Mummy’s Best & Easiest Ever Chicken Biriyani
Ingredients
To Grind (for biriyani masala)
- 1 nos Onion roughly chopped
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 2 inch Ginger roughly chopped
- 7 nos Green chilli as per taste
- 9 nos Raw cashews
- 2 cup Coriander leaves/Cilantro chopped and packed
- 1 cup Mint leaves
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
Other
- 1¼ kg Chicken
- 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 3 nos Bay leaves optional
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 2 tbsp Cumin powder
- 1 tbsp Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- ½ cup Curd
For frying
- 3 nos Onion medium sized, thinly sliced
- to taste Cashews and Raisins
- 1 nos Potato optional
For the rice
- 4 tbsp Ghee
- 2 nos Bay leaves
- 2 nos Cinnamon
- 10 nos Peppercorn
- 8 nos Clove
- 5 nos Cardamom
- 2 nos Star anise
- 4 cup Basmati rice
- 1½ cup Hot water for each cup of rice
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- to taste Salt
For Assembling
- few pinches Garam masala powder
- 3 tsp Ghee
- Saffron water Soak 2 pinches of saffron in 3 tbsp hot water and let it sit for 10 mins
- Coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients ‘To grind’ into a blender jar and blend to smooth paste with little water.
- Heat the oil and ghee in a pan on medium heat. Add bay leaves followed by the ground masala paste and cook until the raw smell disappears. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala. Mix until the spices are cooked and pour in the curd and bring to a boil. Note: At this point, this masala can be stored in a glass jar for later use, in a refrigerator for 2 days, or frozen for at least 2 months. This masala is suitable for 1–1.25 kg chicken/mutton or beef.
- Add chicken pieces to the masala, add salt to taste and cook on medium flame till the chicken releases its water. Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup of water as required. When done the gravy should not be too thick or too loose. (The gravy will thicken as it sits.)
- While the chicken is cooking fry sliced onions until golden brown, followed by potatoes, cashews and raisins.
- Once the chicken is done add the fried potatoes into the masala, mix and keep aside.
- Now to partially cook the rice, into a large pot add 3- 4 tbsp ghee and fry the whole garam masala on low heat until aromatic. Add the basmati rice and fry for 5 mins. Pour 1.5 cups of hot water for each cup of rice, salt to taste, dash of lemon juice and bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for approx. 15 mins until the rice is 80% cooked.
Toss the rice in the pan to prevent over cooking while you prepare to ‘Dum’ the biriyani.
- Assembling the biriyani: Grease the bottom of a large heavy bottom pot with ghee and spread a layer of the chicken masala, followed by the cooked rice, sprinkle some garam masala, fried onions, nuts and raisins, saffron water, and ghee and repeat.
- For Dum: Place on a Tava and cover with aluminum foil or seal the lid with atta dough . Heat the pot on medium heat for an initial 10 mins, then let it ‘dum’ for approx. 35 mins or more on low heat.
- Mummy’s delicious chicken biriyani is ready to serve with raita, pickle and papad. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can discard the whole garam masala from the cooked rice while assembling the biriyani.
- For Vegetarian options you can try with paneer or some mixed veggies.
- You can use either 3 or 4 cups of rice according to the ratio your family prefers for this amount of chicken. Make sure to use only 1.5 cups of hot water for each cup of rice used.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @shebascalmcuisine on Instagram and hashtag it #calmcuisine.
Food for Soul
Jesus repeatedly told his disciples not to fear. Fear is very destructive. Fear is a spirit. Fear will torment a person and cause depression, sickness and death.
Luke 21: 26 says that men’s hearts fail them because of fear. People in this world live either by fear or by faith. 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us the spirit of fear. Therefore we have to deal with the spirit of fear. We have to counteract fear with faith in God and in His word. We have to build our faith. We have to read and hear the Word of God, because the Bible says that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
We can also build our faith by looking at the way in which God has historically protected and saved His children from all kinds of perils and situations.
When we fear we are giving room to the spirit of fear to operate in our lives. We should not entertain any thought in our mind that will cause fear. We should fill our minds with the promises of God, which is appropriate for the situation and start meditating them. By meditating on these Scriptures we can dispel the fear and live by faith.
God is with You!!
