Home Style Chicken Biryani - Coimbatore

Step 1: Heat Oil and Ghee

Place a large pot on the stove. Once hot, add 200 ml of Cardia Groundnut Oil and 2 tablespoons of ghee. Allow them to heat up.

Step 2: Temper Whole Spices

Once the oil and ghee are hot, add the whole spices: 2 pieces of cinnamon, 4 cloves, 2 cardamoms, 2 star anise, and 2 bay leaves. Sauté briefly until fragrant.

Step 3: Sauté Onions

Add 200g of sliced large onions and 200g of crushed shallots (small onions) to the pot. Sauté until the onions turn golden brown and translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

Step 4: Add Chili Powder and Ginger-Garlic Paste

Once onions are 80-90% cooked, add 1 teaspoon of chili powder and 100g of ginger-garlic paste. Sauté well until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste disappears and the mixture changes to an orange-brown color.

Step 5: Add Green Paste

Add the freshly ground green paste (made from a handful of coriander leaves, a handful of mint leaves, and 4 green chilies) to the pot. Mix thoroughly and sauté until the oil separates from the paste and the mixture turns a darker green/brown.

Step 6: Add Tomatoes

Add 300g of chopped tomatoes to the pot. Add a pinch of salt to help the tomatoes cook down faster. Sauté until the tomatoes become soft and mushy.

Step 7: Incorporate Curd and Biryani Masala

Pour in 100 ml of fresh, non-sour curd. Mix well. Then, add 1 tablespoon of homemade biryani masala (containing cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, shahi jeera, rose petals, marathi moggu, star anise, black pepper, and coriander seeds). Continue to mix and sauté until the mixture is well combined and fragrant.

Step 8: Cook Chicken

Add 1 kg of chicken pieces to the masala. Gently mix the chicken with the spices, ensuring not to break the pieces. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on a low flame for 5 minutes. The chicken will release its own juices and cook to about 90% doneness.

Step 9: Add Water and Bring to a Boil

Remove the lid. Add the appropriate amount of water (2 liters for 1 kg of rice, maintaining a 1:2 rice to water ratio). Add the remaining salt as per taste. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.

Step 10: Add Soaked Rice

Once the water is boiling, add the 1 kg of Seeraga Samba rice that has been soaked for 30 minutes. Gently stir the rice into the chicken and gravy mixture.

Step 11: Initial Cooking of Rice

Increase the flame to high and cook for the first 5 minutes until the water and rice are at the same level, and the rice is half-cooked.

Step 12: Dum Cooking

Once the rice and water are at the same level, place banana leaves over the rice. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place a heavy pot filled with hot water on top to create a seal. Reduce the flame to very low and let it dum cook for 10-15 minutes.

Step 13: Rest and Uncover

After 15 minutes of dum cooking, turn off the flame. Let the biryani rest for a few minutes before carefully removing the heavy pot and the lid. Gently remove the banana leaves.

Step 14: Garnish and Mix

Drizzle some extra ghee over the cooked biryani. Sprinkle fresh coriander leaves and mint leaves on top. Gently fluff and mix the biryani from the bottom up, ensuring the rice grains remain separate and fluffy.

Step 15: Serve Hot

Serve the hot, aromatic chicken biryani on a banana leaf or plate, ensuring each serving gets a tender chicken piece. Enjoy!

• Crushing small onions instead of grinding them helps retain their juices and flavor.

• Cooking chicken initially in its own juices on low flame ensures tenderness and enhances flavor.

• Maintain the correct water ratio (2 cups water for 1 cup rice) for perfectly fluffy biryani.

• Using a heavy pot of hot water on the lid during dum cooking creates an ideal sealed environment for even cooking.