Chicken Biryani

Some useful and interesting info on Biryanis here

http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=12902&p=1
Suresh Nair, Mumbai 98700 36905, madeforyou_sid@yahoo.com
I work for a catering firm call Food Express which provides everyday meal to around 8000 people via corporates. Call me at 91 9833000208. I would love to be your host.

Basmati rice 500 gms.
Chicken pieces 1kg.
Garam masala powder 4 tsp.
Milk ½ cup
Whole garam masala 4 tbsp.
Butter 50 gms.
Sliced onions 1 cup
Golden fried sliced onions ¾ cup
Chopped garlic 4 tbsps.
Rose Water 2 tbsps.
Chopped ginger 4 tbsps.
Oil 5 tbsps
Red chili powder 3 tsps.
Salt To taste
Coriander powder 1 tbsp.
Saffron ½ gm.
Turmeric powder 2 tsps.
Curd (yogurt) 2 cup
Bay leaf 4 nos.
Chopped tomato ¾ cup

1. Marinate chicken pieces .Mix salt, ½ of the red chili powder, ½ of the chopped ginger, ½ of the chopped garlic, 1 tsp. Garam Masala Powder, ½ of the turmeric powder and Curd/Yogurt. Mix well and put chicken pieces in this for an hour.

2. Wash and soak rice in water for about 30 minutes.

3. Boil water, add ½ of the Whole Garam Masala , bay leaf and salt and boil rice till ¾th done. Drain rice and keep aside.

4. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add remaining Whole Garam masala .Let it crackle. Add Sliced onions and saute until light golden brown.

5. Then add remaining chopped ginger, chopped garlic, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, 1 tsp. Garam Masala powder and chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add marinated chicken and cook till chicken is tender.

6. Dissolve saffron in warm milk and keep aside.

7. Arrange alternate layers of chicken and rice. Sprinkle saffron dissolved in milk, remaining Garam Masala powder, mint leaves, golden fried sliced onions and butter in between the layers and on top. Make sure that you end with the rice layer topped with saffron , rose water and spices.

8. Cover and seal with aluminum foil . Cook in a preheated oven, for 10-12 minutes. Alternatively cook on an indirect slow flame for 10 to 12 minutes.

Gosht Biryani

1 kg: Mutton or lamb
2 cups: Basmati rice
1 tsp: Whole garam masala
2 cups: Yogurt
5 tsp: Ghee or oil
2 cups: Sliced onions
2 no: Green chillies
2 tsp: Ginger paste
2 tsp: Garlic paste
2 cups: Chopped tomatoes
Salt to taste
2 tsp: Coriander powder
2 tsp: Garam masala powder
1 tsp: Turmeric powder
1 tsp: Cumin powder
1 tsp: Red chilli powder
A generous pinch: Saffron
1 no: Ginger (two inch piece)
½ cup: Fresh coriander leaves
½ cup: Fresh mint leaves
½ cup: Warm milk
50 gm: Butter
Fried sliced onions, to garnish

Clean mutton or lamb and cut into one and half inch sized pieces.

Pick, clean and wash rice. Soak rice in water.

Chop green chillies. Peel ginger and cut into julienne (thin strips). Wash coriander and mint leaves and roughly chop them separately. Soak saffron in warm milk and keep aside.

Marinade meat pieces with yogurt, salt, turmeric powder and one tablespoon each of ginger and garlic pastes. Marinade for about four hours in a cool place.

Cook rice in salted boiling water along with whole garam masala till rice is almost cooked. Strain and keep the rice warm.

Heat ghee or oil in a thick-bottomed pan or pressure cooker. Add sliced onion and chopped green chillies. Cook till onion is light golden brown. Make sure to stir continuously. Add remaining ginger and garlic pastes and mix well. Add marinated meat and cook on high flame for seven to eight minutes. Now, add coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly.

Stir in three cups of water, bring it to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered till meat pieces are almost cooked. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, one teaspoon garam masala powder and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Cook for fifteen minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

*In case you are cooking meat in the pressure cooker, add chopped tomatoes, salt, garam masala powder, two cups of water and chopped fresh coriander leaves after adding dry spices. Pressure cook till meat pieces are almost cooked. It normally takes two or three whistles to cook the meat.

Ensure that the cooked meat does not have too runny a gravy. If that is the case, cook on high flame to reduce water content.

Arrange half the quantity of cooked meat in an oven proof dish and spread half the quantity of cooked rice on top of the meat. Sprinkle a little garam masala powder, half amount each of ginger julienne, saffron dissolved in warm milk and mint leaves. Dot the rice with half the quantity of butter. Place a layer of remaining meat on top of the rice, followed by cooked rice and repeat the earlier process with the remaining quantities of ginger julienne, saffron milk, garam masala powder, mint leaves and butter.

Cover it with aluminum foil and cook in a pre-heated oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Serve garnished with fried sliced onions and mixed vegetable raita.

Biryani Badshahi

1 kg - mutton
500 gms - rice parboiled
3 tbsp - lemon juice
20 - blanched almonds
1 tbsp - mint leaves (chopped)
2 cups - butter
2 handfuls - chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp - cumin seeds
4 - large sliced onions
4 - whole cardamoms
2 tbsp - sweet oil
8 pods - garlic
4 - whole cloves
2" long piece of ginger
1 tbsp - saffron
1 tbsp - green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp - red chillies, powdered
1 piece - cinnamon
1 kg - curd
250 gms - milk
6 cups - water
salt to taste

First, wash and soak rice. Then fry sliced onions to a golden brown colour. Soak saffron in water.

Now grind ginger, red chillies, garlic and almonds and fry these in butter. Add to it mutton and salt and stir for 5 mins. Now add water and cook on a slow fire till meat becomes tender and about 2 cups of the gravy is left.
Boil rice again with salt in another pan.

