Ingredients:
• 1 kg – basmati Rice or any other good Rice, washed and soaked for an hour
• 2 kg – chicken, cut into fairly big pieces
• 3 – Bay Leaves
• 2 tsp – spice powder or Garam Masala
• 1/2 kg – tomatoes, chopped
• 3 – small sticks of Cinnamon
• 4 – Cloves
• 5 – Cardamoms
• 1 – Nutmeg flower/star anise
• 2 cups – oil or Ghee
• salt to taste
• 6 – green chillies, ground
• 3 tbsp – ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp – chilli powder
• 1/2 kg – onions, sliced finely
• 1 tsp – Turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup – fresh Mint leaves
• 1 cup – curd/yogurt
Method:
- Wash the chicken and marinate with the spice powder, green chilli paste, curd/yogurt, half the ginger-garlic paste and turmeric powder for half an hour.
- Heat oil or ghee in a large vessel and add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg flower/star anise, remaining ginger-garlic paste and onions and saute for some time.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, mint leaves and chilli powder and simmer until the oil separates from the mixture and the tomatoes are reduced to pulp.
- Add the marinated chicken and salt and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is done.
- Remove the chicken pieces and keep aside.
- Add sufficient water to the gravy in the vessel so as to get about 7 glasses of liquid.
- Add the rice and cook until half done.
- Add the cooked chicken and mix well.
- Cover and cook on low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the biryani is almost dry.
- Serve hot with curd chutney.
- Recipe Courtesy: Anglo-Indian Recipes
Recipe courtesy of Bridget White