Chicken Dum Biriyani

     Its party time. We have biriyani only during special occations as my husband likes fish curry and rice the most. My son and myself likes Biriyani especailly chicken biriyani. I first learned to make fish biriyani.Then eventually chicken,prawns,mutton and even vegetable biriyani. Vegetable biriyani is a must try one as each and everyone of you will like it.I am sure.

Before starting with the ingredients the important things that you should know about biriyani is that

1) The quality of the basmathi rice used.

2) How fresh and tender the meat or fish is.

3) And finally the ingredients or the masalas.

In my biriyani the ingredients are very less compared to others.

Chicken- 1 medium (1-1.5 kg) Cut, cleaned and sliced according to your requirement.

Basmathi Rice- 4 cups ( I use India gate classic basmathi rice) Wash and soak for at least half an hour

Whole spices to cook with rice-( 1  four inch cinnamon stick, 5 cloves, 5 cardamon)

Onion- 8 medium sliced

Shallots- 2 hands full

Green chillies-10-12 according to the level of your spicyness

Garlic- 10 pcs (I use more garlic and ginger)

Ginger- 1 two inch piece.

Tomatoes- 4 medium or 3big

Fennel seed- 2 heaped tablespoon

Garam Masala pwd- 1-1/2 tsp

Turmeric pwd- 1/2 tsp

Fresh Coriander leaves- 1 big bunch ( approximately 1-1/2 cup)

Curd- 1/4 cup

Salt

Oil- 4tbspoon

Ghee- 3 tbspoon

Cashew/Raisins - few(optional)

Heat a large pan or kadai in which you can cook the chicken. Add the oil and 2 tablespoon ghee. You can use ghee alone if you want it to be very tastey and is not haelth consious. Roast the cashew and raisins at this point if you are using it. I usually go for it if there are visitors. Roast and keep aside for final decoration. You can also roast some onions in the similar manner for final decoration.

Add the sliced onions, shallots, grated ginger/garlic and green chillies slit into two and saute for few minutes till the onions turn golden brown in low flame. It takes around 20- 30 minutes.

Add in the masalas fennel pwd,turmeric, garam masala pwd and roast for 5 minutes.

Add in the cleaned chicken pcs and sliced tomatoes.Add salt to taste and give some good stir. Below you can see this.

Once the chicken in 3/4 cooked ( around 10-15 minutes) add in curd and  some corainder leaves and cook for further 5 minutes. The gravy should be thick and shoud not be watery.

 In the mean time cook the rice.

In a large pot fill 3/4 with water and add salt and the whole spices and let boil. Once it begin to boil stain the water off from the rice and add the rice into the boiling water. Cook until 3/4 done( around 10  minutes). Kindly note that the rice must not be fully cooked otherwise the final product will be mushy.

You can remove the whole spices and strain the water off and keep it ready for the layering process.

In another pan (with lid)in which you are going to put alternate layers of rice and the chicken masala, heat over the stove and spread one layer of rice.Over that place some chicken pcs along with the gravy and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. Then follwed by rice and then by chicken and coriander leaves ans finally one more layer of rice.

Sprinkle the remaining coriander leaves and the roasted cahew and raisins.

Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee over the rice and along the corners of this pan so that the ghee oozes to the bottom.

Take a long spoon and poke holes into the rice with the handle .These act as vents through which the steam can rise and cook the biriyani.Cover the pan with an air tight lid and place this on a heated tawa. If you dont have a big tawa you can place directly on the gas flame but remember to reduce the flame to very low. Cook for another 20 minutes.It is quite normal for the biriyani to be burnt in the bottom of the pan if you keep directly on the flame.

I usually place the pan in the conventional oven at 160 degreeC for 20-30 minutes till it is served.

Enjoy with raita, papadam and pickle.