Recipe: Lip Smacking Chicken Dum Biryani

Food is special, food makes us happy and above all, food makes you grow fonder of the person who has so lovingly cooked for you. And guess what’s that mouth watering dish I am gonna talk about here today??? Yes, it's nothing other than BIRYANI. Excited, eh?

I doubt there’s anyone who doesn’t love this gourmet cuisine and indeed my hubby is no exception. His immense fondness for Biryani is probably the only reason that gives me a kick to prepare this intricate dish with dollops of devotion and love.

Oh yes I have one more confession to make...Honestly, I am not a huge fan of Biryanis sold at those much sought after Biryani hot spots of Mumbai because the amount of attar (strong edible perfume of Arabian origin) and oil they use doesn’t intimidate me at all. So after testing and trying many times myself, I have come up with my own version of Chicken dum biryani packed exclusively with homely flavours and aromas.

Here’s sharing my recipe with you all...

Ingredient Checklist

1. Chicken with bones: 1 kilo
2. Chicken Marinade: Salt, curd (1 small cup), lemon juice (1 tsp), red chilli powder (1 tsp), Everest garam masala (2 tsps) and roasted jeera powder (1 tsp), Ginger and garlic – chopped and pasted half cup
3. Biryani basmati rice, extra long grains-  2 small cups
4. Mustard oil and ghee as per requirement
5. Onions-  500 grams coarse paste and 3-4 onions finely chopped
6. Spices: Haldi, bay leaves (4), star anise (8), cloves (8), black pepper balls (6) cardamom (6) and cinnamon sticks (2 short).
7. Herbs – coriander and mint leaves (1 cup chopped)
8. Flavouring agents: Salt, red chilli powder , Everest garam masala, roasted coriander powder
9. Potatoes- 3-4 whole boiled and peeled
10. For garnish- One pinch saffron, 2-3 tsps milk, cashews and raisins, mint leaves, boiled eggs (optional)

Oh baby, so you are ready with the ingredients? Now follow the steps exactly as explained below to get the taste right.

Step 1: Prepare the marinade

Wash the chicken. Add salt, 2 tsps mustard oil, lemon juice, red chilli powder, Everest Garam Masala and roasted jeera (cumin) powder, curd and onion- ginger- garlic paste. Refer to point 2 of the ingredient checklist. Adjust the quantity of ingredients as per your need. You can either leave the marinated chicken overnight or at least 3-4 hours inside refrigerator before cooking the chicken.

Step 2: Cook the rice

To get mix of 2 or 3 types of coloured rice, you have to cook the rice in separate containers. I usually prepare dual coloured biryani – white and yellow. Fill 2 skillets individually with water and allow it to boil in the oven. In the meantime wash the rice gently. Add 2 cups of rice separately in 2 containers. For the colour – you can either add a pinch of artificial colouring agent or prefer to go organic with half teaspoon of haldi. I use Haldi! Now add equal amounts of spices (refer to point 6 in ingredient list) to the boiling rice along with generous amounts of ghee and salt as per your palate. Stir the rice gently to ensure that the grains don’t break. One the rice is cooked spread it over a plate and allow it to cool. 

Step 3: Prepare the Dum

I’m a Bengali so I don’t need to explain to my folks “our” weakness for potatoes. Cut the boiled potatoes from the centre and fry them with haldi, salt and red chilli power until they turn golden brown. Keep them aside. Now take a “kadhai” and pour mustard oil generously to cook the chicken. Add whole spices (2 clove, 2bay leaves, 1 small cinnamon, 1 cardamom, 2-3 black pepper balls). Let them pop and then add the chicken. Stir and cook. Repeat the flavouring agents (ingredient no 8) if required.  Then add chopped mint and coriander leaves (ingredient checklist 7). You can add half cup water to make the chicken juicy and tender. Cover the kadhai and slow cook the chicken. 

While the chicken is cooking, all you have to do is deep fry the chopped onions in oil. Keep a handful aside for garnish and paste the remaining in mixer. Mix the paste with the chicken to render a rich colour to the “dum”. You can add the fried potatoes to the Chicken dum or add them separately while layering the biryani.

Step 4: Prepare the garnish

Slightly fry the cashews and raisins. Mix the saffron with the milk. Cut the boiled eggs in 2 halves (optional). Keep the deep fried onions ready.

Step 5: Layering the Biryani

Don’t worry folks; layering is not a rocket science. Mix the double coloured rice. You can add extra ghee to the rice but later do not crib about gaining weight :P. Take a big container and grease the bottom with nothing other than ghee. Then add a layer of rice. Sprinkle all the ingredients of garnish as described in step 4 followed by a layer of Chicken dum and again rice. Repeat the layering process. One the top you can put some mint leaves for aesthetics. Cover the container with aluminium foil.

Yayy! We are done. The yummy and juicy chicken dum biryani is now ready to be served on your dining table. Oh yes and don’t forget the side dish, Raita. Bon appétit! Oo la lal!

Try it and tell me. Much love. :)