chicken biryani

Chicken biryani is my favourite dish. I know all rice lovers find even the name of “biryani” enough to make their taste buds alive. In  Pakistan when we think of making menu for a dinner party, one rice dish is a must. Perfectly made biryani is an important part of an every dinner.

The recipe which I am sharing with you now is a little different from the normal biryani we make at home. It is called the ‘Hyderabadi biryani’. Hyderabad is a city in the Sindh province (South eastern part) of Pakistan. Its amazingly tasty!

Lets start by making a list of ingredients first.

Rice – 3-4 cups depending onthe size of the cup
Chicken – 1 kg
Ginger/Green chilli(8-10) – finely chopped or grounded
Yogurt – 2 and 1/2 cup
Onion – 4 (medium sized)
Lemon juice – 2 tablespoon
Mint leaves – 1/2 cup (finely cut)
Za’afran – as required
zarda colour – 1/4 tea spoon
Garam masala – 1 tea spoon
Salt – 1 tea spoon for chicken
Oil – 1/2 cup
Method:

1- Put yogurt in a big bowl and add garam masala,salt, ginger/green chilli paste and mix well. Now you have to marinate chicken in this yogurt. Leave it for half an hour to absorb some spices. You may have noticed that there is no red chilli in this recipe so you can add more fresh green chilli if you love spicy food otherwise 8-10 green chillis will be fine.

2-Fry finely cut onion until light brown. Take onion out in a plate and divide it in two halves. Half the onion is to be crushed using fingers and leave the other half as it is.

3-In the same oil put chicken along with yogurt and spices. Cover and cook on medium heat. Chicken will be tender by the time yogurt is evaporated now add crushed onion (step2) in this this and add lemon juice. This is ready once it leaves a little oil. Put aside.

4-Wash rice and keep them soaked for half an hour. Now Put a big pot, half filled with water on fire. For 3 cups of rice you will add 3 tea spoon salt in water. Put 2 big cardimom, 2 table spoon white vinegar and karhe-paat into water. When it comes to boil put rice(drain the water they were soaked in). Let rice cook in water until a little more than half cooked. Drain water from rice and put them aside.

5-This is the last step in making biryani when we put things in layers. In your pot put boiled rice in the bottom (1st layer) then put half of chicken with masala evenly spread on it. Sprinkle fried onion(remember the half we has placed aside). Repeat and put second layer of rice and repeat by putting the rest of the chicken+onion. Now all the left rice on the top layer. On the top you will put mint leaves, za’afran mixed in little water and put zarda colour mixed in lemon juice on 3 places(do not sprinkle it all the over the rice) and some onion if left. Cover it and cook on veeery low heat. (We call it ‘dum’ is urdu…put rice on dum so the are soft and not broken)

Good luck ….you can ask me if you have any question. Let me know if like it!!!

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Harey Masaley wali chaanp