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.
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
10Cloves
10Cardamon
3Bay leaves
5cms Cinnamon stick
1tbspCumin seeds
1Star anise
1tbspFennel seeds
Marinade
2tbspChilli powder
3tbspCoriander powder
1 ½tspSalt
½cupCoriander leaves (chopped)
½cupMint leaves (chopped)
1 ½cupsYogurt (thick curd)
4Chillis (broken)
3tbspGinger garlic paste
Ground garam masala (from the recipe above)
3tbspLemon juice
The Biryani
3cupsBasmati rice
4Chicken thighs (bone-in and skin-on)
¾cupOil
1Onion (large, sliced)
¼cupWarm milk
5Saffron strings
¼cupCoriander leaves (chopped)
¼cupMint leaves (chopped)
15Cashews
1tspSalt
1tspRose 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.
AuthorPriyanka SivaramakrishnanDifficultyIntermediate