Biryani Ingredients:
- Chicken boneless or with bones
- Basmati rice, 1 heaped cup
- onion grated
- ginger paste
- garlic paste
- bay leaf – 2 big ones
- plain curd
- 4 green cardamom
- 4 cloves
- a piece of cinnamon
- a piece of star anise
- a piece of mace
- dry fried onion
- Sunrise biryani masala
- half packet
- little Kashmiri mirch powder
- little turmeric powder
- oil
- ghee
- salt
Raita Ingredients:
- Curd
- finely cut cucumber
- tomato
- onion
- salt
- chat masala ( optional )
Biryani Method:
Marinate the chicken pieces with salt, turmeric, biryani masala , Kashmiri mirch powder, ginger, garlic paste and curd for at least half an hour.
Heat a little oil in the pressure cooker. Add bay leaf, 1 piece and grated onion and fry the onion till light brown. Add the marinated chicken. No need to add water, as a semi dry prep is required and water will be generated from the chicken.
Stir the marinated chicken for some time. Close the lid and heat the pressure cooker in maximum heat. When the pressure reaches maximum, reduce the flame at low and cook for 20 minutes. Switch off the burner and let the pressure subside by itself. Open the lid, heat and make a semi dry preparation. Keep aside.
Cooking of rice:
Wash the Basmati rice and drain off the water.
To a vessel, add some ghee and oil, add the cardamom, cinnamon, clove, star anise, mace pieces and bay leaf and saute in low flame.
Add the rice and mix. Add 1 and three quarter cup water, appropriate amount of salt. Mix well and heat till boiling point.
Cover and cook in low flame, until the water in the vessel dries up. Check by opening the lid and inserting a spoon. Check regularly and be very careful that rice at the bottom of the vessel does not burn.
Now cool the rice and keep aside. The rice this way will be partially cooked. Try to remove the garam masala and bay leaf pieces as they are visible in the white rice.
Now in a large vessel, layering of chicken and rice is done.
Add some rice at the bottom of the vessel, then layer some semi dry chicken pieces on it. Sprinkle a little dry fried onion. Repeat the process until layering of chicken, rice is complete.
Add half cup water over the mixture. Heat and when the water gets heated up in a few seconds, cover and cook in low flame, until the water in the vessel dries up. Again be very careful that rice at the bottom does not burn by checking water level regularly. If rice is still not cooked, add some more water and cook rice until it is just cooked and free flowing.
Serve gently so that the rice gets a mixed colour which looks nice.
Raita Method:
Take required amount of normal curd, beat it with a spoon to a smooth consistency. Add washed pieces of the above vegetables. Add some salt and chat masala (optional ). Mix well and keep in fridge before serving with biryani.