Off to today's recipe... Who does not love biriyani? I don't think there are many who do not love to devour biriyani. But I know of many who are still scared to try biriyanis thinking that it is a very complicated dish. Even I was in that same category too. My earlier attempts landed up in "kanji" (the Malayalam word for overcooked and mashed up rice) format and it did not take time for anybody to let it down their system!!! Then I didn't try to make biriyani at least for three years!!! Yeah, I know, that much dejected I was. I was satisfied eating it from my mom's kitchen, my aunty's kitchen or any restaurant but not from my hands.
Once I learned the technique of making rice properly, I slowly got the confidence of making biriyani and now, I can finish cooking biriyani in flat one hour. That easy it has become. A couple of good attempts and you are into it. I seriously sometime wish I could make it everyday!!! :)
This one is a quick version, something made in a pressure cooker. You may not call it authentic biriyani but then the end taste is very close to that of one. When you feel lazy but want to eat a biriyani, you can go for this recipe. It is a winner, in all ways. I've made it three times and each time, it has been really good. A big hearty thanks to Karishma who had this recipe on her blog. I have no words to express my thanks to you, for giving a treat to my lazyhead!!!
Pressure Cooker Chicken Biriyani
Serves 5 - 6
Recipe adapted from here
Ingredients:
1100 gm chicken, skinned and cut into small pieces
3 cups rice
3 tbsp ghee
5-6 each of cloves, cardamom and peppercorn
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
4 large onions, sliced
4 tomatoes, sliced
3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 bunch coriander leaves
800 ml water
Salt to taste
For garnishing:
2 tbsp ghee
1 small onion, sliced
5-6 cashewnuts
5-6 raisins
Method:
Wash the rice well and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the rice. Heat a large frying pan, add a couple of teaspoons of oil and fry the rice till dry and crisp. Set aside.
Heat your pressure cooker and add the ghee. Once it gets heated, add the onions and chilli and saute till well fried. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes get mashed well and is incorporated into the masala. The more you keep your masala on low flame, the tastier the biriyani becomes!!!
Add the masalas and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the yogurt, coriander leaves and chicken and mix well till the masala gets incorporated on the chicken. Leave it like that for 5 minutes. Add the fried rice and water. Adjust your salt. Close the lid and increase your flame to medium - high. Once the first whistle is up, reduce the flame to the minimum and do not keep for more than 5 minutes. Switch off the cooker and leave unopened for the next half an hour.
Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small kadai and fry the onion till brown. Then fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside. Open the cooker, pour the ghee used for frying the garnishing items and mix well until incorporated. Garnish with the onion, cashews and raisins and serve with raita, pappad and achar!!!