Chicken Biryani

In response to the request that I received from my friend Katja, I would like to post my Chicken Biryani recipe. It is based on a family friend's recipe. Every Id (Muslim festival of Id-ul-Fitr) our friend Hamza would come over to our house and make his special biryani. This was such a special treat. Recently I went back to India and my parents and I visited Hamsa. He still has the same smile and warmth. His wife and daughter cooked amazing food for us. My friend Giulio loves this recipe. Whenever I see him, which is not too often, I prepare this recipe. Now Katja wants the recipe for her husband Nelson who tasted my biryani once and now wants it made at home. So here goes.

Chicken Biryani

Ingredients for the chicken:

2 split chicken breasts- the bone on the chicken gives it more taste. You can substitute boneless breasts too.
2 red onions chopped
3 tbsp of garlic past
3 tbsp of ginger paste

1 bunch of coriander leaves
1 bunch of mint leaves
6-7 green Indian chili peppers
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp of plain yogurt
1 tsp of lemon juice
Salt to taste
Oil for sauteing

Ingredients for the rice:
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed

1 small piece of cinnamon
4-5 cloves
1-2 cardamons
salt for taste
3-4 tbsp oil


For garnishing :
1 tbsp fried onions
1/2 cup cashews
1 small packet of sun maid raisins
Orange food coloring
Rose water


Cut the chicken breast into medium sized pieces and marinate with the ginger and garlic paste.
Keep aside half a chopped onion.
In a large saucepan or casserole with a tight fitting lid heat the oil and fry the rest of the onions till translucent.
In a blender grind the reserved chopped onion, coriander and mint leaves and the green chillies.
Add the chicken to the fried onion, raise the heat and mix well for 3 minutes.
When the chicken starts to change color, add the green mixture from the blender. Add the lemon juice at this time.
Add salt to taste.
Cook for at least 15 minutes on medium flame till the chicken is done.
The green sauce would have darkened by now.
Whip the yogurt so that it has no lumps and lowering the flame add a spoon at a time. You do not want the yogurt to curdle. So add a little at a time and mix.
Once yogurt is well blended into the sauce, add the heavy cream. Mix well and cook for another 10 minutes.
Keep the chicken on simmer and cover with lid while you prepare the rice.

Wash the rice well and drain.
In a big vessel, add the oil and into it put the cloves, cardamon and cloves. Once they start to sputter add the rice.
Fry the rice for a minute.
Add hot water. The measurement for water should be two cups of water for one cup of rice.
Add salt to taste.
Cover and cook till rice is alost done.
Turn off the fire.

Once the rice cools a little you want to layer the rice with the chicken in between.
Take out half the rice from the vessel in which it was cooking.
In a small bowl take two tsp of rose water and mix t pinch of orange food coloring.
Sprinkle over rice in the vessel.
Add the chicken that you prepared on top of the rice in the vessel.
Cover the chicken mixture with the rice that you had removed.
Sprinkle the top of the rice with the rest of the rose water mixture.

Fry thinly sliced onions. Add the cashew and the raisins to the onions and slightly saute till raisins pump up.
Spread this over the top of the rice.

Cover the rice for 10 minutes before serving so that all the aromas blend together.

Biryani is best served with raita.

Raita.
Plain yogurt
Tomatoes, finely clopped
Cucumbers finely chopped.
Mix all the three together and add salt to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves.

This dish takes a little time to cook but will wow everyone who tastes it. If you make it, please let me know if it turned out well for you.