• [Indian]

Chicken Biryani

• Source Nita Mehta's The Best of Chicken & Paneer

• 2 cups basmati rice  (uncooked)
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 Tablespoon ghee
• 1/2 Teaspoon black cumin
• 700-800 Gram chicken  (pieces)
• 4 onion  (chopped)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon garlic-ginger paste
• 2 tomato  (large - chopped)
• 1 Cup thick curd  (hung yoghurt will do?)
• 1 Teaspoon chilli powder
• salt  (to taste)
• 5-6 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 Cup onions  ((2-3 onions) sliced and fried til crisp & brown)
• 1/2 Cup fresh mint leaves  (whole )
• 1-3 saffron strands  (dissolve in 1 tsp warm milk - or few drops of orange colour)
• 2-3 Drop kewra essence
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3-4 green cardamom
• 3-4 clove
• 5cm cinnamon stick
• 2-3 black peppercorn
• 2 black cardamom

1. To cook the rice: boil 6-7 cups water with bay, salt and oil. Add the rice and cook until almost tender. Strain and spread the drained rice on a wide tray. Run a fork through the rice to let the steam escape.
2. To cook the chicken: heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add chopped onions. Stir fry till brown. Add 1 1/2 TB ginger-garlic paste. Stir for 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes. Cook till dry. Add curd. Stir for a minute. Add salt, chilli powder and chicken. Bhuno for 30 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook till chicken turns tender. If there is any extra curry, dry it on fire. Keep on fire till you get a thick masala gravy. Remove from fire. Keep aside.
3. Grind all the ingredients after kewra essence/ starting cumin seeds ('flavouring masala') by adding 1/4 cup water to a paste. Add 1/2 cup water to the paste and strain it. Keep liquid masala aside.
4. For assembling the biryani: take a large heavy bottomed pan, sprinkle some curry of the chicken at the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the rice. Place 1/2 the chicken pieces on it and wet the rice with 2 TB of masala gravy of the chicken, Sprinkle 1/3 of the fried onion and mint leaves on it. Sprinkle 2-3 TB liquid flavouring masala.
5. repeat by adding rice, then chicken, sprinkle 2-3 TB curry, followed by mint leaves, fried onions and flavouring masala, 2-3 drops of kewra and colour.
6. Heat 3 TB ghee in a pan. Splutter 1/2 tsp black cumin and pour on the biryani.
7. Cover pan with a tight fitting lid and seal the lid with dough (or tin foil). Place pan on the fire with a tawa underneath to reduce the heat ti minimum for 1/2 hour before serving.

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