chicken

Ingredients






Chicken - 1 lb(500 gms) -Large pieces, preferably thighs



Chili Powder - 1 tsp



Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp



Yogurt - 1 tbsp



Gharam masala - As required(or use whole cloves, cinnamon, star anise and basil leaves)



Ginger - One piece - thinly sliced



Green Chili -2 -thinly sliced



Garlic - 2 large pods(10 small pods) - thinly sliced



Onion - 1/2 medium size - sliced



Tomato - 1 small - sliced



water - 1/4 cup(for cooking Chicken)



salt - according to taste



Basmati Rice - 2 cups ( Malabar Biriyani uses a special small grain rice called Jeeraga samba rice, it has a special fragrance enhancing the biriyani taste, But it is not always available in other parts of the world.)



Onion -1 medium - sliced thinly for frying



Raisins and Cashews(Optional)



Water - 4 cups



Ghee(Clarified Butter) - 2 tsp



Vegetable oil - 1 tsp



Pudina(mint leaves) and coriander leaves -thinly sliced.



Preparation method:





Clean the Chicken pieces add chili powder, turmeric powder,gharam masala(or whole masala like cloves, cinnamon, star anise, basil leaves for best taste). Coarse grind Green chili, garlic and ginger and add to chicken pieces. Add yogurt and mix well. Keep it aside for 15 minutes .







Cook the Chicken with 1/4 cup of water in a thick bottomed vessel until the chicken is cooked(around 30 minutes, meat should stay on bones). Keep the vessel covered during cooking.Warm up the 4 cups of water near boil.Take the cooked chicken pieces out of the liquids remaining in the vessel and measure the liquid remaining.



Wash the Basmati rice with water to remove any impurities.



In a thick bottom vessel(must have a properly fitting lid), add the oil and ghee and heat it.



Fry the onion slices over low heat till golden brown, separate from oil and keep it aside.



Fry Cashew and raisins and keep it aside.Add the basmati rice to the oil and fry for 1 minute(just warm up only, so that rice is covered with oil) Add the remaining liquid from Chicken to the rice Add the enough warm water so that total liquid in rice is around 3 and 1/2 cups.(Rice cooking time and water requirements varies by variety of rice, add the remaining water if rice dries up)Add salt to taste and some gharam masala or whole spices.







Cook the rice at high heat till the water starts boil and cover the lid and Cook at low heat till the rice absorbs all the water(This is the tricky as there are chances that rice sticks to the bottom if dries up, or the rice is not cooked properly, make sure the the water used is slightly less than the amount of rice and cook at low heat and check the rice when you see the steam coming out of the rice almost stops). When complete, rice must be soft, but it should not stick to each other







In a pan add 1/2 of the rice as a layer at bottom and then add the chicken pieces and spread half of the pudina and coriander leaves and the fried onions and nuts..again spread a layer of rice and add nuts ..and again spread remaining rice .add 1/4 tp garam masala

Garnish with remaining Pudina and Coriander leaves, fried onions , cashew and raisins. cover the pan tightly to dum the biriyani.cook in low heat for 5 -8 minutes..!

You can replace the ingredients with store bought ginger garlic paste, biriyani masala etc.

Mushroom Dum Biriyani

A tasty biryani with mushrooms.

Ingredients

• Button mushrooms, quartered 15-20 medium
• Basmati rice, soaked 1 1/2 cups
• Bay leaf 1
• Cloves 4
• Green cardamoms 2
• Black cardamoms 2
• Cinnamon 1 inch piece
• Mace 1 blade
• Salt to taste
• Oil 2 teaspoons
• Onions, thinly sliced 2 medium
• Ginger paste 2 teaspoons
• Garlic paste 2 teaspoons
• Red chilli powder 2 teaspoons
• Coriander powder 1 tablespoon
• Black peppercorns, crushed 1/2 tablespoon
• Cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Tomatoes, pureed 2 medium
• Skimmed milk yogurt, whisked 1/2 cup
• Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped 1/4 cup
• Fresh mint leaves, torn 1/4 cup
• Kewra water 4-5 drops
• Saffron (kesar) a pinch
• Skimmed milk 1/4 cup

Method

• Bring four cups of water to a boil in a thick-bottomed vessel. 
• Add bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms, black cardamoms, cinnamon, mace and one teaspoon salt. 
• When the water starts boiling rapidly, drain the soaked basmati rice and add. 
• Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring frequently or until the rice is three fourths done. 
• Drain in a colander.
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add sliced onions and stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes or until the onion turns translucent. 
• Add ginger paste, garlic paste and sauté briefly. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, crushed peppercorns, cumin powder and turmeric powder. 
• Stir-fry briefly and add the pureed tomatoes. 
• Continue cooking over high heat for another two to three minutes, stirring continuously or until masala is fairly thick. 
• Add the whisked skimmed milk yogurt, garam masala powder and half the quantity of chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves.
•  Stir well and cook for two minutes more. 
• Add the quartered button mushrooms and salt to taste. 
• Stir-fry over high heat for two to three minutes and remove from heat. 
• Arrange the cooked rice and mushroom masala in alternate layers in an oven proof dish (or Biryani handi), sprinkling the remaining chopped fresh coriander and torn mint leaves, kewra water and saffron dissolved in skimmed milk after each layer. 
• Ensure that the top most layer is of rice. Cover the assembled biryani with a tight fitting lid and seal the edges with kneaded atta dough (if required). 
• Keep the sealed dish on a medium hot tawa and leave for ten to fifteen minutes. You can also place a few burning charcoals on the lid.
•  Alternatively, leave the sealed dish in a preheated oven at 200C for ten to fifteen minutes. Break the seal and open the biryani, just before serving.