Sometimes I feel lazy to cook a proper meal and I try to find an easy way to make a filling dish. Last sunday when I saw some chicken lying In my refrigerator I somehow had a craving for biriyani. But then biriyani Is again a long process I would have to follow. Without much of a thinking I decided to make it in a simple easy way with whatever ingredients available at home that day. Heres how it came out. Look wise taste wise it really came out to be great. I have cooked biryani before also but this time PB just loved it and complimented without me asking for it.
I made a simple pineapple pomegranate raita to go with it and that tasted awesome as well.
Ingredients:
Basmati Rice: 1 cup
Chicken: 500 gms
Onion: 1 medium sized finely sliced
Garlic cloves: 10
Ginger: 1 medium sized
Potato: 2 medium sized cut into two (optional)
Egg: 1 hard boiled cut into two halves (optional)
Cinnamon stick: 1 medium sized
Cardamom: 2
Cloves: 3-4
Mace: 2-3
Biryani Masala: 2 tsp
Chicken Masala: 1 tsp
Chilli powder: 1tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Juice of one lime
Curd: 1 cup
Salt to taste
Saffron: few strands soaked in 2 tbsp. warm milk in a small bowl
Fresh Coriander leaves : roughly chopped handful
Mint leaves: roughly chopped handful
Ghee: 2 tbsp.
Refine oil: 2 tbsp.
Water as required to cook rice & for chicken gravy
Method:
Soak the rice in water for at least an hour or so.
Make paste of ginger and garlic.
Clean and wash the chicken pieces. Add half of the ginger garlic paste, salt, chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, curd and mix everything well. Keep it in refrigerator for about an hour or so. I kept it for only half an hour as I had less time in my hand.
Heat oil in your biryani making handi. I used my non-stick deep bottomed pan with lid. Fry the sliced onions till they are golden brown and keep them on tissue once done. Now fry the potato pieces till golden brown and transfer to the tissue paper. In the same oil add the remaining ginger garlic paste, saute them. Add the chicken masala & biriyani masala, fry them for few seconds. Now add the marinated chicken ,mix everything well. After some time add about half cup of water to it and half -cook the chicken.
At the same time, boil water in a large saucepan to cook the rice. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, mace, salt and bring the water to boil. Add the rice and remove from gas when its half cooked. Strain the water through a strainer. Add a spoon of lemon juice to the rice and mix gently so that the rice does not get stick and looks fresh.
Once the chicken is half done put the flame off. Don't make the chicken complete dry , let it be in a gravy form. Transfer half of the cooked chicken to a bowl. Layer half of the rice on the chicken on the pan, add the potatoes, add half of the fried onion, sprinkle the chopped coriander & mint leaves. Layer the remaining chicken on this, egg and then the remaining rice. Now sprinkle the rest of the fried onions, coriander & mint leaves and the ghee. Take the lime juice in a bowl and add the remaining 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and mix well. Now make holes on the rice layer and pour in the saffron dipped in milk and the lime juice-turmeric powder mixture. Cover tightly the pan with the lid ensuring no pressure gets releases. Let it be on a low flame for about 20 minutes.
Serve this hot biryani with some raita of your choice and enjoy.
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