Serving:8-10 persons
Cooking time:3-4 hours
Utensils:
At least 2 heavy based pans, one large enough to hold all ingredients and should still have minimum 2 cm empty space, the lead fits tightly without any leak
1 frying pan
1 mixing bowel.
Ingredients:Rice ( bashmati or pilau rice) 1 kg
Firm Chicken cut into medium sized or acc. to taste 2 Kg on the bone with some drumsticks ( rice:chicken ratio should be 1:2)
Water 10 cups
Milk 1/2 cup
Saffron strands: few
Salt acc. to taste
To marinate:garlic paste (freshly prepared) 2 tbsp
ginger paste (freshly prepared) 2 tbsp
coriander powder 1 tsp
cumin powder 1 tsp
mace 1/2 tsp
grated nutmeg 1/2 tsp
garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
ground turmeric 1/2 tsp
black pepper 1/4 tsp or acc. to taste
thick full fat yoghurt e.g. Greek/Turkish 1/2 cup (recipe video for Greek variety)
lemon juice 2 tbsp
To frycooking oil
green cardamom pods 6: de-podded
cinnamon stick 1 inch
clove 3
To garnishOnion 3 medium finely sliced
Cashew nuts and any other nuts you fancy
Ghee/butter
green chillies 4-6 (optional)
Mint/coriander leaves 1 bunch(optional)
Procedure:
- Mix all ingredients for marinate and chicken in a bowel. Leave in the fridge for an hour.
- Rinse rice in tape water, then drain on a colander/sieve. Leave it soak in water for half an hour. Drain off excess water before cooking.
- Put marinated chicken with juices in a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water and salt. Heat covered on medium flame. Once chicken begins to tender (approx 10-15 minutes) turn off the heat and take off the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Do not allow the chicken to cook completely and keep the juices.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the chicken pieces briefly in batches turning occasionally with a spatula. Fry the whole spices in the same oil for 1-2 minutes. Discard the oil; return chicken and whole spices in to the pan containing juices. cover and cook on a medium to low heat until chicken is two third cooked.
- While chicken is still cooking, pour 10 cups of water and 1 tsp salt in another saucepan . Turn the heat to high. When water starts to boil pour in the rice. Turn off the heat when rice is 2/3rd cooked (i.e. just before it becomes soft) which may take only 5 minutes! so rice needs to be checked frequently. Drain off water on a colander/sieve.
- Put saffron threads into the milk and warm it. Mix it with rice once water drains off.
- In a frying pan melt butter or ghee on heat. Add some oil first if using butter. Fry onions, turning occasionally. They are done when changes colour. Dry toast nuts for couple of minutes on a hot pan.
- In a large heavy based pan put chicken and rice in 2-4 alternate layers. Spread nuts, onions, oil and other optional garnishes over each layer. Avoid oil if you are watching weight. Put the lead on and bring it to the lowest heat. Seal the lead tightly and ovoid opening the lead unnecessarily. Keep on low heat for approx 1-2 hours or until rice is done.
- Open lead just before serving, mix rice with chicken. Take care, chicken will be very soft by now.
- Enjoy with some accompaniment.
- If you start feeling dizzy from the huge list of spices use Shan pilau biryani masala. I've tried several other spice mixes including 10 Shan "biryani" products , but only this one worth a try and is available in Asian food shops.
- For a lazy option, put together all ingredients (except rice) and chicken with 1/2 cup water in a pressure cooker until cooked. Boil rice to almost done; arrange rice and chicken in 2 layers, place them under oven for 30 minutes in 200 c. At the end you will get something slightly better if not similar to restaurant version.
- Fried onions are available in packets from grocery shops, but not famous for their taste.
