Chicken Dum Biriyani | Restaurant style chicken biriyani

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Side effects of being married to a big foodie!! One way or the other you are always thinking about cooking something new for your better half who just loves to eat. I was a simple rice - rasam type girl before marriage and in last 5+ years I not only learnt cooking but started enjoying cooking so much that I started my own blog. Doesn't it feel good to make something and get appreciated for it every time :-) 

Some side effects of being with a foodie or being a foodie yourself are so glaring.

1. You are just finishing your lunch and you start thinking about cooking dinner.

2. In the supermarket , you are almost like a robot scanning the vegetables/meat - your mind starts thinking about all possible recipes and what you can cook this week.

3.You have no issues with your spouse inviting guests for dinner every other weekend.It's an even prouder feeling to receive appreciation from guests ;-)

Do you have any other side effects??- do comment below so we can laugh a bit together:))

Every time there are guests coming over, I start planning  the menu and this Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani has to be the first in the list. Then I go on adding my specialties such as Roasted chicken, Fish Rava fry or Masala fry, Chicken sukka etc as certified by the foodoholic of my house aka my husband:) 

There are 100s of variations of making biriyani, the process and the ingredients differ a lot but who can beat the taste of a biriyani with the aroma of spices, fried onions, fresh mint leaves etc.  This post has been in the draft for the longest time and finally I am posting it with all my love for Biriyani. The whole process of making this biriyani is very interesting and I split it into three categories - marinating the chicken with the spices, cooking the rice to the right consistency to be layered and finally dum cooking the biriyani in a handi (pot).

So lets get started with the ingredients, do not faint looking at the long list, after all it's not everyday one makes such elaborate and special dish :-))

Ingredients:

Chicken on bone: 1 kg

Long grained basmati rice : 1 kg
Shahi Jeera/ caraway seeds: 1 tsp
Cloves: 3-4

Oil: 1tsp

Saffron: few strands
Water/Milk: 2-3 tbsp 
Salt to taste
Ghee: 3 tbsp
Broken Cashew Nuts: 15-20
Rose water: 1 tbsp (Optional)
Kewra water: 1 tbsp (Optional)

For Marinade:

Biriyani powder : 3 tbsp

Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder:1 tsp

Coriander powder:1 tbsp

Turmeric powder :1/2 tsp

Green chillies: 3-4

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Curd: 1 cup
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp

Chopped Mint leaves: 1/4 cup +1/4 cup 

Chopped Coriander leaves:1/4 cup +1/4 cup

Fried onions: 1/4 cup +1/4 cup

Method:
Marinating the chicken:
1. Take all the ingredients for marinade and mix well. Save half of the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onions for dum cooking. Add cleaned chicken pieces and marinate for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Cooking the rice:

2. Wash and soak rice in enough water for 1 hour. Heat water in a big pot and add salt, 1 tsp oil, caraway seeds and cloves. when the water starts boiling add the soaked rice. We are going to cook it partially. When the rice starts popping up take a grain and press it with your fingers, it will break into 2. It should be half cooked at this stage. Turn off the flame and drain the rice in a colander. Do not overcook the rice as it will get mushy after Dum cooking with Chicken.

Dum cooking the biriyani.
3. Take a thick bottomed pot with a tight lid and heat ghee in it. Fry Cashew nuts and take it out. Soak Saffron in warm milk or water and keep aside.

4. Now add marinated chicken to the remaining ghee in the pot and gently mix it.

5. Add half cooked rice on top of the chicken in layers, arrange the remaining chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onions on top of the rice, sprinkle rose water, kewra water, saffron milk and add fried cashews.

6. Put a thick cloth on top and cover with the tight lid or you can also seal the lid with chapathi dough.

7. Keep it on high flame for the first 15 minutes and simmer the flame and let it cook for 30-45 minutes. You can also keep the pot on a heavy bottomed pan so the pot is not directly on fire and the chicken won't burn at the bottom of the pot.

8. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Open the lid and check the rice it would have turned fluffy and fully cooked. Gently mix the chicken and rice together and serve with chilled Cucumber Raita.  

