This is my mom’s biryani recipe. Some people like their biryani super spicy and with lots of masala, but not everyone’s stomachs can take it. This is a recipe for biryani that’s light on spice but excellent in taste!
Servings
8
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
1
hourTotal time
1
hour30
minutesIngredients
- Curry
1 chicken (1-1.25 kg, 12-16 pieces)
1 cup yogurt (whipped)
1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 bunch coriander leaves
2 medium onions
½ cup oil
- Rice
3 cups rice
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
10 peppercorns
4 green cardamoms
1 lemon
¼ tsp saffron
Directions
- Curry
- Marinate the chicken in yogurt, garlic-ginger paste and salt (in the fridge) for 4-6 hours.
- Thinly slice the onions.
- In hot oil add the onions and fry till golden brown. Spoon out of the pan and onto a plate. Set aside.
- In the oil add coriander powder, chilli powder, and cumin powder. Make sure oil is not too hot or the spices will burn.
- Add marinated chicken and half of the fried onions. Stir fry on high heat for a minute or two or until the chicken changes colour, constantly stirring.
- Cover and cook on low-medium heat till the chicken is half done.
- Add chopped coriander leaves. Cover and cook till the chicken is tender.
- Remove the lid and cook on medium heat till all water dries. Stir fry on high flame for a few minutes.
- Rice
- Wash the rice and soak in water for at least an hour.
- In a large pot, boil water and add drained rice in it. Half boil rice in garam masala (peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks), green cardamom, and 6 tsp salt until half done.
- Immediately drain the rice in a strainer.
- Assemble
- In the pan that contains the meat, layer the rice, remaining fried onions, lemon juice, saffron liquid, and a few tsp’s of oil.
- Cover and cook on very low heat for 20-30 minutes (until rice is completely cooked).
- Mix the biryani bottom-up small portions at a time. Use a plastic or wooden spoon; metal spoons tend to break the rice grain.
- Garnish with fried onions and serve with Spicy Raita.
Notes
- When frying the onions, turn the heat off a few seconds before the onions are golden brown. When you’re taking the onions out of the oil, they will continue to cook. If you over-fry onions, they get a very bitter taste to them.
- When boiling the rice make sure you do not fully cook it. It has to be half done so that it can continue to cook with the meat as a last step. Otherwise it’ll be very mushy and unpresentable.
- When the rice is still boiling, make sure you set up the strainer in the sink so that you can immediately drain the rice when it’s half boiled. If you turn off the heat and leave the rice in the hot water, it will continue to cook.
