Chicken Dum Biriyani

Biriyani...who doesn't like biriyani,right?!! This biriyani has a unique taste that is worth giving it a try.I learnt this recipie from one of our friends family.Many thanks to Usha aunty for sharing her wonderful recipe with me.Absolutely loved it...... what more can I say...:) Give it a try and you will love it too...:)

Ingredients :
Rice                     - 4 cups
Onion                  - 3 medium size(slice it)
Tomatoes            - 8 (chop  it)
Green Chillies    - 5
Ginger garlic paste - 3 Tbsp
Chicken                 - 2 & 1/2 lbs (1 &1/4 kg)
Mint                   - 1/2 bunch(chop it)
Cilantro             -  1/2  bunch(chop it)
Curd                   - 3 Tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chillie powder    - 3Tbsp ( 11/2 Tbsp for the chicken marination and 11/2 Tbsp for the biriyani)
Biriyani masala - 1  Tbsp ( any brand)
Clove                 - 8
Cardamom         - 5
Cinnamon          - 4
Bay Leaves        - 2

First & foremost : Clean the chicken and marinate the chicken pieces with salt,chillie powder,
ginger garlic paste,chillie chicken powder.

Next cook rice.Boil 6 cups of water and add salt.Once the water is boiled add 4 cups rice and let it cook till the rice is half done, ie., the rice should not be completely cooked as we will later layer the rice with gravy and cook in the oven for like 45 minutes.So for a good layer biriyani,rice should be semi-cooked :) got it?

Take a big pan or big kadai ,heat it and add 1 cup of oil(yes I hear you,its 1 cup of oil :)
Then add Clove,Cardamom ,Cinnamon and Bay Leaves .Let it brown a little bit.
Then add the sliced onions and suate it well.

 

Saute onions till all its water evaporates.Then add green chillies followed by ginger garlic paste.
Saute it for few minutes until the raw smell disappears.

Then add the chopped tomatoes and sauté it well

 

Followed by it add chillie powder,turmeric powder,salt and any brand biriyani masala

    Saute it well,until oil seperates.

Add the marinated chicken.Keep the flame in medium,cover it with a lid and cook it until chicken is done.If you pressure cokk,just cook it for 10 minutes.

 Cook it until the gravy becomes thick as shown in the picture.

Now comes the finale.Coat the inside of a thick vessel with ghee.

Add a couple of scoops of the thick gravy at the bottom of the vessel.

Then add the semi-cooked rice on top of the gravy and sprinkle some chopped coriander and mint leaves.

 

Next add another layer of gravy with chicken.
Repeat the steps of layering.

Close it with aluminium sheet tightly and place in the oven which is pre-heated to 450 degree for 30 to 45 minutes

 tada.... yummy biriyani ready....Enjoy with matching raitha.