This is the recipe I use to make Chicken Biriyani and it turns out good. It can serve 5-6 people. The recipe is courtesy my DF who works for a well established chain of hotels in the UK, hence the photos too.
How to cook Basmati Rice Perfectly?
Cooking basmati rice nice and fluffy makes your rice dishes look more beautiful. A little practice is all you need to cook this beautiful long grain rice. Here are a few tips for cooking basmati rice.
1- Wash rice 2-3 times under cold water to remove the starch.
2- Soak rice for atleast 30 minutes in plenty of water. This allows the rice to expand and cook without breaking during cooking.
3- Add a tbsp of butter or oil to the boiling water while cooking rice. This would make the grains separate.
4- Make sure you cook the rice in a wide bottomed pan and do not disturb the rice by stirring in between. This would result in breakage of the rice.
5- Let the cooked rice rest for a while before serving it.
Steps to making Delicious Biriyani:
There are 3 basic steps for cooking a delicious Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biriyani.
1- Marinating the chicken
2- Half cook the Basmati rice
3- Layering chicken and rice together for the biryani.
Note: Please adjust the marinade ingredients according to your spice levels.
Ingredients Required:
Now lets get into the things we need for these 3 steps.
For the Marinade
Chicken – 1 lb (about ½ kg) skinned, washed and cut into cubes (Boneless chicken can also be used but I prefer to use whole chicken with bones. Make sure you drain all the water after washing the chicken)
Ginger & Garlic Paste – 2 tsps
Mint leaves (pudina) – 10 sprigs (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves – 10 sprigs (finely chopped)
Saffron – 2 pinches soaked in 1/4 cup of milk
1 onion – finely sliced and deep fried till dark brown. (see pictures)
Yoghurt – 3/4 cup ( I used a measuring cup)
Chilli powder – 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala – 2 tbsps (lightly roasted in a pan on low heat for 30 secs)
juice of 1 big lemon (about 4 tbsps)
Oil – 1/4 cup
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Oil for deep frying the onions – 1/4 cup (do not use left over oil in the marinade after frying onions. discard or save it for a different dish)
For the rice
Basmati rice – 2 cups ( I used a measuring cup, wash under cold water and soak for 30 minutes then drain the entire water in a strainer and set aside)
Whole green Cardamom – 4
Cloves – 3
Black cumin seeds (Shahi jeera) – 3/4 tsp
Bay leaves – 2
Biryani flower ( Anasapuvvu) – 1
Black pepper corns – 4
Butter/oil/ghee – 1 tbsp
Salt – 4 tbsps
Water for boiling – 10 cups ( I used a measuring cup)
A wide & deep sauce pan to cook rice
For cooking in layers
1 wide heavy bottomed deep vessel / pot
A large dosa pan / flat bottomed skillet
Pinch of red orange color dissolved in 2 tbsps milk or water (optional)
Aluminium foil or a wet towel (squeeze the entire water) to cover the pan. Alternatively you can use whole wheat flour dough to seal the edges so that the steam doesn’t escape.
Now that you have all the ingredients ready. Lets take a peek at the recipe.
