Nizami Chicken Biryani

Step 1: Cook the Rice

Bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Add salt, bay leaves, caraway seeds, star anise, cloves, black cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, mace, and green cardamoms. Add the washed and soaked rice along with ghee. Cook on high flame for 2 minutes, then on low flame for another 2 minutes until the rice is 70% cooked. Drain the rice completely and set it aside to cool.

Step 2: Prepare the Chicken Marinade

In a large bowl, take the beaten yogurt. Add garam masala, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander seed powder, and cumin seed powder. Whisk everything together until smooth. Add the oil from fried onions, finely chopped ginger, finely chopped garlic, and fried onions (birista). Mix well.

Step 3: Marinate the Chicken

Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix thoroughly with your hands to coat each piece evenly. Let the chicken marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the refrigerator for the best results.

Step 4: Cook the Chicken

Heat oil and ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the whole spices: bay leaves, green cardamoms, mace, cinnamon sticks, black cardamoms, and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds, then add the slit green chillies. Add the marinated chicken and cook on medium heat. Add a little water to deglaze the pan. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Layer the Biryani

After 10 minutes, turn off the flame. Remove about half of the cooked chicken and set it aside. Over the remaining chicken in the pot, sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. Spread half of the cooked rice evenly. Drizzle with saffron milk, and sprinkle a layer of fried onions and chopped coriander. Place the reserved chicken on top of the rice.

Step 6: Final Layering and Dum Cooking

Add the remaining rice as the top layer. Drizzle with the rest of the saffron milk, pandan essence, and top with more fried onions and chopped coriander leaves. Cover the pot tightly with aluminum foil and then the lid to seal the steam. Place the pot on a preheated tawa (griddle) and cook on low flame for 30 minutes. This process is called 'dum'.

Step 7: Garnish and Serve

After 30 minutes, turn off the flame and let the biryani rest for a few minutes. Carefully remove the lid and foil. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Gently fluff the rice from the sides of the pot to mix the layers slightly. Serve the Nizami Chicken Biryani hot.

• Washing hands thoroughly before cooking is the most important first step for hygiene.

• Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes before cooking for fluffy grains.

• Whisk the yogurt well before adding it to the marinade to prevent it from splitting.

• Using the oil from frying onions (birista) in the marinade adds a deep, rich flavor.

• Dum cooking the biryani on a preheated tawa (griddle) on a low flame ensures even cooking and prevents the bottom from burning.

• Mutton can be used as a substitute for chicken to make Nizami Mutton Biryani.