Everyone loves a good biryani. It can easily put you in a festival mood. It can give you a much needed mood-lift after a tiring day. It can help make your menu look extravagant. It comes to no one's surprise when biryani became the go-to lunch at households while hosting guests. Now, making the perfectly flavoured, thoroughly cooked biryani is a true challenge. Let us help you out there. Here is an easy recipe (as easy as a biryani could get) to help you make mouthwatering chicken biryani at home.
Ingredients
For marination:
500 gm chicken
5-6 tbsp yoghurt
Salt as required
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 ½ tsp biryani masala (optional)
For rice:
1 cup basmati rice (rinsed)
2 pieces of cinnamon
3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
3 bay leaves
Salt as required
For the gravy:
3 tbsp ghee
2 onions (chopped)
Salt as required
5 green chillies
2 ginger pieces
8-10 garlic cloves
1 medium tomato (chopped)
1 cup water
Palm full of mint leaves (chopped)
Palm full of coriander leaves (chopped)
Fried nuts, raisins and onions
Chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves (garnish)
Preparation
Make a paste out of yoghurt, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and biryani masala
Coat the chicken with it
Allow it to marinate overnight or for at least 30 minutes
Soak the basmati rice for at least 30 minutes
Add salt, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and soaked basmati rice in hot water
Boil for 8-10 minutes
Drain the rice and keep aside
Heat ghee in a pan
Fry the cashews, raisins and onions separates
Add some more ghee
Saute onions with salt until they turn light brown in colour
Take green chilies, ginger, garlic and some water in a small mixer jar
Grind into smooth paste
Add this into the sauteed onions
Saute until the raw smell of these are gone
Add tomato and saute for a bit
Into it add the marinated chicken and water, mix well
Cook for 20-25 minutes on low flame
Add chopped mint and coriander leaves
Mix well and turn off the flame
Transfer half of the chicken including the gravy into a pan or biryani pot
Add some rice too
Add a layer of fried cashews, raisins, onions, coriander and mint leaves
Repeat the layers
Heat a tawa on low flame
Place the biryani pot over the hot tawa
Sprinkle some ghee on top
Cover it with a lid
Cook on dum for 20-25 minutes
Enjoy the biryani with raita and pickle.
