Restaurant Style Easy Breezy Chicken Biriyani

Chicken : 500 Gm.
Basmati Rice : 2 cups
Potato : 2-3(cut into half/quarter)
Cashew Nuts : 10-12
Onion : 4 (2 sliced + 2 chopped)
Ginger(grated) : 2 tblsp.
Garlic(grated) : 2tblsp.
Green chillies : 2(finely chopped)
Tomatoes(chopped) : 3(medium)
Curd/yogurt : 1/2 cup
Lemon juice : 1 tsp.
Black Pepper powder : 1 tsp.
Oil : 6-7 tblsp.
Ghee/clarified butter : 2 tblsp.
Ginger Julienne : 2 tblsp.(ginger cut into thin long strips)
Bay leaves : 2-3
Cardamom : 5-6
Cloves : 5-6
Cinnamon : 3(1" pieces)
Turemric powder : 2 tsp.
Red Chilli powder : 2-3 tsp.(as per your taste)
coriander Powder : 2 tsp.
Garam masala Powder : 2 tsp.
Garam masala Powder/biriyani masala : 2 tsp.Saffron : few strands soaked in 3-4 tblsp. warm milk
Meetha Attar(flavouring used in Biriyani and same kind of dishes) : 1 tsp. (it's optional, but it gives the special flavour to Biriyani-available in Indian grocery stores)

Cut the chicken into medium size pieces and wash them. In a bowl, take curd, little salt, 1 tsp. red chilli powder, black pepper powder, 1 tblsp. each of ginger and garlic paste and lemon juice. Mix all the spices well and marinate the chicken pieces in this spice mix for at least 1 hour. More the merrier. Clean and soak the rice in water for 1/2 an hour. Take 4 tblsp. warm milk and soak saffron strands in it for 1/2 an hour.To make the rice, take a big bowl, boil water and add rice in it. Flavour the water with 1 bay leaf, 2-3 cardamoms, 2-3 cloves and 1 cinnamon stick. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook until rice is 1/2 done. This is very important. Otherwise, rice will look messy, not seperated. Drain and keep the whole spices with rice.For biriyani, we need to prepare brown and crispy fried onions. For that, take a frying pan, add the whole oil in it. Deep fry the sliced onions until brown and crispy. Take out, soak the excess oil in kitchen tissue and set aside.In the same oil, fry cahew nuts until slightly brown, Keep aside.  Smear potatoes with a pinch of salt and fry in the same oil until brown from all sides. Set aside. To prepare the chicken, Take out 2-3 tblps. oil from the pan, keep about 3-4 tblsp. oil in there. Add 1 bay leaf, 2 nos. of each cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves. When they turn slightly brown and starts to crackle, add chopped onions. Saute till they change their color. Add rest of the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies. Stir for a minute or two. Then add chopped tomatoes and all the powdered spices. When oil starts to come on the top, add marinated chicken and mix well with spice paste. Cook in medium flame for about 7-8 minutes. When oil seperates, add 1 cup hot water in it, add fried potatoes, season with salt and with closed lid in medium flame let it cook.When water dries up completely and chicken is cooked, remove from heat. Water have to dry up completely and the gravy will coat nicely with the chicken pieces. Finally, to assemble rice and chicken, take a big pan. Add 1 tblsp. Ghee/clarified butter, spread a layer of cooked rice, pour 1/2 of saffron soaked milk with saffron allover the rice, sprinkle little salt, 1/2 of ginger juliennes, 1 tsp. garam masala powder/biriyani masala, 1/2 tsp. of meetha attar and 1/2 of brown onions. Then spread all the chicken pieces evenly allover the rice. Again make a final layer of rice. Repeat with ghee, salt, saffron milk, 1 tsp. of garam masala/biriyani masala, Meetha attar, brown onions and ginger juliennes. Finally, throw the fried cahew nuts. Cover with aluminium foil or a lightly closed lid. Now, we have to cook this in very slow fire, so that all the spices and herbs can incorporate well in rice and chicken. For that, keep the pan on a griddle plate/tawa and heat the tawa in low flame, Keep the pan for about 10-12 minutes. When done, keep it in closed lid until serving.All the goodness of spices and herbs will intermingle and you will get a delicious, flavourful Chicken Biriyani. When serving, just give it quick stir and serve. Biriyani should accompany a raita and salad. Raita is a Spicy Indian condiment, based on yogurt/dahi, used as a sauce or dip. Raita is a neccesary accompaniment with Biriyani/Pulao.

 Preperation : Take 1 cup of yogurt in a bowl, beat a little with a spoon. Add salt to taste, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. red chilli powder(or to taste), 1 tsp. roasted cumin seed powder. Mix well. Add chopped cucumber in it and mix well again. Serve.