Charcoal Dum Biryani

AuthorPriyanka SivaramakrishnanDifficultyIntermediate

Rice flavoured with freshly ground spices, cooked with chicken and herbs in a sealed pot, cooked over charcoal to give a smoky flavour. A true taste of home.

Yields6 Servings
Prep Time20 minsCook Time1 hr 30 minsTotal Time1 hr 50 mins
Special garam masala
 10 Cloves
 10 Cardamon
 3 Bay leaves
 5 cms Cinnamon stick
 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
 1 Star anise
 1 tbsp Fennel seeds
Marinade
 2 tbsp Chilli powder
 3 tbsp Coriander powder
 1 ½ tsp Salt
 ½ cup Coriander leaves (chopped)
 ½ cup Mint leaves (chopped)
 1 ½ cups Yogurt (thick curd)
 4 Chillis (broken)
 3 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
 Ground garam masala (from the recipe above)
 3 tbsp Lemon juice
The Biryani
 3 cups Basmati rice
 4 Chicken thighs (bone-in and skin-on)
 ¾ cup Oil
 1 Onion (large, sliced)
 ¼ cup Warm milk
 5 Saffron strings
 ¼ cup Coriander leaves (chopped)
 ¼ cup Mint leaves (chopped)
 15 Cashews
 1 tsp Salt
 1 tsp Rose essence
1

Dry roast the spices for the garam masala and blitz them into a powder.

2

Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients. Rub it all over the chicken, get under that skin. Cover and let it marinade for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight, if possible. Bring the marinated chicken out of the fridge an hour before you start your cook.

Prep work
3

Wash and soak basmati rice for an hour. If you are using the stove top method to cook your rice, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the 1/2 tsp of salt. Reduce the heat and add the soaked and drained rice. Let it cook for 8-10 minutes. The rice should be cooked al-dente, meaning it should still have a bite.

4

Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the sliced onions until golden. Drain and set aside.

5

Fry the cashews until golden. Drain and set aside as well.

6

Soak saffron in some warm milk.

The cook
7

Add some oil to the bottom of your pot and add the chicken, skin side down. Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and if you are using a charcoal grill, spread the coal around so that it dissipates the heat.

8

Now layer the rice over it, top with fried onions, chopped herbs, saffron milk, fried nuts along with the clarified butter and rose essence. Cover the pot and place some hot coals on the top.

9

Cook the biryani for 30 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot with raitha and salna.

Ingredients

Special garam masala
 10 Cloves
 10 Cardamon
 3 Bay leaves
 5 cms Cinnamon stick
 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
 1 Star anise
 1 tbsp Fennel seeds
Marinade
 2 tbsp Chilli powder
 3 tbsp Coriander powder
 1 ½ tsp Salt
 ½ cup Coriander leaves (chopped)
 ½ cup Mint leaves (chopped)
 1 ½ cups Yogurt (thick curd)
 4 Chillis (broken)
 3 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
 Ground garam masala (from the recipe above)
 3 tbsp Lemon juice
The Biryani
 3 cups Basmati rice
 4 Chicken thighs (bone-in and skin-on)
 ¾ cup Oil
 1 Onion (large, sliced)
 ¼ cup Warm milk
 5 Saffron strings
 ¼ cup Coriander leaves (chopped)
 ¼ cup Mint leaves (chopped)
 15 Cashews
 1 tsp Salt
 1 tsp Rose essence

Directions

1

Dry roast the spices for the garam masala and blitz them into a powder.

2

Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients. Rub it all over the chicken, get under that skin. Cover and let it marinade for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight, if possible. Bring the marinated chicken out of the fridge an hour before you start your cook.

Prep work
3

Wash and soak basmati rice for an hour. If you are using the stove top method to cook your rice, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the 1/2 tsp of salt. Reduce the heat and add the soaked and drained rice. Let it cook for 8-10 minutes. The rice should be cooked al-dente, meaning it should still have a bite.

4

Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the sliced onions until golden. Drain and set aside.

5

Fry the cashews until golden. Drain and set aside as well.

6

Soak saffron in some warm milk.

The cook
7

Add some oil to the bottom of your pot and add the chicken, skin side down. Cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and if you are using a charcoal grill, spread the coal around so that it dissipates the heat.

8

Now layer the rice over it, top with fried onions, chopped herbs, saffron milk, fried nuts along with the clarified butter and rose essence. Cover the pot and place some hot coals on the top.

9

Cook the biryani for 30 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot with raitha and salna.

Notes

Charcoal Dum Biryani


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *