Ingredients

For the rice

• 2 cups/ 450g basmati rice
• 6 green cardamoms
• 1 cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 mace
• 3 bay leaves
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Water

For marinating Chicken

• 1 kg Chicken (skinless)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbs yogurt
• salt to taste

For the masala

• 3 medium/ 250g onions, thinly sliced
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2″ ginger
• 3/4 tsp shahi jeera/ black cumin seeds/ caraway seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• 4-5 green chillies( depending upon the heat level)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 15g mint leaves, chopped
• 20g/handful coriander leaves, chopped
• 10 cashews, soaked in water for 15 mins
• 5 raisins, soaked in water for 15 mins
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• salt to taste
• 1 cup hot water
• Vegetable/sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp oil

For layering the rice and chicken

• 4 medium/ 300g red onions / 100g fried onions
• 15 cashews
• 15 raisins
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 pinch turmeric powder
• 1 tsp pineapple essence(optional)
• 2 tsp rose water
• coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Oil, for frying onion

Method

For the rice

Wash 2 cups of basmati rice 2-3 times under cold water. Soak it for 15 minutes.

In a pot, bring enough water to boil.

Add 6 cloves, 6 cardamoms, 1 star anise, 1 mace, 1 cinnamon stick and 3 bay leaves.

Once the water starts boiling, add the soaked rice. Stir well with a spoon and allow to cook.

Once the rice is 50% cooked, add juice of 1/2 lemon, enough salt. (You have to add salt in such an amount that the water should taste like sea water).

Once the rice is 80% cooked, remove from heat. (At this stage, you can remove all the spices from the water as it will be floating on top and it is easy to remove.)

Drain the water and keep aside.

For marinating the chicken

Take 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp plain yogurt and salt to taste in a bowl. Mix well.

Add the chicken pieces into it. Mix well and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.

For the masala

Take 8 garlic cloves, 2″piece ginger, 3/4 tsp shahi jeera, 1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder, 4 green chillies, 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder, and 1/3 tsp turmeric powder and make a fine paste of it.

Heat 5-6 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan.

Fry the chicken pieces until it turns lightly brown. (No need to fry it for too long. We just need a slight char on the chicken.)

Remove the chicken pieces.

To the same oil, add 250g of thinly sliced onions. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Fry until it turns lightly brown.

Add the prepared paste to it. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the raw smell is gone.

In the meantime, make a paste of the soaked cashews and raisins. Add little water for grinding it to paste.

Add 2 chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup hot water. Cover and cook until the tomatoes are softened.

Once the tomatoes are softened, add the fried chicken, cashew and raisin paste, mint and coriander leaves and 2 tbsp plain yogurt. Mix well.

Add 1/2 of hot water. (You may need to add more or less water depending upon the consistency. We need a thick gravy.)

Cook for 15 minutes in medium heat. Add salt if required.

Add 1/2 tsp garam masala. Mix well and remove from heat.

For layering

Fry 300g thinly sliced onions in oil. Keep aside. (You can skip this step if you have the store bought fried onions.)

Fry cashews and raisins in tsp ghee and keep aside.

Take 1/2 cup milk in a cup. Add 2 pinches of turmeric powder(can use Saffron instead), 1 tsp pineapple essence and 2 tsp rose water. Stir well and keep aside.

Take a biriyani pot. Add a layer of the chicken. On top of it add a layer of rice.

Spread some fried onions on top of the rice and sprinkle some coriander leaves.

Again add a layer of chicken and then rice.

Spread the remaining fried onions and coriander leaves.

Place the fried cashews and raisins on top.

Pour the turmeric milk on top.

Cover with a lid. (You can cover the lid with aluminium foil to completely block the steam.)

Place the pot on top of an old pan/tawa.( It will avoid the direct heat on the pan and thus prevent burning.)

In low heat, cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot with salad, pickle and pappadom.

Please Note

You can fry the chicken in the same oil you fried the onions for layering the rice. Do not opt out the onions as it will give a nice flavour to the biriyani.

Adjust the amount of chilli as per your heat level.

I prefer using the homemade garam masala as it is more flavourful.

Pineapple essence adds a fruity element to the biriyani & using it is completely optional.

You can skip the cashews and raisins if you don’t have it.