Chicken Biryani

Lots of spices are used in this dish but it is worth it to take some effort to make it.

The spices and condiments used in biryani may include ghee (clarified butter), nutmeg, mace, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint leaves, ginger, onions, and garlic nuts, resins but the main ingredient is saffron... my favorite one :)

This dish can be made with vegetables, chicken,meat, shrimp, pork, or even only with nuts. Biryani is served with yogurt, paratha, naan, boiled eggs, raiyta, curry, or korma.

So what are you waiting for? Lets start!!!!

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredient: (serve 7-8)



3 cups Basmati Rice  
1 kg Chicken (chicken thigh or drum stick) 
1/4 Teaspoons Turmeric  
Salt  To Taste
1 Tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste 
1/2 Tablespoons Cumin Powder  
1/2 Tablespoons Coriander Powder 
2 Tablespoons Red Chilly Powder 
1/2 cup Fried Onions (I used Exotic brand) 
2-3 pieces Mace  
2 Teaspoons Shahi Jeera  
5-6 Green Cardamom  
4-5 Cloves  
2 pieces 2" long Cinnamon Sticks  
2 Bay Leaf 
1 Cup Yogurt
1/2 cup Coriander Chopped  
1/2 cup Mint Chopped  
4-5 Green Chilly lengthwise cut  
1/2 Cup Oil  
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Clarified butter(ghee) 
8-10 strands Saffron 
2 Tablespoon Milk 

OR 

If you want to make Vegetable Biryani:

Use Listed Ingredients above with these vegetable or your choice of vegetables.

1/3 cup Carrot cut in small pieces 
1/3 cup Potatoes cut in small pieces 
1/3 cup Coli flower small floaters 
1/4 cup Red Onion julians  
1/3 cup Green Peas 
1/3 cup or less Golden Raisin
1/3 cup Cashew nuts (I used Costco's salted cashews) 



Procedure:

1) First make a powder of all the spices (shahi jeera, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf) by roasting them at low medium heat for 6-7 

2) Take a bowl, add chicken pieces and add ground spices powder , chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, salt, coriander powder, curd, chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onions, green chilly, lime juice, oil, and mix it well, and put it in the refrigerator over night.

3) Soak the rice for 30 minutes. Heat water in a vessel and let it come to a boil add oil, salt,    Shahi jeera, bay leaf and add basmati rice 

4) Cook the rice till it is 3/4 cooked. Don't cook them fully.

5) Heat non stick wide pan at medium heat. Add layer of marinated chicken, spread it          evenly in pan.

6) Make layer of 70-75% cooked rice on top of the chicken. Make sure some of the water      should come with rice to cook chicken. Don't drain all of the water from the rice.

7) Sprinkle fried onions.

8) Add dissolved saffron strands in milk , then add ghee (optional) and put the lid on to cover pan tightly.

9) First cook it on high for first 4-5 minutes then reduce the flame to low, And cook it for 25 to 30 min and switch off the flame.

10) Never mix the biryani just check it by removing the top layer of rice and check if chicken is cooked properly.

11) Serve hot with coriander as a garnish.

OR

If you want to make Vegetable biryani:

1. Follow the same procedure and marinate all vegetables instead of chicken and keep them in refrigerator for 2-3 hrs.
2. When you heat the pan add 1/2 tablespoon ghee and add rasins and cashews and saute them until raisins get puffed. Then add a marinated vegetables layer then a rice layer.
3. Sprinkle half fried onions, coriander and chopped mint, 1 tablespoon ghee, then make another layer of vegetables then rice and sprinkle fried onion, coriander and mint.
4. Add rest of the ghee on rice and cover with lid and cook for 20 mins until vegetables cooked.
5. Serve hot.