Simple Cucumber raita:
Finely chopped onion: 1
Finely chopped green chillies: 2
Finely chopped/grated slender long cucumber: 2
Chopped Coriander leaves: 2-3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Chilled Yogurt/Curd: 3 cups

Mix all the ingredients together and chill in the refrigerator.
Please click here to know how to make biriyani powder.--> Fresh Biriyani Powder in a Jiffy

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Mushroom Dum Biriyani

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Who doesn't love biriyani? It's a mixed rice dish with a lot of Indian spices, rice and meat or vegetables.

Chicken biriyani is a favorite at home and I tried to make vegetarian version of it with mushrooms. It tastes absolutely delicious and so much like the ones served in the restaurants.

This can also be cooked with paneer, mixed vegetables or eggs. It's a dum version where the mushroom gravy and 3/4 th cooked rice are layered in a thick bottomed pan with a tight lid and dum cooked. I have used rose water, Kevra water and saffron that add distinct flavor to any biriyani. The list of ingredients is a bit lengthy but most of them are commonly available in Indian kitchens:-) 

Ingredients:

Long grain basmati Rice : 2 cups

Button Mushroom: 200 gms

Fried Onion: 1 cup

Cinnamon stick :1

Cloves :4-5

Green Cardamom: 3

Cashew: 10-15

Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala: 1/2 tsp

Oil/ ghee :2-3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Coriander and Mint leaves: 2 tbsp for garnishing 

Optional:

Saffron: 1/4 tsp

Milk: 2-3 tbsp

Rose water: 1 tsp

Kewra water (screw pine water): 1 tsp

To grind to smooth paste:

Medium Onion: 2 

Tomato : 1

Ginger: 2 inches

Garlic: 4-5 cloves

Coriander leaves: 3/4 cup

Mint leaves: 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice in enough water for 30 minutes. 

2. Warm milk and soak saffron in it and keep aside.

3. Grind onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, coriander and mint leaves to a smooth paste in a blender and keep aside.

3. Heat oil/ghee in a pan and add whole spices - cardamom, clove and cinnamon and fry until the oil is fragrant.

4. Add ground paste and sauté on medium flame until the raw smell disappears and oil separates. Takes about 4-5 minutes.

5. Mix in red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric and garam masala and mix well.

6. Add quartered button mushrooms and salt. Mix properly so that all mushroom pieces are well coated with masala. 

7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Keep stirring in between. Sprinkle little water if the masala is sticking to the pan. Turn off the gas and keep it aside.

8. Boil water in a large pot and add salt, shahi jeera (black cumin) and a tsp of oil and add soaked rice. Let it cook 3/4th. When rice grains start popping up, press the rice and check. It shouldn't be fully cooked.

9. Drain the water and keep the rice aside.

10. Take a thick bottomed pot with a tight lid and arrange rice and mushroom masala in layers. Put one layer of rice first and sprinkle some fried onion, chopped mint and coriander leaves and add a layer of mushroom masala. Repeat with rice and then mushroom and finish with rice layer on top.

11. Sprinkle remaining fried onion, fried cashew nuts, saffron milk, rose water and Kevra water. Close the lid and keep it on low to medium flame and cook for 15-20 minutes.

12. Open the lid and check the rice grains on top. If it's done turn off the gas and garnish with remaining chopped mint and coriander leaves. 

13. You can serve the dish as it is with layers or Mix them up and serve hot with cucumber raita.

Cucumber Raita:

Beat 2 cups of yogurt, add chopped onions, cucumber, finely chopped green chilli, coriander leaves and salt. Chill and serve with biriyani.

How to fry onions:

1. Finely slice onions and sprinkle some salt and sugar and keep it aside for 15 minutes.

2. Squeeze out extra water and deep fry the onions in hot oil. Remove on paper towel to get crispy fried onions.

3. This can be stored in airtight jars in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.

Notes:

If the pot doesn't have a tight lid you can cover the edges with some chapathi dough.

If the pot is not thick bottomed keep it on a heavy pan and then turn on the flame. This way the pot won't be on fire directly and the heat will transfer from pan to the pot and you can avoid chances of biriyani sticking to the bottom of the pot.

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