I had this recipe done and dusted a while ago. How do I know it was the best one?
Well, on a particularly gloomy Sunday, post biryani sesh, all the peeps in the house had massive food coma. The routine was ruined, Monday was messed up, but it was worth it.
So, here comes the recipe from my treasure trove, sharing my love in the form of the succulent chicken and most aromatic rice.
The recipe I am sharing is for 1 kg chicken. You can adjust as you see fit.
Here is what you will need:
- Chicken 1 kg
- Oil ½ cup
- Onions (medium) 3
- Potatoes 4
- Tomatoes 3 medium
- Ginger/ garlic paste 1 tbsp
- Hari mirch (Green chili) 7-8
- Rice – 750 grams
- Hara dhania/ pudina (coriander/ mint leaves)
- Yogurt ½ cup whisked
- Kewra water 2 tbs
- Zarda rang (yellow food colour) ¼ tsp
Spices:
- Dhaniya powder (coriander) ½ tbs
- Sirka (vinegar) 1 tbs
- Lal mirch powder (red chili) 1 tbs
- Haldi powder ½ tsp
- Garam masala powder (allspice) 1 tsp
- Darchini (cinnamon sticks) 2
- Badiyaan kay phool (star anise) 1
- Tez pata (bay leaves) 2
- Salt (to taste)
- Hari elaichi (green cardamom) 4-5
- Jaifil and javitri powder (nutmeg and mace) ½ tsp
- Saunf (fennel seed) 1 tsp
- Laung (clover) powder ¼ tsp
- Kali mirch (black peppercorns) ½ tsp
- Zeera (cumin seeds) 1 tbs
- Aloo Bukhara (Dried plum) 7- 8
Here is how you cook:
- Soak rice for thirty minutes. When twenty minutes into soak time, boil water in a pot.
- Add cinnamon sticks, star anise, salt, green chilies, and bay leaves.
- Strain the water and add rice to the boiling water. Strain the rice when you feel they are ¾ done. You can check it by testing the grain for its tendency. It will feel al dente, strain, and set aside.
- In a chopper, add tomatoes and green chilies to make a paste; set aside.
- Nutmeg, mace powder, cloves, and fennel (all in powder form) go in the bowl and wait for their time to shine.
- Time for a showdown. In a pot, add oil, ginger, garlic paste, and onions. Fry until onions are translucent.
- Add peppercorns, cumin seeds, and cloves.
- Now, tomato and chili paste go into the pot. At the same time, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and coriander powder – stir well, and then add chicken.
- Time to add yogurt, stir once, and let everything cook into a gravy.
- When the yogurt has incorporated itself with tomatoes, add plums and cook until the chicken is almost done.
Layers
Everyone likes to layer their biryani differently.
Some people prefer to have more white rice, so you can just cover the chicken gravy with all the boiled rice.
While some like layers. For that, you need to take some chicken out. Layer with rice, some chopped coriander, and brown onions, then more chicken, and repeat.
When you have finished layering, take some kewra water in a bowl and mix it with yellow colour and water. Sprinkle on the top layer and mix it gently with a top layer of rice. Sprinkle some more brown onions and chopped coriander.
Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer on low heat.
Some Hacks by Yours Truly
- Firstly, I often use sela rice. Sela has a better texture even after sitting in steam. So, if you use sela rice, remember to soak it for 2 hours to get the best results.
- When I add yoghurt, I blend it with some fresh coriander and mint leaves. The aroma of these herbs makes a lot of difference.
- Since it is Karachi-style biryani, we need aloo!
- I boil peeled potatoes in yellow food colour. It looks exactly like restaurant-style biryani with yellow potatoes.
Parting Thoughts
If you did not get it the first time, don’t worry; the second time is the charm. But since this recipe comes after trial and test, I can assure you the bigger chunk is done.
I hope you also get to enjoy the heavenly food coma. Don’t forget to put some beverages and raita in the fridge to go with the biryani.
Plus: Talking about foods that induce food coma, try anda chana recipe which gives you another kind of buzz post breakfast.