Moplah-style chicken biryani from Kerala
A traditional recipe made during festivities, perfected with ghee or clarified butter
| PREP TIME | 40 m |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 1h : 20m |
| SERVES | 5 to 6 |
3 cardamoms
8 cloves
2-inch piece of cinnamon
1 kg chicken (cut into 12 pieces)
500 gms onion
3 medium-sized tomatoes, sliced
100 gms green chillies
70 gms garlic, crushed
70 gms ginger, crushed
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
2 cups yoghurt
10 sprigs of mint leaves
1½ tbsp garam masala
1 kg Kaima or jeerakasala rice
8 cashew nuts
20 raisins
2 cups oil
½ cup ghee or clarified butter
Water
1. To prepare the rice, pour water and bring it to a rolling boil. Make sure the amount of water used submerges the rice. Add a cup of oil with two tablespoons of ghee or clarified butter. Add three cardamoms, eight cloves and a 2-inch piece of cinnamon.
2. Also add half an onion, sliced, and add the rice after washing it thoroughly. Let the rice cook; and keep aside for 10 minutes. It should be cooked until 70 per cent done.
3. Next, slice onions thinly. Heat two cups of oil and half a cup ghee in a pan. Fry 300 grams of sliced onions until golden brown and keep aside. This is called birista.
4. Fry cashew nuts, raisins and keep aside.
5. In a heavy-bottomed vessel, heat three tablespoons of oil with a teaspoon of ghee or clarified. (You can also use the oil used for frying onion, instead of discarding it) and add onions sauté until translucent.
6. Add the chicken pieces with salt and sauté for five minutes.
7. Next, add the crushed ginger, garlic and green chilli together. Cook until the raw aroma of the ingredients are gone.
8. Add tomatoes, curd, mint leaves and cook until the chicken is tender and has a thick consistency.
9. Add garam masala, chopped coriander leaves, and drizzle the lemon juice. Check and adjust salt accordingly. Cook until well done.
10. Layer the rice and cooked chicken in a deep-bottomed pan. Cook on dum until the rice is well done.
11. Serve hot and enjoy!
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