CHICKEN BIRIYANI

Chicken biriyani should be one of my signature dishes. Every single time I make it, I feel something is not right. My mother's chicken biriyani was great.  My mother-in-law also made a delicious chicken biriyani. Mine is a version that combines theirs. This recipe is my own. I make notes and try to improve it each time.  I think it is still evolving.  But for now, this is pretty good.

Ingredients

For the chicken curry base

Chicken - 2 kgs (4.4 lbs).  For this recipe, I used 7 chicken legs jointed into thighs and drumsticks - 14 pieces.

Garam masala - 1 tsp.  I make mine at home by grinding equal quantities of peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon, and few cardamom pods in a spice grinder.

Yogurt - 4 tbsp

Onions - 5 large cut into thin slices

Green chillies - 6 cut down the centre

Peppercorns - 1/4 tsp

Cloves - 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon - a few sticks

Ginger-garlic paste - 4 heaping tsps.  You may use store bought.  I make mine at home with fresh garlic and ginger. I use a 60-40 combination, of garlic and ginger to make the paste.

Tomatoes - 2 large cut into thin wedges

Chilli powder - 2 tsp (I used the shimla mirch variety for this recipe)

Coriander leaves - 8 sprigs chopped

Mint leaves - 1/4 cup chopped

Oil - 8 tbsp

Salt to taste

For the rice

Rice - 6 cups

Water - 20 cups

Pepper corns - 6

Cloves - 6

Cinnamon sticks - a few

Cardamom - 6 pods, with the shells lightly cracked open

Salt - 6 tsp

Limes - 2 (juice and keep aside)

Saffron - 1/2 tsp saffron threads dissolved in 1/2 cup of warm water 

Wash and drain chicken well.  Pat pieces dry.  Marinate chicken overnight (in the fridge) with 2 tbsp yogurt, 1 level tbsp salt and 1 heaped tsp of garam masala powder.

Use a large non stick pan or stainless steel utensil.  Turn the heat to high.  Heat 8 tbsps of oil.  Add the green chillies and the whole spices to the oil.  You will hear a sizzling sound.  Take care not to let the chillies or the spices burn.  Fry for 1 minute.  Add the thinly sliced onions.

Fry on high heat, stirring regularly, so the onions do not burn - 5 minutes.  Then add the 4 heaping teaspoonfuls of ginger garlic paste. Fry for another 5 minutes.  

Stir regularly to prevent the paste from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot.  As it fries, the g-g paste will start to have a cooked, fried aroma. You will know it is time for the next step, when the raw odour is completely gone.  Now add the marinated chicken.  Make sure the pieces of chicken get a good sear on all sides to seal in the juices.

Continue on high heat, and fry the chicken in the onion, g-g paste mixture.  Stir carefully.  Do not break up the  pieces of chicken. Fry until it dries out a bit, then add the remaining 2 tbsps of yogurt and cook it with the chicken.  Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, and chopped mint and coriander leaves.

Continue to cook on high heat, stirring to prevent burning and sticking to the bottom of the utensil.  Mash the tomato slices carefully so that it blends into a thick gravy mix for the biriyani.

Taste for salt and add as required.

Chicken cooks very fast.  Be careful not to overcook the chicken.  If the gravy is very thin and the chicken is already cooked, remove the chicken pieces and boil the gravy till it reduces to the desired consistency.

The chicken can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge.

Wash the rice and leave in a bowl to soak for half an hour.

Juice the two limes and keep aside.  Dissolve the saffron in warm water and keep aside.

In a large pot, add 20 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add the whole spices and 6 tsp of salt. 

Drain the rice.  When the water is at a rolling boil, add the rice.  The water will stop boiling when the rice is added. 

Bring the water back to a rolling boil and cook rice in boiling water for exactly 5 minutes.  Drain into a large colander.  The rice is not fully cooked at this point.  

Now it is time to start layering the biriyani.  I used two foil trays for this recipe.

Using a slotted spoon, gently layer rice into the foil trays.  Take care not to break the grains of rice.  

Sprinkle the rice with lemon juice and saffron water.  Add a layer of chicken.  

Cover with rice.  

Sprinkle the rice with lemon juice and saffron water.  Cover the trays with tin foil.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Put the foil wrapped trays of biriyani into the oven.

Bake for at least an hour.  Rice will cook completely and the chicken flavours get infused into the rice.  

Before serving, mix biriyani well.  Use a flat spoon to mix the rice and chicken and transfer to a serving platter.  Popular sides for biriyani are pappadums, onion raitha, mint raitha, Patak's aubergine pickle and other spicy pickles or relishes. I always have my mother's famous coconut chutney alongside biriyani. 

Enjoy!