Chicken Biriyani

 

Ingredients

 

1) Chicken - Around 10-12 medium pieces or 2 cornish game hen

Marinate the chicken pieces with the items under marinade for at least 4-5 hrs.

Marinade

2) Chilly powder - 2 tsp

3) Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

4) Fresh ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

5) Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp

6) Pepper powder – half tsp

7) Garam masala – 1 tsp ( If your garam masala does not have fennel powder as an ingredient you can also add 1 tsp fennel powder since it gives a nice aroma and flavor to meat preparations. Find the recipe for home-made garam masala below.)

8) Biriyani masala powder – 2 tsp (Find its recipe below)

9) Yoghurt – 1 tbsp

10) Salt - As required

11) Rice - Around 2.5 cups of basmati rice

Cooking Rice

  To cook rice I usually follow the draining method. Soak the basmati rice for around 30 mts. Boil water in a deep vessel. To the boiling water add ghee – 2 tsp, whole spices (peppercorns- 10, cloves – 6, cardamoms - 2, bay leaves-2, cinnamon - 2, fennel seeds – half tsp, star anise- 2 and mace - 3). I usually add lots of whole spices. Add enough salt. The water should be slightly salty. Now add the soaked rice and cook it to the perfect consistency. Drain the water and allow the rice to cool.

Chicken preparation

Ingredients

12) Onion – 2 red onion medium sized, sliced lengthwise and thin

13) Tomato – 1 medium sized, seeded and chopped

14) Ginger – 1 inch piece

15) Garlic – 6-7

16) Thai green chillies – 10 (Adjust the chillies and spices according to your spice tolerance)

17) Curry leaves – 1 sprig

18) Pearl onion – 5-6 (optional)

19) Whole spices – cardamom – 2, Cloves – 5-6, cinnamon stick – 1-2, bay leaves – 1-2 , pepper corns – 5-6, mace -1, star anise -1

Method

1)Coarsely grind the ginger, garlic, pearl onion, green chillies and the whole spices in a mixer.

2)Heat around 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan and add the sliced onions to it. When the onion becomes light brown, add the coarsely ground mixture, curry leaves and sauté well for a few minutes.

 

 

3) Add the chopped tomato and cook for a few minutes.

 

4) Now add the marinated chicken, mix everything well and cover it with a lid and cook the it in low flame. It will take at least 45 mts - 1 hour for the chicken to be properly cooked. When the chicken is done, check for salt and masala. You can add 1/2 tsp fennel powder or garam masala if you wish. Mix well. Switch off the flame.

 

 

 

Garnish

I usually fry the cashews, raisins, onion, coriander leaves and then prepare the chicken in the same pan with just enough oil.

1. Fried onion – 1 onion sliced lengthwise. Fry it in hot oil stirring occasionally, until browned.

2. Cilantro – 1 bunch chopped and fried till crispy (It will take only around 5-10 mts and it will be crispy and deep green in color). You can use fresh chopped cilantro if you wish.

3. Mint leaves – Half bunch, chopped fine

4. Grated carrot – 1 (Optional)

5. Cashews , Raisins – Around 1/4 - 1/2 cup each, fried in oil

6. Julienned ginger – 1 inch cut lengthwise and very thin

7. Pineapple – Around 1/4 cup (I usually use canned pineapple tidbits)

8. Tomato - 1, Seeded, sliced lengthwise and then fried until cooked and lightly browned. Its also optional. We didn’t use it.

 

Layering

For layering you need a cookware which can be put on stove or which is oven-safe. I usually use a stainless steel stock pot to layer the rice and chicken since it can be used for both purposes. The biriyani can also be served in it.

Smear the base of the cookware with ghee. Then add the fried onions, fried cilantro, cashews, raisins, mint leaves, grated carrot, pineapple, julienned ginger, fried tomato and chicken. You can pour a little gravy over the chicken pieces. Now add the rice and repeat the process. You can sprinkle some fennel powder or biriyani masala and ghee on each layer. The top-most layer should be that of rice with the items under garnish.  You can pour the chicken gravy over it. Now seal the cookware with an aluminium foil (so that moisture won’t escape), cover with its lid and bake it at 350 F for around 15-20 mts (depending on the cookware you use). If you are planning to keep it for long, cook the rice only till it is 95% done or so. If you are using stovetop keep it at low flame for around 10-15 mts. Serve hot with boiled eggs, raita, papad and lemon pickle. You will never go wrong with this recipe :-) This recipe serves around 6-8 people.

 

 

Recipe for biriyani masala (Yield - 1.5 - 2 tbsp)

1.  Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp

2.  Cloves - 4-5

3.  Cardamom - 1-2

4.  Cinnamon stick- 2 inch

5.  Star anise - 1/2 flower

6.  Whole pepper corns - 10

7.  Poppy seeds (Kus Kus) - 1/2 tsp

8.  Bay leaves - 1 leaf

9.  Mace (javithri) - 2

Dry roast all these spices lightly, cool down and grind to a fine powder. Dry roasting is optional.

 

Tips:

1. You can sprinkle some saffron in coconut milk while layering. It gives an extra taste and color.
2. Cooking the chicken in ghee instead of oil will give an extra taste though it isn’t recommended health-wise.
3. If you deep/shallow fry the chicken after it is cooked, the chicken will remain firm and more tasty.
4. Adding cashew paste ( of around 10 whole cashews soaked in water for 10 mts or so) and/or coconut milk (around 1 -2tbsp) also gives an extra taste to the chicken gravy.
5. You can use store-bought fried onion for garnishing.
6. Use pearl onion (Around 15-20) instead of onion to make the chicken gravy more tasty.  You can crush it along with the green chillies, garlic, ginger and whole spices.

Technorati Tags: Kerala Dishes