Unlike most biryanis, this one is slightly sticky and spicy, with a hint of sweetness from the addition of coconut milk.
Serves: 5
Ingredients:
- Chicken – 1 kilogram chopped into medium sized pieces.
- Rice – 2 cups, wash, soak for 20 minutes and drain well
- Ghee – ¼ cup or 4 tablespoons
- Onions – 5 large, sliced thin
- Tomato – 1 small, chopped
- Cinnamon – 4″
- Cardamom – 6
- Cloves – 6
- Fennel – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – ¼ teaspoon
- Bay leaf – 1
- Thick Coconut milk – 2 cups full
- Water – ¾ cup
- Salt to taste
Ingredients for Masala: Grind the ingredients listed below to a fine paste without water. Measure out the masala and top up with water so as to get no more than a cup of liquidy masala. Marinate the chicken with it. Set aside for 2 hours
- Garlic – 1 knob peeled
- Ginger – 2″, roughly chopped
- Roughly chopped Pudina or Mint leaves – ¾ cup
- Roughly chopped Coriander leaves – 1 cup
- Curd – 2 tablespoons
- Green chillies – 6 -7
- Fennel – ½ teaspoon
- Cumin – ½ teaspoon
- Cinnamon – 2″
- Cloves – 2
- Green cardamom -2
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt – 1¼ teaspoon
Method:
- To a deep casserole, with a well fitting lid, on medium heat, add ghee followed by the onions and fry until they turn a golden brown. Save a tablespoon or two of the fried onions for garnish.
- To the rest of the onions in the casserole add whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel, cumin seeds, bay leaf) and fry well until fragrant.
- Next add the chopped tomato, fry until slightly mushy and pop in the marinated chicken pieces along with all the masala. Turn the heat to maximum, while stirring all along and cook the chicken until the gravy starts bubbling away. Lower the heat and stir in the drained rice, coconut milk and water and bring to a rolling boil for a couple of minutes. Taste and check for salt as well as spice. If you want to up the spice level, this is a good time to do so by adding more slit green chillies.
- Lower the heat to minimum. Cover and cook for 20 – 30 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and chicken.
- Serve garnished with the reserved fried onions and cold raita.
Ingredients and method for Cold Raita:
- Onion – 3, sliced thin
- Tomato – 2, deseeded and chopped small
- Cucumber – 1, deseeded and chopped small
- Green chilli – 1, slit or chopped
- Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
- Chat masala – a pinch or two
- Garlic clove – 1 squished
- Sugar – ¼ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Cold curd – 2 cups
- Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
To a large enough bowl add green chilli, cumin powder, chat masala, garlic clove, sugar, salt, coriander leaves, curd and refrigerate. Add the chopped vegetables to the curd mix just before serving with hot Sticky Rice Biryani.
