CHICKEN BIRIYANI

Biriyani is my favorite for special occasions. Everybody has a favorite way of eating biriyani. My mother needs a whole boiled egg along with her biriyani. My favorite combination is biriyani, dates pickle, pickled onions, and pappadam. I started making biriyani from Mrs. K M Mathew's cookbook. Now, I use a combination of Mrs. K M Mathew's and my mom's recipes.

RECIPE

1. 750gms. chicken pieces
2. 2 Tbsp. ginger-garlic paste(pulse equivalent amount of fresh garlic+ginger and green chilies, tastes even better, ginger-garlic paste is an easy option, when there is less time on hand)
3. 1/2 tsp mace powder
4. 3 tsp cumin powder 
5. 1 tsp clove powder
6. 1 tsp cinnamon powder
7. 1 tsp fenugreek powder
8. 1 tsp turmeric powder
9. 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, depending on the sourness of the yogurt
10. 5 heaping Tbsp. curd(I used whole milk yogurt)
11. 3/4 cup mint leaves(30 gms)
12. 1/2 cup coriander leaves(30 gms. )
13. green chilies or chili powder as per taste(10 gms. thai chilies)
14. 2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced (250 gms)
15. 2 Tbsp. oil
16. 2 Tbsp. ghee or butter 
17. 10 cashewnuts(optional)
18. 2- 3 dates(optional)
19. salt to taste( go easy on the salt, I like the sourness to stand out)

For the biriyani rice 

1. 2 cups basmati rice soaked in water for at least 20 minutes. Cook the rice. This is how I do it.
2. 10 cups of water
3. salt to taste(3-1/2 tsp) 
4. 2 Tbsp ghee
5. 1/2 medium-sized onion(60gms), sliced very thinly
6. 2 Tbsp raisins 
7. 2 Tbsp cashews

METHOD

Marinating the chicken:

• Wash, clean, and drain the chicken, and keep it aside.
• Put the curds, mint leaves, and coriander leaves in a mixie jar and blend them into a puree. 
  
  
  
  

• Marinate the chicken with the mint-curd chutney and salt.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
  
  
  
  

MAKING THE RICE:

Cooking the rice

• In a big pot, bring the water to a boil. Once it boils, add salt. Taste and see. The water should taste pleasantly salty. Put in the washed and drained basmati rice.  Cover and cook. Bring it to a boil.

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
• Turn off the stove and cover it for 6 minutes when the rice boils. After 6 minutes, turn on the stove and bring to a boil again. Turn off the heat, drain, and keep aside. The rice will be 80% cooked.

• After 5 minutes of draining, transfer the rice to a bowl, add the ghee, and gently stir.

FRYING THE ONIONS FOR THE GARNISH AND MAKING THE CURRY

• Slice the onions for the curry. I use the slicing blade of my food processor.
  

         

• Keep the sliced onions, cashews, and the raisins ready. Heat a wok on the stove. When warm, pour in the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the ghee. Once the ghee melts, add the sliced onions reserved for the rice garnish. Sauté on high heat till the onions are soft. Then reduce the heat to low and keep stirring until golden brown, for about 15 minutes. Just before draining out the onions, add the raisins and cashews. Fry slightly. Drain and keep aside. Don't wait to drain the last bit of fried onion. The oil will get hot, and the last remaining onions will burn.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Add the remaining onions (to make the curry) with the remaining oil in the same pan. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and green chilies and sauté on low heat until the paste is cooked well. Then add the spice powders and sauté.
• Then, add the marinated chicken and marinade. Sauté the chicken until well cooked, about 20 minutes. Paste the nuts and dates and add for a thicker gravy. This is optional.
• Check for salt when cooked, and add lemon juice if the curry needs more sourness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
          

        

LAYERING THE BIRIYANI:

• The rice, chicken curry, and fried onion mixture are ready now. You can make them ahead and assemble them before serving.
• About 30 minutes before serving, take a large bowl, add a layer of cooked basmati rice, sprinkle some fried onion mixture, and add a layer of chicken curry without much gravy.

                                       

• Now top it with rice and press the rice down tightly with the spoon.
  
  

• Cover the top of the bowl with a wet cloth (the wet cloth will prevent steam from escaping and fluff up the rice) and microwave on high for 5-7 minutes. (The time for microwaving depends on the quantity taken.)
• Let it stand in the microwave for a few minutes. Remove the bowl from the cloth and sprinkle with the fried onion mixture. Serve while still hot. Serve the gravy separately, along with some chicken. Microwaving is the easiest way to serve the final dish. My mother uses the microwave method.
  

  

• I like it with pickled onions , salad and pappadam.
  

  

NOTES 

• When the chicken and rice are taken out of the fridge, heat a pan, add the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Then top it with rice. Dab it. Garnish with the fried onions and cashews. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then turn the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes. Please note: Do not steam the chicken, as it becomes watery and the taste does not stand out. Even if the chicken curry is frozen, please do not steam it. The rice can be steamed. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• If you prefer to bake it, bake it in a preheated oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour.

NOTES

• The curry's gravy is good enough to cling to the chicken pieces and flavor the rice. The cashew nut date renders volume and some sweetness to the curry and emulsifies the oil. 
• Most biriyani rice recipes call for cooking the rice until 1/2 or 3/4 cooked. It's very difficult for me to judge the right doneness, so I cook for a set amount of time to ensure the rice isn't overcooked.
• You can chop the leaves and add them while sautéing the onions if you're not adding them to the marinade.
• The date-cashew mixture is optional.