Ever since i got passionate about cooking, i have always craved to cook up the everyman's favorite - "Biryani"! And that too chicken biryani....
Longing and actually dishing it up are 2 entirely different things... As i prepared to cook it up all by myself (The 1st time i am cleaning chicken and cooking it!), a friend of mine suggested that she too join me. I agreed. A lot of "hidden secret" ingredients came in, from her kitchen. I am glad, that i had her here to help me out - in fact, to actually cook it with my assistance! In due course of this dish, I learnt all those secrets of making the "right" chicken biryani.
Secret ingredients, in the order of importance :
1. Black cumin seeds/ shahi jeera
2. Star aniseed
3. Nutmeg
4. Mace (Javetri) - the outer covering of the nutmeg!
5. pudina (which i did not use :( , unfortunately )
6. Basmati rice/biryani Rice (Long grained rice)
Other ingredients : (for 4 servings)
1. 4 Onions
2. 2 Tomatoes
3. few mint leaves
4. few coriander leaves
5. bay leaves
6. cloves
7. cardamom
8. cinnamon sticks
9. red chilli powder
10. garam/biryani masala(If desired)
11. 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
12. butter/oil/ghee (I would use, all 3!!!)
13. 2 tsp lemon juice
14. 500 gms curd
15. Ofcourse the chicken - 750 gms!!!
16. Salt to taste
17. food color
18. 2 tsp milk
19. few strands of saffron
there are 3 basic steps to build up entire biryani
1. Chicken Marinade
2. Cooked rice
3. Baking/Cooking of rice and chicken together
1. Marinade :
Take 750gms of chicken, 500 gms of curd, 1 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 1 tsp of garam masala(biryani masala), 1 tsp of salt(or amount of salt required for chicken), 1 tsp of coriander powder; mix all of them and keep aside for half an hour.
2. Rice cooking :
Wash and soak the basmati rice for at least half an hour.Take a vessel, fill it with 3/4th water, add a good dose of oil, 2 cardamom, 2 cloves, few bay leaves,2 cinnamon sticks, 2 tsp of shahi jeera/black cumin seeds. Add enough salt, such that the water is salty. Allow the water to boil, add the soaked rice to. After the rice is half done, strain it through a colander.
3. Cooking of rice and chicken together
To a vessel of thick base, add 3 dollops of butter, 3 spoons of ghee and 3 spoons of oil. When hot, add cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, shahi jeera, mace, nutmeg, star aniseed, cloves, ginger garlic paste, finely chopped onions. Let them fry till they are golden brown. This is a tedious process - it takes at least 20 minutes, uff... But will have to do it for the flavored final product you see! ;)
Add finely chopped tomatoes, fry them. add red chilli powder, garam masala (If required), and then the marinated chicken. Cook it, until the chicken is soft. Add chopped coriander, mint leaves and lemon juice. toss it.
Once this is ready, take a pan/broad mouthed vessel, apply a tsp of ghee/butter as coating. Now spread a layer of drained rice, then chicken gravy, rice and gravy and to top it all, rice again. Now mix saffron/food color in milk and pour them over the top most layer of rice.
Cook this mixture for 30 minutes on fire/oven in the order given below.
First 5 minutes on high flame
Next 15 minutes on medium flame
Next 10 minutes on low flame
Here it is... All set to be served, by just mixing it very carefully so that you dont mash the rice. Aww, i can get the flavour of this dish!!!
I am glad that i could dish up such a delicacy and serve my husband. You wont believe, but i got appreciated for all my efforts by winning a bar of roasted almond chocolate! Aww... tehre i go to pick them up from my fridge and i shall indulge myself in the bar the rest of the day :)
P.S: all are healthy, after having this dish! ;)
tc,
N:astro
