Life|Cooking

How to Make the Most Incredible Chicken Biryani

Thanks to my mum who, on her day off work, finally shared this recipe

Put your hand up if you love food but hate cooking. Yes, that was me too.

Quarantine has welcomed new hobbies or simple ways to pass time. What I once saw a chore has now become a therapeutic way to pass time- to experiment, to create, to cook!

If you haven’t heard of biryani, I won’t be offended but my food-loving self does pity you.

Biryani is a well-renowned dish of South Asian cuisine that consists of layers of chicken and rice, enriched with spices. It is a dish made on casual Sundays or brightened up for family reunions; everyone enjoys it, from young to old.

I’m going to get straight into sharing the recipe because that’s what you’re here for.

Ingredients

• 3 large onions
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 5tbsp olive oil
• 5tbsp salt (or as required)
• 4 medium-sized tomatoes
• 30g Shan Sindhi Biryani Mix
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 2 green chilies (or as required)
• 750g chicken
• 1kg Basmati rice
• 2tbsp natural yogurt
• 2 large potatoes
• 1tsp caraway seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1/2 lemon juice
• Fresh coriander (as required)
• Orange food coloring (as required)

Method

1. Rinse 1kg of Basmati rice in warm water until the water runs clear and then soak for an hour in cold water.
2. Heat 5tbsp olive oil in a large pan.
3. Finely chop 3 large onions, 1 head of garlic, and 1tbsp worth of fresh ginger. Add these to the heated oil along with 2tbsp of salt. Fry for 10 minutes or until the onions turn brown on medium heat.
4. Chop 4 medium tomatoes, slice 2 green chilies and add them to the pan. Also add 30g of Shan Sindhi Biryani Mix, 1 cardamom pod, and 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri chili powder. Fry the ingredients for 15 minutes on medium heat.
5. Then add 750g of chicken. Refrain from stirring too much at this point and fry for another 15 minutes on medium heat.
6. Once the gravy is looking darker and the oil starts to separate add 2tbsp natural yogurt and stir. If the chicken starts to stick to the pan, add 50ml of water.
7. Peel 2 large potatoes and chop them into large pieces. Add these to the pan as well as the juice from 1/2 a lemon and fresh coriander. Fry everything on a low heat now.
8. Fill 4/5 of a pan with water and begin to boil the water. Add 3tbsp salt, 1tsp caraway seeds, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 bay leaves, and 1 cardamom pod to the water.
9. When the water is boiled, add 1kg of soaked Basmati rice. Stir to distribute the rice well and then cook for 10 minutes.
10. Next, drain the rice using a colander, take the chicken off the heat if you think it will stick while you do this.
11. Separate the rice into 2 halves. 1/2 can remain in the colander and the other half can be put back into the rice pan.
12. To create the layers, add all the curry to the rice in the rice pan. Then add the rice in the colander to the emptied curry pan. Next, add back the curry and rice in the rice pan to the curry pan.
13. Add a few drops of orange food coloring to the rice, this is optional.
14. Press a sheet of tinfoil onto the rice and then put the lid on the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on high heat and then on the lowest heat for 10 minutes.
15. Now turn off the flame. Remove the tinfoil and your chicken biryani is ready.
16. Always serve hot and enjoy!