Hyderabad Chicken Biryani

Method

1. 1

   In a bowl take thinly sliced onions. Add 1 tsp of Salt and Rest for 5 mins. Remove the excess water after the sliced onions have rested for 5 mins.

   OnionSalt

2. 2

   Heat oil in a deep frying pan and deep fry the onions for 5 mins on medium heat. The onions should turn brown. Ensure that the onions don’t get burnt. Keep the fried onions aside for 15 mins to become crispy.

   Sunflower Oil

3. 3

   Wash and soak the Basmati rice for 20 mins.

   Basmati Rice

4. 4

   Heat ½ Cup of water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil. Add it to the saffron, mix well to prepare the Saffron Water.

   WaterSaffron

5. 5

   In a biryani pot, take the cleaned and washed chicken.Add Kashmiri Chilli Powder, Cumin Powder, Garam Masala Powder, Salt, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Black Cardamom and Bay Leaf. Mix the chicken well with all the spices and spice powders.

   Green CardamomBlack CardamomBay LeavesChicken Curry CutKashmiri Red Chilli PowderCumin PowderGaram Masala PowderSaltCinnamon

6. 6

   Add the slit green chilli, ginger garlic paste, ginger, mint leaves, whisked curd. Mix well.

   Green ChilliGinger Garlic PasteGingerMint LeavesCurd

7. 7

   Add half of the fried onions to this and also add 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix well and marinate the chicken for 1 hour.

   Ghee

8. 8

   In a pan bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add the cardamom, black cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf, cumin seeds, salt and coriander leaves.

   Coriander LeavesWaterCuminGreen CardamomBlack CardamomBay LeavesSalt

9. 9

   Add the soaked rice to the boiling water, add 2 tsp of oil, cover and cook for 5-7 mins or until the rice is ¾ done.

   Sunflower Oil

10. 10

    Using a strainer or a muslin cloth, strain the rice and spread it over a wide plate or pan.

11. 11

    Take the biryani pot in which the chicken is marinating, add 75% of cooked rice on top of the marinating chicken.

12. 12

    Add the 50 % remaining fried onion, 50% of the saffron water, 1 tbsp of ghee on top of the rice.

    Ghee

13. 13

    Add the balance rice on top of this. Add the remaining saffron water, 1 tbsp of mint leaves, 1 tbsp of coriander leaves, balance fried onion and 1 tbsp of ghee.

    Coriander LeavesGheeMint Leaves

14. 14

    Place the pot on a stovetop, and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove. Line the sides of the pot with chapati dough or cover the pot with aluminum foil to prevent steam from escaping the pot. Close it with a lid to dum cook the biryani.

15. 15

    Now Place a Tawa on the stove, and place the biryani pot on top of the Tawa, and dum cook for 35 minutes on medium heat.

16. 16

    Fluff the rice gently and serve the biryani hot with Onion Raita and Mirchi ka salan.