted ghee or butter. Grate nutmeg about ½ tbsp and move the ghee/ butter to all parts of the handi/saucepan so that it is well coated.
2. Now, make the first layer with rice, put half of the coloured milk, arrange the chicken and gravy and then put the fried onions, and potatoes.
3. Repeat this process one more time. There will be three layers of rice and two layers of chicken curry.
4. Finally seal the handi or sauce pan with dough. Place a tava/flat pan on the gas, and the biryani handi/sauce pan on it for 45 – 50 mins.

Chicken biryani is ready to be served. Tastes yummy with raita, specially boondi raita.

* Adding salt when frying onions is said to aid the process of browning the onions and also less oil is absorbed.

* If using salted butter, use salt accordingly in rice and gravy preparation.

* Garnishing is completely optional, you could use either of the ingredients mentioned or none at all. It's your choice but I gotta say, fried potatoes and onions taste awessssoooommmme with biryani!