EASY MALABAR CHICKEN BIRIYANI

Ingredients :

For Rice : 

Basmati rice : 2 cups

Water : 4 cups 

Cloves/Karambu : 4 nos

Cardamom pods/Elakka : 4 nos

Cinnamon stick/Karuvapatta : 1 inch pieces

Bay leaves /Tejapatta  : 1 no

Lemon Juice : 2 tsp (freshly squeezed)

Salt to taste

For Marinating Chicken:

Chicken : ½ kg /1.1 lb

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli powder : 1 tsp

Yogurt  : ½ cup

Biryani masala  : ½ tsp 

Salt to taste

For Chicken Masala :

Onion  : 4 medium (thinly sliced)

Tomato : 2 medium (chopped)

Green Chillies : 15-20 nos (chopped)

Ginger : 1 inch Piece 

Garlic :  8-10 cloves

Biryani masala : 1 tsp

Red chilli powder : ½ tsp

Coriander powder : 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Mint leaves : 1/4 cup (chopped)

Cilantro/Corainder leaves : 1/2 cup (chopped)

Oil /Ghee /Ney :  2 tbsp

For Nutty Paste :

Fennel seeds : 1 tsp

Poppy seeds : 1 tsp

Grated Coconut : 3 tbsp

Cashew nut : 10nos

For Garnishing :

Cashew nuts : Handful

Raisins : Handful

Ghee /Ney : 3-5 tbsp

Onion : ½ cup (thinly sliced)

Coriander leaves : Handful

Saffron : 1-2 strand

Warm milk : 2 tsp

Method of Preparation

Preparing the Nutty Paste : 

1. First you need to soak the poppy seeds,fennel seeds, cashewnut in the water for half an hour and grind it to smooth paste along with grated coconut and keep it aside.

Cooking the Chicken Masala:

1. First clean the chicken with a litlle venegar or little turmeric to remove its unpleasant smell.
2. Grind ginger,garlic,green chillies to coarse paste and set it aside.
3. Marinate the chicken with all above mentioned  ingredients for  at least 1 hr at room temperature and shallow fry it. (You may keep the marinated chicken pieces in fridge if you want.)
4. Heat oil/ghee in a pan, add thinly sliced onion saute until it is translucent,add the ginger,garlic,green chillie paste,saute until brown color,add chopped tomatoes and saute for few seconds.
5. Add the briyani masala,turmeric powder,red chilli powder,coriander powder,combine well and saute untill the raw smell goes.
6. Add the chopped corainder & mint leaves and mix well.
7. Add the shallowed fried chicken and cover & cook on medium flame for about 10 mins add water if needed and adjust salt.
8. Add the nutty paste and cook for couple of minutes,when its done,remove and keep it aside.

Cooking the Rice:

1. Soak the rice for 30 mins and drain the water completely.
2. Boil the required water,with half of the whole masala (cardamom, cloves & cinnamon ) and add salt.
3. Heat ghee in a pan & splutter whole masala.Add the cleaned & drained rice, when the rice starts cracking add it to boiled water and cook uncovered the rice for 8-10 mins.
4. When rice done drain the excess water immediately spread the rice on a tray and sprinkle the lemon juice.let it cool for sometime

Preparing for Garnish :

1. Heat ghee and fry the thinly sliced onion till golden colour and crispy for 15 miutes sprinkle little sugar to caramelize,remove and drain on to the paper towel.
2. Now fry cashews and then raisins until they turn golden colour,drain and remove on to the paper towel and keep it aside.(Note:Save the leftover ghee for layering the biryani)
3. Mix saffron strand in warm milk and keep it aside.

Final Cooking and Layering :

Cooking in Oven :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F/180 degree C.
2. In a oven proof dish, grease your cooking dish and spread half of the chicken masala and with some cooked rice. 
3. Sprinkle  biryani masala, fried cashews, raisins, fried onions, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves, sprinkle left over ghee and few drops of saffron milk over the rice as the final layering. Repeat this process.
4. Close with tight fitting heat resistant lid or close it with aluminium foil, crimp along the side and and bake it for 20 mins.
5. When it is done, remove and keep the dish covered untill serving.

Cooking in Stove top - Dum Method :

1. Make a dough out of the wheat flour / maida with little water, the same way you would do it for chappathi and set it aside. 
2. Place flat cast iron skillet or tawa on the lowest burner of your stove. The flame should be at the lowest setting. 
3. Layer the chicken masala and rice; sprinkle  biryani masala, fried cashews, raisins, fried onions, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves, sprinkle left over ghee and few drops of saffron milk the rice as the final layering. Repeat this process.
4. Close with tight fitting lid seal the edges of the lid with above prepared dough.(Note:There should not be even the slightest opening) (or) if you don't prefer sealing it dough, then close it tight fitting lid and place the biryani vessel on top of the iron skillet or tawa and cook on for 15 mins and turn off the flame.
5. Let it rest unopened on tawa for another 15 mts and break open the seal; now dum is also done.

Serve hot with Salad, Boiled Egg and Pappad, on the side and Enjoy!