Chicken Biryani ( Sunday Special )

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Chicken - ½ kg
Oil - 6 tbsp
Cinnamon - 2
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 5
Onion - 3
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - handful
Red chilly pwd - 2 ½ tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Biryani masala pwd - ½ tsp
Tomato - 2
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Yoghurd - 1 small cup
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soak biryani rice for 5 mins.
Drain water and reserve.
Clean chicken pieces in running water and strain water from it.
Take 2 pans and heat them simultaneously
In one pan, add water and allow to boil without covering with lid.
In the other pan, add oil and heat.
Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, wait to splutter.
Add chopped onion and roast it to golden in medium flame.
Add garlic paste and add chopped mint and coriander leaves.
Now add ginger paste and toss continuously.
Add red chilly pwd, chopped tomato pieces, fresh lemon juice, yoghurd one by one with stirring.
Toss it in medium flame till oil separates ( approx for 5 mins )
Now biryani masala curry with strong and rich aroma has been prepared.
In this stage, add chicken pieces, saute it in masala curry.
Add salt and required water.
Allow to cook for 10 mins.
Now add soaked and strained biryani rice to the first pan with boiling water.
Allow the rice to get half cooked.
Transfer this rice to the biryani masala curry prepared above in the second pan.
Stir and close it with a lid.
Allow to cook in medium flame for 4 to 5 mins.
Remove from flame & cook it in “ dhum “
For cooking in “ dhum “ , heat a strong dosa girdle on the flame.
Place the biryani pan on top of the girdle.
Now take a wide bowl, add 4 tumblers of hot water to it.
Place this bowl on top of the lid of biryani pan.
Keep the biryani in “ dhum “ like this for 15 mins.
Once it is done, open the lid and fluff the biryani gently.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with spicy curry & onion raitha.