Cooking With Bibi Aysha
Chicken Biryani, Alipur style
INGREDIENTS:
-1 chicken, disjointed
-1¹/² cup fried onions
-1 cup plain yoghurt or sour milk
-2 medium-sized tomatoes, grated
-3 tblsp tomato puree
-1¹/² tblsp ground or crushed garlic
-4 tblsp Biryani Masala
-Juice of half a large lemon
-3 cardomom pods
-6 small cinnamon sticks
-¹/² tsp of saffron dissolved in 3 tblsp of boiling water
-1 tblsp salt
-1 tblsp Kashmiri chilli powder
-1¹/² cups masoor, boiled
-3 cups rice, long grain and par boiled
-6 medium-sized potatoes, cut into halves and fried
-1 cup frozen peas
-6 hard boiled eggs
-ghee
-cooking oil
METHOD:
1.In a dish add the following:
-1 cup fried onions
-yoghurt or sour milk if using
-tomatoes and tomato puree
-salt and all the spices
-most of the saffron strands and saffron water, leave some for colouring the rice on the top later
-elachi pods and 2 cinnamon sticks.
2.Mix altogether then add the chicken and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours. Cover with cling wrap then refrigerate.
3.Use a large pot that can go into the oven. Add some oil at the bottom of the pot.
4.Line the base of the pot with foil then add some more oil and blobs of ghee into the pot.
5.Sprinkle some rice and masoor in the pot.
6.Arrange the marinated chicken pieces in the pot. Leave most of the marinade in the dish.
7.Add some of the frozen peas and the potatoes now into the pot.
8.Add the remaining masoor and peas.
9.Add 2 cups of the parboiled rice into the masala marinade and mix well.
10.Now add a layer of the masala rice into the pot.
11.Add a layer of the white rice on top then pour the remaining saffron water on the top of the white rice in a circular motion.
12.Place the 4 cinnamon sticks upright into the rice then scatter the remaining fried onions and add a few blobs of ghee.
13.Cover the top of the pot with foil firmly then close the pot with the lid.
14.Place on the stove on medium- high heat until it steams.
15.Preheat oven to 180°C then place the pot of biryani inside for 45 to 60 minutes or until the meat is cooked.
16.When serving:
Use a side plate or saucer to take out the white and yellow rice first into a platter. Arrange the boiled eggs on the top of the white rice. In a seperate platter, add the masala biryani.
Serve biryani with fried papri (papadums) and dhai (spiced sour milk)
ENJOY!!!!!
