Indian Briyani Recipe

Ingredients for Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani :

(Tsp-Teaspoon; Tbsp-Tablespoon)

- Chicken - 1 kg (large pieces with bones)

For marinating the Chicken :
- Red Chilli Powder - 5 tsp
- Coriander powder - 4 tsp
- Salt - 2 tsp
- Ginger garlic paste - 4 tbsp
- Green cardamom powder (only seeds & strained ) - 3/4 tsp
- Shah Jeera whole - 1 tsp
- Cloves ( Lavang) - 10 pcs
- Cinnamon ( Dalchini) - 8 nos
- Onions, fried crisp & crushed - 7-8 tbsp or 4 medium onions
- Coriander leaves, fine chopped - 1 cup
- Mint leaves (Pudina) , rough chopped - 1/2 cup
- Lemon juice- 1 lemon ( 3 tsp)
- Green chillies, crushed - 5 nos (2 tbsp)
- Beaten/ whisked curd - 300 ml
- Oil ( in which onion was fried), cooled - 1 cup

For cooking rice & Dum cooking :

- Basmati Rice - 750 gms
- Shah Jeera - 3/4 tsp
- Green cardamom - 4
- Cloves - 4
- Cinnamon- 2 pieces
- Salt- 2 1/2 tablespoons
- Saffron strands soaked in warm milk
- Water to boil the rice- around 2.5 litres
- Onions, sliced fine & fried crisp (birista) - 2 medium (4 tbsp)
- Mint leaves - around 10- 15 leaves
- Water to be taken out after boiling rice - 1/2 cup
- Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Foil to use for Dum cooking

Preparation :

- Clean & wash the chicken. Strain the water completely.
- Slice 4 medium onions & fry in oil till golden (birista). Remove & once cool, crush it with your hands.
- Reserve 1 cup of this oil that was used for frying the onions.
- Take out seeds from around 15 green cardamoms. Make a powder of it and strain it to give 3/4 tsp powder.
- Fine chop 1 cup coriander leaves, rough chop 1/2 cup mint leaves & roughly crush the 5 green chillies.

To marinate:
- Take the heavy bottom pan that will be used to cook the Biryani on DUM and add the chicken pieces. Now add all the items for the marinade. Mix well, cover & set it aside for 2 hrs.

One hour after marinating the chicken (or one hour before cooking the rice):-
- Take 1/2 cup of warm milk & soak few strands of saffron. Mix it with a spoon.

30 mins prior to cooking the rice:-
- Wash & soak the Basmati Rice for 30 mins.
- Slice 2 medium onions & fry in oil till golden (birista)
- Take out around 10-15 mint leaves.

Process:

- Take a heavy bottomed pan or hot pot & add around 2.5 litres of water to cook the rice . Place it on high heat to boil the water.
- You may include the water in which rice was soaked in this 2.5 litres for enhanced flavour & taste.
- While the water is coming to a boil, add 3/4 tsp Shah Jeera, 4 Green cardamom, 4 Cloves, 2 Cinnamon pieces.
- Add 2 1/2 tablespoon Salt
- Stir it well to dissolve the salt completely. The water must be very salty.
- Once the water is boiling add the strained basmati rice & stir it well.
- Continue to boil it on high heat, stirring few times very gently to not break the rice.
- Exactly after 5 minutes on high heat, start scooping out the half cooked rice with the slotted ladle & spread it on the arranged chicken in the heavy bottomed pan/ Lagan . Continue doing that till half of the rice is taken out.
- Now spread half of the birista & all of the mint leaves.
- Spread out the balance rice on top of the 1st layer of rice.
- Lastly take out 1/2 cup of the hot rice water & add 1 tbsp ghee in it. Mix it well & pour it uniformly on the rice.
- Now, seal the pan with foil to cover it completely . Fold it in & place the lid on top.
- Place this pan directly on heat for 10 mins on high heat. Place a bowl filled with water on top of this for weight.
- After 10 mins, take a heavy tawa & shift the pan onto the tawa to cook on DUM.
- Keep on high heat for 2mins & lower the flame to low & cook on DUM for 30 mins.
- Switch off heat and remove the tawa but not the bowl.
- Allow it to rest for an hour. After an hour remove the lid and the foil and give a gentle mix