Indian recipes: Kerala Chichen Biryani

Kerala Chicken Biryani

Biryani got it's name from the Iranian word " Birian" which means " fried before cooking.
So they believe that this dish has it's origin from Iran ( Persia).
Traditionally, Biryani was prepared with rice and a leg of goat.
Now people make this wonderfull dish with chicken, beef, egg, fish etc.
This is the Indian version of the Biryani made with chicken but you could use any meat that you prefer most.

Serves: 4-5 people

Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes



Ingredients:

- 1 Kilo of chicken pieces ( could be anything from wings to legs or even fillets)
- 4 cups of Biryani rice
- 8 cups of water
- 3 teaspoons of Ghee ( clarified butter )
- 4 medium size onions
- 2 inch piece of Ginger
- 6 Garlic cloves
- 4 green chillies
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of yogurt / curd
- hand full of raisins
- 1 1/2 Table spoons of Kashmiri Chilli powder ( or any other chilli powder you have)
- 3 Table spoons of Coriander
- 1 pinch of Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala
- 3 Cinnamon sticks
- 4 Cloves
- 3 Cardamon pods
- 4 Sprigs of chopped Coriander leaves
- 5 Mint / Pudina leaves
- 1/2 cup of Pineapple chopped
- 3 tablespoons of Coconut oil
- salt to taste

Step 1:

Wash the rice till water runs clear and leave to soak for around
 30 minutes then drain well.

Step 2:

Grind the ginger, garlic and green chilli into a paste. Add yogurt / curd to your paste and mix well till texture is smooth.
Marinade your chicken pieces with the paste and leave to rest in your fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Step 3:

Heat one tablespoon of Ghee in a pan and fry your Cashew nuts, raisins and one finely sliced onion separately till golden brown and keep aside ( while frying onions add half a teaspoon of sugar so the onions remain chrip troughout).

Step 4:

Heat 3 tablespoons of Coconut oil in the same pan, put remaining 3 finely sliced onions and stir until golden brown.
Add your sliced tomatoes and salt to this and saute till soft.
Reduce your heat, add chilli, Coriander, Turmeric and Garam Masala Powder to your mix and stir for around 2 minutes.


Step 5:

Add marinated chicken pieces to this and mix in well, cook it on a low heat as the done chicken should make a thick gravy.
Taste your juices in the pan and add salt to taste.

Step 6:

Heat one tablespoon of Ghee in another pan, add Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamon pods and some pepper and stir well.
Add your rice and stir for 1 minute till everything is mixed together well.
Pour 8 cups of water and salt to taste, cook it covered on a low heat.
Remove from the heat when your rice and chicken are 90% cooked so that the rice doesn't stick together.

Step 7:

Spread evenly 1 table spoon of Ghee in a pan and layer it with your rice and cooked chicken.
Arrange 4 layers of rice and chicken, make sure you start your layers with cooked chicken and you should finish with your top layer being rice.
Garnish each layer with fried onions, Cashews, Raisins, Pineapple, finely chopped Coriander and mint ( Pudina leaves).
Pour one tablespoon of Ghee over the top and cover your pan.

Step 8:

Place your pot or pan in the oven and leave it to cook on a very low heat for around 15 minutes.

Step 9 :

Serve Chicken Biryani hot with salad, pappad, lime pickle and lemon tea

Tips:

- To avoid the raw odeur of chicken add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice when cleaning your chicken.

Now in India they would say "bil-hanā' wa ash-shifā " which means:

                                                       " Enjoy your Meal"

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