Chicken Biriyani

Biriyani is mandated in Indian Christmas Lunch menu. Chicken biriyani was already in my to-do list for dads-to-be and am glad to publish it on this Christmas occasion. With the wishes for Merry Christmas to my readers, here we go with today’s post…

We have a custom in inviting newly married couple for non-veg feast(virundhu). Atleast for a month, they just keep enjoying the variety of meals served at friends and relatives homes. Every custom has its own sane reason to have become a custom! The healthy reason behind this custom is that dads-to-be and moms-to-be need more proteins, iron, folic acid & variety of nutrients. Their kith & kin happily cook and serve them the required nutrients.

Serve it to your guests or enjoy on your own .. I assure you restaurant style taste. Do try and give your valuable feedback. Over to the recipe…

Preparation

1. Wash and chop onions, tomatoes. Just wash green chillies and do not cut. Clean mint and coriander leaves. 2.Finely chop mint and coriander leaves. Peel the skin and grind pearl onions to a coarse texture in mixie.3.Wash and cut lemon, discard the seeds, extract the juice of half lemon and keep ready. Use the other half lemon to wash chicken. Click this link to see, how to wash chicken ?4.In a pressure cooker add 3 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee. Once hot, add cinnamon,cloves,pirinji leaf and cardamom.5.Then add green chillies and onion. Once onion turns translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and saute well. Once raw smell leaves, add mint and coriander leaves.6.Once the leaves shrink, add tomatoes. Fry well till oil separates.7.Then add ground pearl onions and fry till raw smell leaves. Add sambar/gravy powder(See notes below for alternate).8.Saute for a minute and then add washed chicken. Saute for a minute and then add curd. Saute well so that chicken is coated with curd and masala.9.In the meanwhile, wash rice twice and soak in 2 1/4 cups of water for 30 mins(exactly).10.Once chicken is blended well with masala, add salt(only for chicken) and 2 cups of water.11.Pressure cook for 8 to 10 whistles or 10 mins in high flame.12.Once pressure is released, add lemon juice, soaked rice along with water and salt(remember you have already added some salt for chicken).13.Once water starts to boil, taste and adjust salt accordingly. Again pressure cook for 1 whistle in high flame. When the whistle starts, switch off the stove and tap the whistle down so that pressure is not released out. Once the pressure settles down, open the lid.14.Add 1 tsp ghee and mix the rice gently with ladle/mathu handle. Again close the lid tightly and leave it untouched for 5-10 mins on the stove top(stove switched off).Hotel style chicken biriyani is ready! Serve hot with raitha and gravy!

Tips/Tricks

• Do not grind pearl onions to a smooth paste. Semi-ground onions enhance taste.
• Groundnut oil is preferred. You shall use ordinary refined oil too.
• Soak rice exactly for 30 mins. If time exceeds, drain and keep the rice and water separately.
• Note that salt is added twice. Once for chicken and again for rice.
• You shall use any gravy powder that doesn’t have pulses/dal/paruppu in it. Or just add 1/2tbsp dhaniya powder + 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp plain chilli powder+ 1 pinch turmeric powder + 1 generous pinch of pepper powder.
• Unlike broiler chicken, country-side chicken is harder and so needed such long cooking.
• Rice will cook perfectly in just 1 whistle as we have already soaked it for 30 mins and also it will cook partially in the water boiling time before closing the cooker. Also in the time where we don’t allow the pressure to escape through whistle.