Put curd into a piece of muslin cloth and let the water drain away. Add cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, mint leaves, chopped chillies and coriander in drained curd.

Strain the saffron water and add lemon juice. Add all this to mutton.

Sprinkle half of the boiled rice over the mutton, then spread a layer of fried onion and then of rice again. Now pour milk and some butter and cover the vessel. Seal edges of the pan with flour paste. Place pan on a fire for one hour. Serve it very hot with some curry.

Vegetable Biryani

Basmati rice 2 cups
Mixed vegetable (cauliflower, potato, carrot, french beans) 1 cup
Green peas 150 grams
Thinly sliced onion 3
Thin sliced green chillies 2
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 1 tsp.
Cinnamon, caraway seeds 2 tsp.
Cloves 4
Black pepper powder 1/2 tsp.
Tomato 4
Yogurt (curd) 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 4 tbsp.
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp.
Dry fruits (cashew nuts, raisin) 3 tbsp.

1. Wash rice well before cooking.Then take rice with 3-3/4 cup water and a little salt added to it and 2 tbsp of dry fruits.Cook it in pressure cooker (wait for one whistle and then switch off the gas). You can also cook it in a pan or do microwave cooking just the same way as you cook ordinary rice.

2. Cut all the vegetables into small thin pieces and fry each one of it separately in oil. Also fry the green peas.

3. Then fry mustard seeds, green chilli, cinnamon and caraway seeds powder, cloves, black pepper powder for about half minute and then add onions. Fry till the color of onion changes to pink.

4. Add salt and red chilli powder and stir it properly.

5. Add fine chopped tomatoes and fry till they are properly cooked.

6. Next add yogurt (fine) and stir well.Heat it for about 10 seconds.

7. Add all the fried vegetables.

8. Lastly add the cooked rice and mix well with very light hands so that the rice grain doesn't break. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Keep the vegetable biryani in a serving dish. Decorate with dry fruits and green coriander leaves

Mutton Biryani

1 kg - mutton
1 kg - basmati rice
1\4 kg - ghee
1\4 kg - thick curd
1 - big onion (cut in long pieces)
15 - green chillies
1\2 tsp - red chilli powder
3 tbsps - ginger garlic paste
1 tsp - raw papaya paste
1/2 tsp - garam masala
1 bunch - coriander
1 bunch - pudina
1 no - lime
2 tbsps - milk
few saffron strands
salt to taste
For Raw Garam Masala:
shahjeera - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 4 to 5 sticks
cloves - 8 to 10
cardamom - 6 to 7
bayleaves - 5 to 6
stoneflower as reqd

In a dish, take washed mutton and add curd, gingergarlic paste, lime juice, raw papaya paste, garam masala powder, green chilli paste, red chilli powder and mix well. Leave the marinated mutton for atleast 2 hrs or as long as 4 hrs.

In a pressure cooker of 10 ltrs, or a thick bottom handi take ghee and heat. Add the raw garam masala, onion, fry well till the onion is golden brown. Add the marinated mutton and cook for 5 mins on slow flame. Then, pressure cook till 3 whistles or till the mutton is tender.

Meanwhile wash the rice (do not wash beforehand) and drain well. Add this rice to the cooked mutton and mix well. Add water just enough to cook the rice, add salt. Close the lid and cook till 2 whistles or without the whistles for 15 minutes.

Turn off the flame, make deep holes with help of a long slim knife here and there into which you have to pour the milk in which the saffron is soaked. Leave it for 10 minutes, and then garnish with coriander, pudina and mix carefully and not much. Turn it over to a serving dish, garnish with boiled eggs. Serve with mirchi\baingan ka salan, raita.

Hyderabadi Biryani

Meat - 1 KG Boneless
Basmati Rice - 1/2kg
Onion - 2 Big
Lime Juice - 1/4 Cup
Curd - 500 GM
Ginger Garlic Paste - 4-6 Tsp.
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 Tsp.
Green Chilli - 4-6 grind into fine past
Shazeera - A Pinch of Shazeera
Clove - 1-2
Cinamon - 1-2
Cardamon - 2-3
Coriander Leaves - A bunch finely chopped
Mint leaves - 8-10 sticks - Plucked only leaves
Safron - 2 pinch of safron, immerse in water
Safron color - A pinch of color liquified with water
Ghee - 2 Tsp.
Oil - 2 Cup oil
Salt - To taste

Cut the meat into 4" square pieces and wash it. Add ginger garlic paste to the washed meat and Marinate it for 1 hour.

While marinating you cut the onions thinly lengthwise and Fry the onions in the oil on low flame till it becomes golden brown. Now remove the golden brown onions from the oil and spread it on the plate, when it cool then crush it with your hand. Now add the curd 3/4 part of crushed fried onion, Red chilli powder, Green chilli paste, Cinamon, Cardamon, Shazeera, Clove, Coriander leaves, Mint leaves and safron water, salt to taste and remaining part of the oil into this marinated meat and leave for one hour.

After one hour take basmati rice and washed and now pour water into the rice as you cook it and add salt one tea spoon, Cinamon, Cardamon, Shazeera, Clove, Coriander leave, mint leave, Green chilli 2 cut into lenght wise. Now put on flame but when rice start cooking when the rice becomes half cookded. Then remove it flame. Drain out the water completly. Now spread this half cooked rice on the marinated meat. Upon the rice layer you spread lime juice, saffron color and ghee and remaining part of the crushed onion.

Now cover the utensil with lid tightly. Keep it on a very low flame After 1/2 hour exactly take it out from the flame. Now your delicious tasty Hyderabadi Biryani is ready to eat.

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