Malabar Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:

1.       Basmati Rice – 2 cups

2.       Chicken – 500gm(cut in to medium pieces)

3.       Onion- 3/4 medium(finely chopped)

4.       Tomato – 2/3 medium(chopped)

5.       Biriyani Masala Powder – 3 tsp

6.       Garam masala-2 tsp

7.       Curd – 1/4 cup

8.       Lime – 1

9.       Coriander leaves –1 cup(chopped)

10.   Mint leaves – 1/4 cup(chopped)

11.   Curry leaves-2 sprigs

12.   Cinnamon stick-1

13.   Cardamom-2

14.   Cloves-2

15.   Ghee/oil

16.   Salt

17.   Cashew nuts – few

18.   Raisins – few

For Marinating Chicken:

1. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
2. Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
3. Salt

For Grinding:

1. Green Chillies – 4/5
2. Ginger garlic–2 tbsp(chopped)
3. Grind them together to a fine paste. Keep it aside

Method:-

1.       Marinate the chicken pieces 30 mnts with the ingredients as said above.

2.       To prepare the Rice:

Heat little ghee in a pan put cinnamon stick, cardamom & cloves and roast the washd rice for 4-5 mts(optional). Add enough water and salt into it, cook rice till done and all the water is absorbed.

Spread the rice in a serving dish, and sprinkle 3-4 drops of lime juice & allow it to cool.

3.       Heat a little ghee in a pan and roast cashews and raisins till brown and keep it aside.

4.       Now add half amount of sliced onion and fry them until they are well browned. Add more ghee /oil if needed. Drain them into a tissue paper and keep aside.

5.        Now into the same oil, add marinated chicken pieces and fry them for 10mnts .Keep it aside.

6.       Now heat oil in another vessel and add rest of the onions and saute them till translucent. Mix with tomatoes, salt and the ground paste and saute them for 2-3 mts. Stir in curd and lemon juice and saute until oil seperates. Now add fried chicken pieces, mix well, cover and cook.

7.       When it is half done, add Coriander leaves, Mint leaves, curry leaves, garam masala & Biriyani masala powder.

8.       Mix and allow the chicken to cook well in medium heat, until all water is absorbed and chicken pieces are coated with gravy. remove from fire.

9.       Take a big vessel, spread chicken pieces along with the gravy in the bottom. Now add one layer of cooked rice over chicken.

10.   Sprinkle a little garam masala, fried onions, cashews, raisins .

11.   Repeat the same for 2 more layers with chicken ,rice and fried cashew-raisins-onions etc.

Seal the vessel with aluminium foil. put it in dum (on fire) for 5m.

Mix thoroughly and serve hot with Onion Raita .

-Chalked by Sai Priya