Ingredients
Biryani/Jeera Rice 2 cups
Chicken 250 gms
Onions 3 medium size
Chillies 15
Ginger garlic paste 2 tbspns
Coriander leaves 2 small bunches
Mint leaves 4-5 stalks
Fennel seeds (Saunf) 1 tbspn
Poppy seeds (khus-khus)½ tbspn
Cardamom 3
Cinnamon 1 inch
Cloves 2-3
Nutmeg 1/6 of the nut
Bay leaf 1
Turmeric ½ tspn
Chopped Tomatoes 4 medium size
Curd 4-5 tbspns
Lemon juice ½ lemon
Colour (sunset yellow) a pinch
Vanaspati/Dalda 5 tbspn
Cashewnut/rasins 6-7 each
Method
Dry roast fennel seeds, poppy seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and powder.
Add green chillies, 2 stalks of mint leaves, ½ a bunch of coriander leaves to the above powder and blend to a paste
Marinate the chicken pieces with a tbspn of ginger garlic paste, curd, masala paste and some salt for 2-3 hours
Wash and soak the biryani rice
Heat 2 tbspn Vanaspati in a handi and caramelize handful of sliced onion and keep aside. Fry 6-7 cashewnut and rasins too and keep aside for garnishing.
Now sauté the remaining sliced onions in the oil until soft,
Add 1 tbspn ginger garlic paste to it and sauté until raw smell evaporates
Add ½ tspn turmeric and the chopped tomatoes and sauté
Now add the marinated chicken pieces and sauté for a while
Cook with the lid covered until meat is tender
Ensure that the gravy is not runny (let it evaporate)
Heat 2 tbspn vanaspati/dalda in cooking pot
Add 2 each of cardamom and cloves, ½ inch cinnamon stick and bay leaf
Transfer the strained rice into the pot and stir until the rice turns white
Add 4 cups of boiling water and cook with the lid covered
Once the rice is done, separate half the rice for gravy layering
Prepare a bowl of colored rice by soaking rice in a bowl of warm milk in a bowl with a pinch of sunset yellow colour and mix well
Finely chop 1 bunch of coriander leaves and 2 stalks of mint leaves for garnishing
Now spread the chicken & gravy evenly on half the fried rice, add a thin layer of colored rice, then garnish with chopped coriander and mint leave, sprinkle some lemon juice evenly.
Repeat this layering procedure once more and garnish with the caramelized onions and nuts.
Now place on low heat with lid for 10-15 minutes (place weight on lid to enable steaming under pressure-Dum cooking)
Serve hot with curd raita/ beetroot chutney
