Chicken Dum Biryani is a main course and mostly famous in Southern part of India.
Ingredients:
7-8 Onions (very thinly sliced)
1 Kg or 2 lbs of Chicken on the bone or boneless
1 cup yogurt
2 Tbsp Garlic paste
1 Tbsp Ginger Paste
3 Tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
500 gm Basmati Rice (washed and soaked in salted water for at least half an hour)
3-4 Tbsp oil
Oil for frying the onions
1 large onion (chopped)
2 (1 inch) Cinnamon
4 green Cardamoms
5-6 cloves
10-12 whole black pepper
3 Bay leaves
1 Tsp cumin seeds(jeera)
2 numbers of mace
2 numbers of star anise
1 Tsp Coriander powder
1/2 Tsp cumin powder
1 Tsp red Chili powder (to taste)
1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
2-3 green Chilies (to taste, chopped)
a few strands of Saffron (kesar)
3-4 Tbsp Desi ghee (clarified butter)
2 cups of fresh green Coriander (chopped)
2 cups of fresh mint leaves (chopped)
1/2 cup of milk
Few drops of rose water
3 Tbsp biryani masala ( I prefer Sahi Biryani masala)
Marination:
Marinate the chicken pieces in 1 cup yogurt, 2 Tsp garlic paste, 1 Tsp ginger paste, 1 Tbsp biryani masala,3 Tsp lemon juice and little salt, for half an hour in freezer.
Fried Onions:
Deep fry the finely sliced onion in oil until the color turns golden brown and take out on a paper to soak extra oil.
Boil Rice:
Boil the soaked rice in lots of water in it along with 1 stick cinnamon, 3-4 cloves, 2 green cardamom, 1/2 tsp of jeera ,1 bay leaf,1 mace,1 star anise,5-6 whole black pepper,1 tbsp oil and more salt.
The rice should be boiled in lots of water and salt ( like pasta). The rice should absorb the salt otherwise the biryani will be tasteless. Boil on a high flame and let the it boil vigorously on high flame for about 5-7 minutes. The rice should be cooked 3/4th and the rest will get cooked later with the chicken. Check the rice in between. If the grain breaks into 3 parts, it means the rice is cooked just right. Now strain the rice and keep it aside.
Chicken Preparation:
Heat oil in a deep pan, add the remaining bay leaves, cloves, black pepper, jeera, mace, star anise, cinnamon and green cardamoms.
When they crackle, add the chopped onion and fry it until it turns golden brown. Once the onion is done , add the ginger and garlic paste and saute it for a couple of minutes or so until the oil separates from the masala. Then add the cumin and coriander powder and the biryani masala and some mint leaves.
Saute it again for a couple of minutes and add the marinated chicken. Cook on a medium heat till all the water dries up (water from the chicken and yogurt).
The chicken should be just cooked and dry because it will get cooked further in the final step (during dum).
Preparing for Dum:
Take a medium sized aluminium tray and spread the bottom with a little amount of ghee or oil so rice won't be sticked.
Prepare 3 layers in total (2 layers of rice and 1 layer for chicken). At the bottom spread first layer of rice (half of the cooked rice), then put some coriander, mint leaves and some fried onions.
Second layer is for all of the chicken followed by the rest of the cooked rice. At the top , again add rest of coriander,mint leaves and fried onions.
In 1/2 cup of warm milk crush a pinch of saffron strands and put some whole strands. Wait till it turns yellow and sprinkle on top of the rice followed by very few drops of rose water.
Cover the tray with an aluminium foil and make sure that vapor should not come out from it.
AND put it in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degree Fahrenheit.
And the delicious dum biryani is ready to serve.