This homemade Biryani, made with just a few ingredients, is loaded with flavour. Making Chicken Biryani has never been this easy and each layer is bursting with vibrant spices. If you are looking to cook for a crowd, this is the recipe for you!
Ingredients
- 4 (650g) Onions, sliced
- 3- 4 cups Oil (for frying the onions)
- 3 (600g) Potatoes, quartered
For the Chicken Gravy
- ¼ cup Oil
- 2 tbsp Ginger Paste
- 2 tbsp Garlic Paste
- 4 (600g) Tomatoes, sliced
- 5½ tbsp Biryani Masala
- 1kg Chicken
- 1 tsp Salt
- ⅓ of the fried Onions
- ½ cup Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
- ¼ cup Fresh Mint leaves, finely chopped
For the Rice
- 8-9 cups (2 litres) Water
- 5 cups (1 kg) Basmati Rice
- 8 Cloves
- 8 Cardamoms
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 2 Star Anise
- 2 (3”) Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 2-3 tsp Salt (to taste)
For the Layers
- 1 Bunch Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
- 1 Bunch Mint Leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Pure Desi Ghee, melted
- ⅔ (Remaining) Fried Onions
- 1 tbsp Kewra Essense
- ⅛ tsp Orange Food Colour/ Saffron (Kesar)
- ½ tbsp Water
Method
- Slice the onions very fine (if you have a mandolin that does the trick) and deep fry them in three batches till golden. Drain out the excess oil and place on a plate or tray lined with a kitchen paper towel.
- Clean, wash, and cut the potatoes into quarters. Put the potatoes into a pot and fill it with water just above the level of the potatoes. On medium heat allow the water to come to a boil. By this time the potatoes will be parboiled. Take the pot off the heat, and drain out the water completely before frying them in the same oil as you fried the onions. Once the potatoes have fried and turned golden, take them out of the oil and place them in a bowl lined with a paper towel.
- In a pressure cooker on medium heat add the same oil. Once the oil has heated, add the ginger paste and garlic paste. Sauté the pastes till the ginger and garlic lose their raw flavour.
- Now toss in the sliced tomatoes and biryani masala and sauté till the tomatoes soften, the masala gets a chance to cook and the oil begins to separate.
- Add in the chicken, season with a little salt, and add one-third portion of the fried onions. Give it all a good mix, cover the cooker with the lid, and place on the weight. As soon as the cooker comes to pressure and you hear the first whistle, take it off the heat. Allow the cooker to cool and pressure to release before opening the lid.
- Now toss in the chopped cilantro and mint leaves and give the gravy a gentle mix. Leave the cooker open for 10 minutes to allow the gravy to thicken.
- To prepare the rice, wash it three times with water and then soak it in water for at least half an hour.
- On high heat, bring a pot of water to a boil and then add the cloves, cardamoms, bay leaves, star anise and cinnamon sticks. Cover the pot with the lid and bring the water to a boil.
- When the water begins to boil, add some oil, the drained rice and salt to taste. Give it a quick stir, then cover the pot with a lid and allow the rice to cook for 7 minutes. When the rice still has a little bite to it, scoop it out of the water and place it on a tray. Remove the spices as you see them.
- Now chop a bunch of coriander and mint leaves and keep them ready to layer the biryani.
- To layer the biryani, take a wide tall pot and first drizzle a little ghee at the bottom of the pot. Then add a layer of rice, followed by a layer of chicken and gravy, some potatoes, a sprinkle of chopped coriander and mint leaves, and some fried onions, followed by another layer of rice. Keep repeating the layers till you have a layer of rice on the top.
- Pour on a little more ghee on top of the rice and for an authentic biryani flavour, in a small bowl add the kewra essence, orange colour, and water and give it a quick mix. Now pour this on the top of the rice in a circular motion.
- Top the rice with a sprinkle of finely chopped coriander, mint leaves and fried onions.
- Now cover the pot with a lid, place it on a griddle pan, and on medium-low heat, allow it to cook for another 10 minutes.
- To serve, gently mix and scoop out the biryani from the pot and place it on a large plate.
