Chicken Biriyani/Kozhi biriyani

Chicken biriyani -everyone's favorite dish.We can prepare the biriyani in different ways.One of the popular method of cooking biriyani is  Dum method.This is a slow cooking process.Half raw cooked rice and meat is cooking together in low medium heat.Actually slow cooking will give more taste to the food.Especially the food is  getting cooked in the steam.

Today i prepared chicken biriyani.Most of the people think preparing biriyani is a very difficult process.I think for  the first time you may feel its quiet difficult.once u started doing it 3 or 4 times ,u feel it is just as simple as preparing the  rasam.Experience is the best teacher.

Biriyani is our favorite dish.I used to prepare this biriyani in special occasion and weekends.Last month we celebrated my hubby's birthday so the special was my Chicken biriyani...Nothing better than home made food right...The best biriyani i always remember  is at Azad hotel at our native place-TVM. Oh my god!  i can still feel that taste...My dad used to bring us to that hotel frequently..Really waiting for our next visit to native and sure we will go there and have the delicious biriyani...and also my cousin sister,she is an expert in Biriyani cooking.Her recipe is quiet simple and we can prepare it with in minutes.Anyhow i will post that recipe in future....

Hope u will try this recipe...I will try my level best to give a detailed description of the cooking steps...

Its a 3 tier process.If you follow  each step properly you can also prepare a delicious biriyani. The three steps are:  First, marinate and  prepare the chicken masala Second, prepare rice and Third, make the dum (by making  intermittent layers of chicken masala and rice)...The delicious biriyani will be ready to serve..Don't waste your time, go and try it now...

Cooking time : 45 minute - 1 hr

 

Ingredients:

For the chicken masala

Chicken : 15 medium pieces

Lemon juice : 2 tbs

Butter/Ghee : 4 tbs

Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder : 3 tbs

Chili Powder : 2 tbs

Ginger : medium size

Garlic : 4 pods

Green chili: 4 nos

Cardamom : 3 no

Cinnamon: 2 medium piece

Cloves : 5 no

Aniseed : 1 no

Nutmeg : 1 small

Cumin seed : 1 tsp

Fennel seed : 1 tsp

Coriander leaves : little

Mint leaves : little

Curry leaves: little

Curd: 2 tbs

Onion : 2 medium

Tomato : 1 big size

For the rice

Rice : 2 cup  

Water : 3 cups

Cardamom : 2 no

Cinnamon:small piece

Cloves : 4 no

Aniseed :1/2 portion

Nutmeg : 1/2 portion of one medium size

Onion : 1 no

Milk :1/2 cup

Saffron : a pinch

Ghee/Butter : 3 tbs

For garnishing 

Ghee: 1 tbs

Onion : 1 small

Cashew nut : 7 nos

Raisin : 10 no

Pineapple : medium size 

Boiled egg : 2 no 

Cilantro - 1

Prior to cooking

For Chicken masala

1. clean the chicken, marinate it with lemon juice and keep aside.
2. cut the onion into thin slices and tomato into 8 pieces
3. Make a nice paste of ginger,Garlic,Green chili,Cardamom,Cinnamon,Cloves,Aniseed,Nutmeg,Cumin seed,Fennel seed  and mix it with Chili powder,coriander powder and turmeric powder

For Rice

1. Soak the rice for 30min -1 hour
2. Make a nice paste of  Cardamom,Cinnamon,Cloves,Aniseed,Nutmeg and keep aside
3. Boil the milk with saffron for about 2 minute and keep aside.

For Garnishing

1. Heat ghee/butter in a pan add the sliced onion fry until dark brown(donot spoil ) keep aside and fry the cashews and raisins in butter/ghee for about 2 minutes...
2. Cut the pineapple pieces into very small size.

Preparation

Step1 : marinate the chicken with the curd,masala paste (refer the prior to cooking -chicken masala section),Curry leaves,mint leaves and coriander leaves and keep aside for 30-1 hour.

Step2:Heat oil in a pan,add the sliced onion ,once it get saute add the tomato,once the tomatoes get cooked add the marinated chicken into it and mix well.Let it boil for about 15- 20 minutes in medium heat.

Step3: By the time heat another pan add the ghee/ butter then add the spice mix into it(refer the prior to cooking -For Rice cooking section),once the raw smell goes off add the diced onion into it fry until golden brown.add the soaked rice into it fry for 5- 10 minutes in medium heat...once the rice get translucent(the rice become transparent,its in a medium fried form) add the water into it .Let the rice to boil...

Step 4 :In another vessel just add the butter and then add the cooked rice in the next layer add the chicken and then add the rice make the layers according to the amount you have .the top layer of rice add the cashew nuts fried onion  raisins and pineapple pieces...Cover it with a foil paper .

Step 5 : Preheat oven about 300F for 5 minute and switch off the oven then keep the biriyani vessel inside...Just keep it there for 20-30 minutes... 

Step 6: Remove the biriyani vessel from the oven and  move the contents into another serving bowl...Garnish with coriander leaves and an egg and a papad

The delicious biriyani is ready to eat, serve it with raitha...

Points to ponder 

• If you are not confident about rice cooking do one thing .. Just cook the rice with enough water and strain it and do the rest of the cooking(Refer For Rice cooking)
• If you want to make the chicken spicier add more green chili and red chili powder when marinating the chicken
• If u doesn't have a oven just layer the rice and chicken in a cooking vessel and just give low heat for 5-10 minutes .close the vessel tightly during cooking.
• Just pour some ghee on the top layer of the biriyani just before dum cooking.