Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken (Washed and cut into medium pieces)
• 500 g basmati rice
• 250 g yogurt (Use less for a lighter biryani)
• salt (To taste)
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 0.25 tsp turmeric powder (Optional)
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (Used in the marinade and again in the rice-cooking water as directed)
• 1 tbsp garam masala powder
• cilantro (Chopped; used in the marinade and as a topping)
• mint (Chopped; used in the marinade and as a topping)
• 4 green chilies (Use 4–5)
• 2 fried onions (Medium; used in the marinade and as a topping)
• 2 tbsp raw onion (Finely chopped; optional and makes the biryani more masaledar)
• 120 g oil leftover from frying the onions (Warm)
• cardamom pods (Part of the whole-spice mixture)
• cloves (Part of the whole-spice mixture)
• cinnamon (Part of the whole-spice mixture)
• star anise (Part of the whole-spice mixture)
• 0.5 tsp shahi jeera (Part of the whole-spice mixture)
• saffron or yellow food color (Optional; mix with the milk)
• 2 tbsp milk (For mixing with saffron or yellow food color)
• 2 tsp ghee (For topping the rice)
• 1 cup reserved starchy rice water (Reserved after cooking the rice)
• 1 cup water (For boiling the rice)
• oil (A little, for the rice-cooking water)

Steps

1. 1

   Combine the chicken, yogurt, salt, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, lemon juice, garam masala, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, green chilies, fried onions, warm onion oil, optional chopped raw onion, and the whole spices in a bowl. Marinate for 3–4 hours or overnight; overnight is preferred.

2. 2

   Wash the basmati rice until the water runs clear. Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes.

3. 3

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom, lemon juice, and a little oil.

4. 4

   Add the soaked rice to the boiling water and cook for 4–5 minutes, or about 4 minutes as described in the accompanying explanation.

5. 5

   Strain the partially cooked rice and reserve 1 cup of the starchy rice water.

6. 6

   Spread the marinated chicken evenly over the bottom of a heavy pot.

7. 7

   Layer the partially cooked rice over the marinated chicken.

8. 8

   Top the rice with fried onions, saffron milk or the optional yellow-food-color mixture, ghee, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, and the reserved rice water.

9. 9

   Seal the pot tightly so steam cannot escape. Cook over high heat for 10 minutes.

10. 10

    Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes, allowing the steam to cook the chicken and finish the rice.

11. 11

    Turn off the heat and let the sealed biryani rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

For a milder biryani, reduce the yogurt and fried onions in the marinade. The source does not specify quantities for the individual whole spices, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, boiling water, or the small amount of oil used in the rice-cooking water.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• biryani
• Hyderabadi
• South Asian
• chicken
• rice
• dum-cooked
• gluten-free