Biriyani treat

The above is a marination for the chicken biriyani

As it was a long weekend, i came over to my brother's place. I had my family all exited when i told them that i was planning on cooking for them. It was a video i saw in youtube that had me going with the idea of preparing biriyani. I was planning for this occasion for quite a while.
There are different styles of making this wonderful dish biriyani and this is one of the ways that i like to make it.

This recipe serves 6 people

Ingredients:

For the Biriyani

Basmati rice – 2 cups (for each cup add 1cup water)
Chicken – 3 lbs (1½ kg)
Chilly powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1½ tsp
Cinnamon – 10 pieces
Cloves – 10 nos
Cardamom - 8 nos
Ginger – 1" piece
Garlic pods - 8 nos
Mint leaves – 2 - 3 stems
Coriander leaves - 2 - 3 stems
Cashews - 20 nos
Raisins - 15 nos
Ghee/Oil/Butter - As reqd
Curd – 3 Tbsp
Saffron – A pinch
Onion(big) - 3 nos
Tomato - 3 nos
Green chillies - 2 - 3 nos
Oil for frying

For marinating

Chilly powder - ½ tsp
Coriander powder - 1½ tsp
Turmeric powder - 1.2tsp
Black pepper - 1/2tsp
Garlic-ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Masala powder - A little for taste
(Cinnamon-Cardamom-Cloves powder)
Lemon juice - 5 - 6 drops
Curd - 5Tbsp

For marinating:

Have the chicken cut into equal sizes and in a bowl add the curd, coriender powder, ginger garlic paste and the masala powder, tumeric powder, black pepper and the powders together and marinate it for 4 hours. The mixture needs to be mixed well.

For the Biriyani:

Make a fine paste of the fresh coriender, mint leaves and ginger garlic. Heat oil/butter/ghee in a pan, once hot add the cinnamon stick, clove, cardamom and fry it until the cloves start to crackle. Add the coriender powder, chilly powder and just release the flavor. Then add the rice and cook until the rice gets translucent. Add the paste to the rice, in another pan add little oil and saute the onion until it changes color and then add the tomatos transfer it to the rice and then add water to the rice. Allow the rice to just simmer and then add the marinated chicken to the rice and mix up making sure not to break up the rice. Pour the soaked saffron liquid to the rice. Bring it up to a boil. Once it is come to a boil, reduce the flame, cover the pan tightly and finsihed in a oven at 300*F for 30 minutes.

For the Garnish:

Fry cashewnut and Raisins in ghee and sprinkle on top of the rice.