Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice1 – 1 kg
• Chicken Thigh2 – 1 kg
• Onion – 500 gm
• Tomato – 250 gm
• Ginger – 3 inch root
• Garlic – 2 bulbs
• Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 10 tsp
• Coriander leaves – 1 bunch
• Mint leaves – 1/4 bunch
• Green chilli – 5 nos (adjust to sensitivity)
• Lime Juice of 2 Lemons
• Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
• Cardamom – 5 nos
• Cloves – 5 nos
• Cashew nuts – 25 nos
• Raisins – 25 nos
• Salt – to taste
• Rose water – 3 tsp
• Saffron – few strands
• Water – 1700 ml
• Garam Masala for Chicken:
• Cinnamon – 2 inch piece
• Cardamom – 5 nos
• Cloves – 5 nos
• Nutmeg – 1/4 piece
• Mace – 1 whole
• Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Black cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Garnish:
• eggs – 2 nos
• Coriander leaves – few strands

Method:

1. Clean and cut chicken into bite size pieces.
2. Finely slice the onions.
3. Chop tomatoes.
4. Chop and crush green chillies.
5. Wash and chop the coriander and mint leaves; store separately.
6. Make a very fine paste of garlic and ginger.
7. Dry roast for 4 mins and grind to a fine paste the garam masala.
8. Soak saffron strands in 2 tbsp milk.
9. Hard boil eggs
10. Heat 5 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan. Fry onions till they are golden and crispy.
11. Strain and remove the crispy onions from the hot ghee.
12. Layer on a tissue paper to absorb the excess ghee. These crispy onions are known as Bista in Kozhikode (Calicut).
13. Heat a non-stick pan and add tomatoes. Sauté for about 5 mins.
14. Add ginger-garlic paste, crushed green chillies, and sauté for 3 mins till the raw taste disappears.
15. Add chicken, calt and 200ml water, cover and bring to boil. Lower the flame and allow to cook on low flame for 20 mins. Stir occasionally.
16. Now add ¾ of the Bista, garam masala, lemon juice and ½ of the chopped coriander and mint leaves, cover and leave for 2 mins.
17. Heat the left-over ghee, fry the rice for about 3 mins.
18. Boil 1500 ml water in a large deep bottomed pan.
19. Add salt, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and rose water to the boiling water, stir in well, add the rice and cook till the entire water is absorbed in the rice.
20. In about ½ tsp ghee fry Cashew-nuts and raisins for about 2 mins.
21. In a large deep-bottomed, non-stick pan, spread ½ of the chicken, topped by rice, spread evenly ½ of the fried onion, mint and coriander leaves, raisins, cashew-nuts and a few drops of saffron milk.
22. Repeat the above step.
23. Cover. Seal with flour dough all-around to make it an air-tight container.
24. On very low flame cook for about 5 mins on fire.
25. Garnish with Coriander leaves and quartered boiled eggs.
26. Serve hot with Dates Chutney and roasted Pappad (Poppadom)