Chicken biryani with potatoes
Curries With Bumbi · ♥ 32.2K likes · 2.6M views · 17 min video
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Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 25 g ginger
- 45 g garlic
- 250 g plain unflavored yogurt
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1.16 kg chicken with bones
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 3–4 whole mint leaves
- 475 g onions
- 100 ml warm milk
- 600 g basmati rice
- 200 ml oil
- 5 whole raw potatoes
- 2–3 whole whole green chilies
- 1 whole green chili
- ⅓ cup water
Blend the ginger, garlic and optional green chili with about a third of a cup of water to a smooth paste, adding a little more water if needed.
Pick the whole spices out of the biryani masala and keep them in a tea strainer for the rice water.
Choosing the biryani masala
- 2 tbsp Shan biryani masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
Stir the yogurt with Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander, 2 tablespoons biryani masala, a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil until smooth.
Add the bone-in chicken pieces, the yogurt mix, chopped coriander, torn mint leaves and the ginger garlic paste. Mix well and marinate 30 minutes to an hour.
- 1 tsp salt
Slice the onions evenly, toss with a teaspoon of salt and leave 10 to 15 minutes to draw out moisture.
- saffron
- 2 tsp cura water
- 2 tbsp water
- yellow food colour
Crush a few saffron strands in a mortar and add to warm milk with 2 teaspoons kewra water. Mix 2 tablespoons water with a pinch of yellow food colour (optional).
Saffron milk and food colour
Rinse the basmati rice several times until the water runs clear, to remove surface starch. Soak 30 minutes, then drain.
Put plenty of oil in a heavy-bottomed wide pot. Squeeze the water out of the onions and add them to oil that is just warm, not hot.
Choosing the pot and the oil
Stir on medium-high, returning often; when the edges start browning, lower to medium and stir continuously until golden brown, not dark. Turn off the heat quickly.
Squeeze out the excess oil and spread the onions on paper towels, loosening them with a fork and pressing off excess oil.
- 2 whole bay leaves
Heat back on medium; add the marinated chicken and two bay leaves and stir until the juices come to a boil, then stir from time to time on high heat for 10 minutes.
Add the raw potatoes, half the browned onions and a teaspoon of garam masala. Cover and simmer on low 20 minutes.
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp shahi jeera
- 2 whole dry bay leaves
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the reserved whole spices in the tea strainer, a heaped teaspoon of shahi jeera and two dry bay leaves.
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt
Add a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of vinegar, remove the tea strainer, add the rice and about a tablespoon of salt.
Keep the heat high until the water bubbles, then lower to medium and stir gently from time to time. Taste often until the rice is 70% cooked: slightly chewy, breaking but not pasty when pressed.
Drain the rice, discard the bay leaves, and spread it out gently with a fork.
When the potatoes are soft and the chicken cooked (not falling off the bone), turn off the heat and skim the oil off the top, keeping it.
- chopped coriander and mint leaves
- 1 tbsp biryani masala
Layer: a little browned onion over the chicken, half the rice scattered loosely, chopped coriander and mint, the rest of the rice, more coriander and mint, a tablespoon of biryani masala, the saffron milk, optional whole green chilies and the skimmed oil.
Layering the biryani
- skimmed oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Make small holes in the surface and pour the food colour into them. Sprinkle a tablespoon of lemon juice and the rest of the browned onions.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid (or foil then the lid). Set the pot on a flame tamer over the burner; high heat 10 minutes, then the lowest heat 15 minutes (cooking on dum). The low stage can be done in a low oven instead.
Remove from the heat and rest at least 30 minutes without lifting the lid, so the residual heat fluffs the rice.