Coimbatore Style Chicken Biryani

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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%.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

• Crush shallots instead of grinding them to retain their juices and enhance flavor.

• Use non-sour curd to prevent the biryani from becoming overly tangy.

• Cook the chicken on a low flame with a lid initially, allowing it to release its own juices and cook partially before adding water.

• Adjust the flame during rice cooking: start with high heat, then reduce to low for dum cooking to ensure even cooking and prevent sticking.

• If homemade biryani masala is not available, a good quality store-bought biryani masala can be used along with the whole spices for tempering.