Ingredients
- 2 onions quartered and sliced
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5-6 cloves
- 1/2 red chilli deseed and halved
- 2 star anise
- 6 cardamom
- 1 cup fresh curry leaves
- 2 pandan leaves knotted
- 2 tsp biryani masala
- 2 tbsp tumeric powder
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves chopped
- 1 cup coriander leaves chopped
- 150 g yogurt
- 150 ml milk
- 4 tsp ghee
- Tumeric water 1tbsp tumeric powder to 3 tbsp water
- 1 cup roasted cashew nuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
Chicken marinate
- 8 pieces chicken
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chicken powder
- 1/2 tbsp tumeric powder
- 1/2 tbsp chilli powder
Rice
- 1 1/2 cup basmati rice washed and soaked 1 hr
- 1 litre water
- 2 pandan leaves knotted
- 1 tsp salt
Seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp chicken powder
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 fresh lime extract the juice
Instructions
Step 1- Marinate the chicken
- Add the chicken and chicken marinate ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.
- Cover and leave it to marinate for at least 2 hrs
Step 2- Cook the rice
- Bring the water to a boil and add the pandan leaves and salt. Add the rice and cook for 4-5 mins until rice is 70% cooked.
- Discard the pandan leaves and drain the rice. Spread the rice out on a wide plate or tray and use a fork to fluff the rice.
Step 3- Fry the onion and chicken
- In a pot, add the cooking oil and fry the sliced onions until golden brown. Drain fried onions in a sieve and set aside.
- In the same pot, fry chicken pieces on both side for 4-5 mins or until 3/4 cooked and set aside.
- Using the same oil, add in the cloves, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, red chilli, pandan leaves and curry leaves. Sauté until fragrant then add in biryani masala, tumeric powder and chilli powder, 2 tbsp of fried onions. Stir and mix well.
- Add in the chicken, 1/2 of the mint and coriander leaves, all the yogurt and milk. Toss well and let it simmer for 5-8mins over medium heat.
- Add in the seasoning, then taste and adjust accordingly.
- Set aside the cooked chicken and strain the gravy into a separate bowl.
Step 4- Cook the Briyani
- In another pot, spread out half of the chicken, then layer half of the rice, mints, coriander leaves, raisins, cashew nuts, fried onions, ghee, and tumeric water. Repeat again with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cover well the pot and over low heat, simmer the rice for 20 mins. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 mins then fluff the rice and serve.
- Garnish with fried onions, fresh mints or coriander leaves and a slice of lime and serve with chicken gravy on the side.