Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1.Prepare the Pot and Oil

   Place a large cooking pot on the stove. Once hot, add 200 ml of groundnut oil. After the oil heats up, add 2 tablespoons of ghee and let it melt and heat.

2. 2.Temper Whole Spices

   Add the whole spices: 2 pieces of cinnamon, 4 cloves, 2 cardamoms, 2 star anise, and 2 bay leaves to the hot oil and ghee. Sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.

3. 3.Sauté Onions and Shallots

   Add 200g of sliced large onions and 200g of crushed shallots to the pot. Sauté until the onions are 80-90% cooked and turn a golden brown color.

4. 4.Add Chilli Powder and Ginger-Garlic Paste

   Add 1 teaspoon of chilli powder and 100g of ginger-garlic paste to the sautéed onions. Mix well and continue to sauté until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste disappears and oil starts to separate.

5. 5.Add Green Paste

   Add the green paste (made from 1 handful of coriander leaves, 1 handful of mint leaves, and 4 green chillies) to the mixture. Sauté until the oil separates from the paste and it is well cooked.

6. 6.Add Tomatoes, Salt, Curd, and Biryani Masala

   Add 300g of chopped tomatoes and some salt (for the tomatoes to cook down) to the mixture. Sauté until the tomatoes are soft. Then, add 100ml of non-sour curd and 1 tablespoon of homemade biryani masala powder. Mix everything thoroughly.

7. 7.Add Chicken and Cook

   Add 1 kg of chicken pieces to the masala. Mix gently to coat the chicken with the spices without breaking the pieces. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on a low flame for 5 minutes. The chicken will release its own water and cook to about 90%.

8. 8.Add Water and Bring to a Boil

   After the chicken has cooked in its own juices, add water. For 1 kg of Seeraga Samba rice, add 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.

9. 9.Add Soaked Rice and Cook

   Add the 1 kg of Seeraga Samba rice, which has been soaked for 30 minutes, to the boiling mixture. Stir gently. Initially, keep the flame high. Once the water level is even with the rice, reduce the flame to low.

10. 10.Dum Cooking

    Once the rice and water level are even, add a drizzle of ghee, some fresh coriander leaves, and mint leaves on top. Cover the pot with a banana leaf, then a tight-fitting lid. Place a heavy object (like a pot filled with hot water) on top of the lid to create a seal for dum cooking. Let it cook on low flame for 15 minutes.

11. 11.Serve the Biryani

    After 15 minutes of dum cooking, turn off the flame. Open the lid and remove the banana leaf. Gently fluff the biryani with a spatula. The rice should be perfectly cooked and fluffy. Serve the hot chicken biryani on a banana leaf.