Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:

For cooking rice:

1 1/2 cups Basmati rice

1/2tsp Fennel seeds

4 cups Water

1tsp Oil

Salt

How to:

• Heat water in a medium flame, add fennel seeds, oil, salt and stir it. Make sure the water is salty.
• Add the rice and wait for the water to boil and the rice to come up. Now, take 1 grain of rice and check if it breaks when pressed by your finger tips.

• If yes, switch off and carefully drain the water from the rice in a colander and keep aside .

For coloring:

Pinch Saffron color

1tbsp Water

• Dissolve the saffron color in water and keep it aside.

For frying onions:

1/2 Yellow onion (thinly sliced)

1tsp Corn flour

Oil

How to:

• Heat oil at medium-high in a deep frying pan.
• Sprinkle the corn flour over the onions and deep fry'em immediately. (Do not let sit after sprinkling corn flour, as it may start sticking.)

• Place it on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

For cooking Chicken:

4 Chicken drumsticks

1 Yellow onion (thinly sliced)

2 Roma tomatoes (chopped)

2 small green chilli (chopped)

3/4 cup Yogurt (plain)

1/2 cup Mint leaves

1/2 cup Cilantro

1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

3/4tbsp Chilli powder

1tbsp Coriander powder

1/2tsp Garam masala powder

1tsp ghee (optional)

Salt

Oil

Whole garam masala:

1tsp Fennel seeds

1/2tsp Cumin seeds

1/2tsp Black cumin seeds

3 green cardamom

2 black cardamom

1 Cinnamon stick (1")

3 Cloves

1 Bay leaf

How to:

• In a skillet, heat oil and ghee, add the whole garam masala spices and saute for a min.
• Then add the onion and green chilli and saute until it starts browning.

• Now add ginger-garlic paste and cook until raw smell disappears.
• Then add cilantro, mint leaves and tomatoes and cook till its completely mashed up.

• Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and cook for 2 mins.

• Now add the chicken to the masala, mix well and cook for 2 mins.

• Pour the yogurt, mix well and cook until the chicken is tender, with lid closed.

• Reduce the flame, remove the lid and cook till the masala thickens.

Check salt for taste and switch off the flame.

Layering:

Let the fun begin.

• In a baking dish, spread the chicken masala at the bottom and layer it up with the rice.

• Then top it with fried onions, cilantro, mint leaves and pour around 2tsp of saffron water and wrap it up with aluminum foil.

• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins.

Serve hot with hard-boiled egg and raita.

Sending this dish to the event 'Iftar moments Hijri 1431', hosted by Umm Mymoonah.