Chicken Biryani - a straightforward home version
Biryani scares people off, but it really comes down to three things: rice cooked only part-way, chicken that has had time to marinate, and a proper dum at the end. The fourth hard part is the spice balance, and a ready biryani masala settles that. This version works in an ordinary pot or a pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- Basmati rice - 2 cups, soaked 30 minutes
- Chicken - 700 g
- Curd - 1 cup
- Onions - 3 large, thinly sliced
- Chavsamrat Biryani Masala - 3 tsp
- Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
- Chavsamrat Haldi Powder - 1/4 tsp
- Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
- Ghee or oil - 4 tbsp
- Mint and coriander - 1/2 cup each
- Milk - 1/4 cup, with saffron (optional)
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Marinate the chicken with curd, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, lemon juice, salt and 2 tsp of Chavsamrat Biryani Masala for at least an hour.
- Fry the sliced onions in ghee until deep brown. Take half out and keep aside for the top.
- Add the marinated chicken to the onions left in the pan and cook on high for 8-10 minutes.
- Lower the heat, cover, and cook until the chicken is about 80 percent done.
- Separately, boil the rice in plenty of salted water until only 70 percent cooked - a grain should still feel firm in the middle. Drain.
- Layer the rice over the chicken. Top with the reserved fried onions, mint, coriander, the last teaspoon of masala and the saffron milk.
- Seal the lid tightly. Sealing the rim with dough is better still.
- Give it dum on the lowest flame for 20-25 minutes. Do not lift the lid.
- Turn off the heat and let it stand 10 minutes, then fold gently from the bottom up.
Tips
- Over-cooked rice makes the biryani sticky. Drain at 70 percent, not later.
- Set the pot on a tawa during dum so the base does not catch.
- Serve with raita and onion-lemon on the side.