Hydrebadi Chicken Dum Biriyani

I actually couldn't stop myself from smiling while I saw this post sometime back online.

Why wouldn't I? Each one of us have dreams about our own life, our family, our children, our careers, our homes, our cars, what not... However, I have always seen that the more we dream, the more it gets unrealised, the more disappointed we become. I always try to tell myself not to take a lot of things with high expectations. If there is something that I have ceased to learn so far, then it is to lower my level of expectation on each and everything in my life. I have so many times in my previous blog posts scribbled about how much I am learning to do it. But with the way my life is moving, I know I still haven't learnt the valuable lesson. I really, sincerely hope that I will learn this important trait soon - to keep myself sane for a longer period of time, InShaAllah... otherwise I will have only time to mend broken hearts, whether it is mine or others... :)

Coming to this biriyani recipe that has been in my drafts for God knows how long... despite me posting so many recipes in the past, I don't know somehow I keep missing to do this post. Finally I pulled it up and decided to post it before the picture starts looking a bit faded! Hehe... Hyderabad is so well known for its Nizami style food, which involves a lot of non-vegetarian fare. Their biriyanis are lip-smacking and highly appreciated by food connoisseurs. Not much of work, but the end result will not disappoint you for sure! Off to the way I make it...

Hydrebadi Chicken Dum Biriyani
Serves 4-5
Recipe adapted from here


Ingredients:

1 kg chicken, cut into meduim pcs
For marination:
1 cup thick yogurt, slightly beaten
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
3 green chillies, chopped finely (increase more for spiciness)
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
Salt to taste

For rice:
3 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
3 cloves
1 inch pc cinnamon
2 cardamom
1 bay leaf
A handful mint leaf
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

For dum:
2 tbsp ghee + 2 tbsp oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
10-12 strands saffron
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp jeera powder

Method:

Marinate the chicken overnight along with the "For Marination" list of ingredients. The minimum marination must be 2 hours.Cook the rice with all the ingredients as stated, in a port full of water till 1/2 done. Drain and set aside to cool. 

Heat oil and ghee in a deep fry pan and fry the onions till it becomes crisp and caramelised. Drain and keep aside. Soak the saffron into the warm milk and keep aside. 

Take a deep saucepan. Use the same oil as used to fry the onions. Add the marinated chicken and keep on meduim flame for around 7-8 minutes, till the stocks of the chicken start showing. Remove off the flame and keep a tawa for warming.

Layer half the rice on top of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle half of the onions, garam masala, shah jeera and saffron soaked milk. Dump in the remaining rice, level the top and sprinkle the remaining dum ingredients and the coriander leaves. Tightly seal the saucepan with aluminuim foil, close the lid tight and keep on meduim flame on top of the tawa for 35-40 minutes. Leave it on the dum for 10 minutes after switching off the flame. 

Mix well before serving it with some pappad, pickle and raita!!!


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