HYDERABADI DUM CHICKEN BIRYANI BY SANDEEP SHENOY

HYDERABADI DUM CHICKEN BIRYANI

INGREDIENTS :

1 & 1/4 kilo dressed chicken
4 & 1/2 pav Basmati rice
1&3/4 cup curds
30 green chillies
3 & 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Powder 14 cardamoms
12 cloves
1 heaped tsp shajeera
3-4 big sticks of cinnamon
2 lemon
2 big bunches 2 big bunches of coriander leaves
a medium bunch of mint leaves
salt
little haldi pwdr
3/4 tsp chilli pwdr
6-7 big onions

METHOD :

1 & 1/4 kilo dressed chicken,4 & 1/2 pav Basmati rice. For chicken marinade:1&3/4 cup curds.Grind 30 green chillies & 3& 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste.. Powder 14 cardamoms,12 cloves,1 heaped tsp shajeera, 3-4 big sticks of cinnamon.Add the paste & pwdr to the curds.Squeeze juice of 2 lemons into the curd.Add 2 big bunches of coriander leaves & a medium bunch of mint leaves,salt,little haldi pwdr & 3/4 tsp chilli pwdr

Mix well & marinate chicken in this mixture for minimum 2 hrs & preferably for 6 hrs.Wash & soak rice for 1/2 hr.Boil water with salt & whole garam masala(exactly half the amt used for pwdr).Cook rice in this water for exactly 6 min & drain the water.Slice 6-7 big onions & fry till golden brown.Keep aside.In a thick bottomed vessel add ghee/dalda.Do not heat it.Add the chicken along with the marinade into the ghee. spread the fried onions over it.Then pour the cooked rice .Make 6-7 holes with finger in the rice & pour 1 cup of milk to which ground saffron must be added.( Saffron is optional).Pour 1 tbsp ghee all around on top of the rice.Seal the vessel with chappati dough & leave a small gap where the ends of the dough join.Keep on gas on high flame initially for 5 min.Then slightly lower the flame & after 5 min cook on medium heat.After exactly 20 min,steam will start escaping from the open gap.(Sometimes steam starts escaping earlier. But,20 min cooking time is mandatory).Switch off gas.After 10 min,break open the seal & mix the rice & chicken mixture evenly.Serve with onion raitha.