Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg – chicken, cut into big pieces
• 2.5 cups – basmati Rice
• 5 – Onions
• 1 bundle – pudina
• 1 bundle – malli leaves
• 6-7 – Cloves
• 1 – Cinnamon
• 6-7 – biryani leaves
• 1 – small Ginger
• 20 pieces – Garlic
• 3 tbsp – Ghee
• 3 tbsp – oil
• 13 – Red Chillies
• 3 – Green chillies
• 1 cup – Coconut Milk
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Fry some onions and chillies with garlic in ghee for 4 minutes. Allow it to cool.
2. Fry the basmati rice in ghee for 1 minute and keep it aside.
3. Grind the fried onions and chillies to a paste.
4. Prepare ginger-garlic paste.
5. Heat a pan and pour the remaining ghee and oil. Fry the cloves, cinnamon and biryani leaves.
6. Add the remaining onions and fry again.
7. Add the chicken pieces and fry for 4 minutes.
8. Add pudina and malli leaves.
9. After 4 minutes, add the ground onion paste and coconut milk.
10. Allow it to fry for another 5 minutes.
11. Add boiled water (almost double the amount of rice ).
12. Allow the mixture to boil for a few minutes, then add turmeric powder and salt.
13. Now add the rice. Close the lid and keep on medium flame. Add the whistle.
14. Switch off the flame immediately after one whistle.
15. When the pressure subsides, serve the biryani hot with raita.

Recipe courtesy of Ramya Nallani