FRIED CHICKEN DUM BIRYANI

Biryani is said to be the most popular among all other regional biryanis and the best North Indian food ever. Mainly this dish is based on basmati rice and meat, but can also use chicken instead of goat. Hydrabadi dum biryani is the spicy, fragrant and colourful variant of biryani in India. Here I am sharing the making of biryani which is by cooking the marinated chicken and then add it to the cooked rice for layering.  After trying out so many biryani recipes, this time tried the biryani with fried chicken and it came out so delicious and alluring. I searched out for few popular biryani recipes, was tired to get the perfect recipe.  I was very curious about it and also bit tensed about the results. But surprisingly, it came out so good and perfect. How many  times ever you prepare this authentic dish, it teaches you something every time and I really love to prepare biryanis and most favourite is to make dum biryani. This spicy one pot meal is sure a crowd pleaser and won’t bore you anytime.Coming to the recipe; you have to remember some important points, like marination part and rice quality. Marianting is very important for good taste.  Cook well the chicken pieces before layering.  The biryani is quite rich and has an awesome taste with lip-smacking aroma.

INGREDIENTS:

Marination:

1 kg Chicken Pieces

1- 1 ½ tablespoon Lemon Juice

¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

½ -1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder [prefer Kashmiri Chilli Powder]

2 large Onions [coarsely crushed in mixer grinder]

1 ½ teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste

1 tablespoon Ghee

Salt to taste

For Chicken Fry:

1 tablespoon Oil

1-2 Green Chilli [optional]

1 “ Cinnamon

2 Cloves

10-15 Cashew Nuts [make powder with it]

For Making Garam Masala Powder:

2 tablespoon Coriander Seeds

2 Inch Cinnamon Stick

6-8 Cloves

4 Green Cardamoms

½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds

¼ teaspoon Fennel Seeds

For Making Biryani:

2 Cups Rice [basmati]

3 ½ Cup Water / Chicken Stock if available

2-3 tablespoon Oil

Salt as needed

½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

1 ½ teaspoon  Biryani Masala [Any Brand Biryani Masala]

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder

¼ Cup Fresh Curd

To Grind And Make Paste:

2 Medium Onion, sliced

1 inch Ginger

4-5 Garlic Cloves

2-3 Green Chillies

½ Cup Mint Leaves

½ Cup Coriander, loosly measured

To Temper:

1 Bay Leaf

1 Star Anise

1 Strand Mace

½ teaspoon Shahi Jeera

3 Green Cardamoms

4 Cloves

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash and rinse the rice under tap water.

Soak rice for ½ an hour.

How to make Chicken Fry:

STEP 1 – Add all ingredients under title “ Garam Masala Powder” in a mixer jar and grind it to a fine powder. Remove and keep aside.

STEP 2 – To the same mixer pot, add cashews and make a fine powder with it seperately. Keep it in another bowl.

STEP 3 – Now pulse 1 heaped Cup cubed onions in a blender to a coarse texture and set it aside.

STEP 4 – In a mixing bowl, add washed chicken pieces, ½ teaspoon salt, red chilli powder and other ingredients under title “ marination with the garam masal powder we grind in step no. -1 and onion from step no.- 3.

STEP 5 – Mix everything well so that the chicken pieces get coated with the masala well.

STEP 6 – Heat a pan with thick bottom

and add marinated Chicken pieces in it and cook on high flame for first 1-2 minutes

and then on low to medium flame till the chicken get cooked properly.

Cook it until it is soft and tender. When done switch off the gas stove. Keep cooked chicken aside.

STEP 7 – Now heat 1 tablespoon oil in another pan, add cinnamon stick, clove and cardamom form the ingredients under title“ For Chicken Fry” .

STEP 8 – Then add chicken pieces in it  which we have cooked and kept aside.

Cook them for about 2-3 minutes and then add cashew powder in it.

STEP 9 – Mix well and fry well till the moisture evaporates  completely.  You will get a nice aroma of masala here. Here you have finished the half part of biryani. Keep the chicken pieces aside.

For Making Rice:

STEP 1 –  In a mixer pot, add all the ingredients under title “To  Grind And Make Paste” and make a fine paste with it. Keep this paste aside.

STEP 2 - Heat 2-3 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add the whole spices in it under the title “To Temper” and sauté it for few seconds.

STEP 3 – When you feel nice aroma, add the green paste we had prepared in the step no. – 1. Saute it well and cook till the raw smell vanish it off. You can see the oil starts separating from the sides.

STEP 4 -  Here you have to add curd, biryani masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and mix well by giving a nice stir.

Cook the masala for 2 minutes till oil seperates.

STEP 5 – Add 3 ½ cup water in it and bring it to boil.

STEP 6 – When the water comes to a boil, add washed and soaked rice in it

and cook the rice on medium flame until ¾ done or until the water is almost absorbed but thick gravy like moisture is still there in the rice.

STEP 7 – Heat a tawa on low flame on another flame.

STEP 8 - Now lower the flame completely and seal the container with the aluminium foil paper or thick moist kitchen towel or chapatti dough.

Place a tight lid and move the pan to a hot tawa and dum cook the biryani for 10-12 minutes. Here you have to keep the flame on low.

STEP 9 – After 13-14 minutes, switch off the flame and leave it undisturbed for 10 minutes. Dum cooked Biryani is ready.

For Layering the chicken biryani:

STEP 1 – In a big wide serving bowl, layer half of the cooked rice. Then layer it with fried chicken pieces.

STEP 2 – Repeat the same with the rest of the rice and chicken pieces.    

STEP 3 – At the top add some rice, garnish with fried onion, fried cahsews, mint leaves and chopped coriander. Biryani is ready to serve.

Serve biryani with any raita of your choice or any salan and onion slice and a lemon wedge.

Here I made onion-mint raita to serve with the biryani. Whisk curd well

and add sugar, red chilli powder and salt in it. Mix it.

Then Add chopped onion, chopped mint and coriander leaves in it and mix well and raita is ready.