Kozhikode Style Chicken Biryani

KOZHIKODE CHICKEN BIRIYANI

For making the Chicken Gravy:
Chicken - 1 kg
Turmeric - 1tsp
Garlic-ginger- shallot paste - 3 tbsp
Tomato - 2 chopped
Biriyani masala - 3 tbsp ( I used Sakthi brand)
Yogurt - 5 tbsp
Salt

For Rice :
Basmati Rice - 1kg
Whole garam masalas crushed - ( cloves 5 , Cardamom 3 crushed, Cinnamon - 5 sticks , Bayleaves - 3 broken)
Onion - 3
Green Chilly - 3 big
Ghee
Lemon Juice - that from a lemon
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup , chopped coarsely
Nuts & raisins - a handful

Preparation method for Chicken & gravy:
Clean & marinate the chicken with turmeric & salt.

Cut Onion , Tomatoes etc. & prepare other ingredients for the chicken .

First of all add ghee in a nonstick pan. Roast Cashews , raisins in this ghee , keep them aside.
Fry Green chillies and Onions nicely . Since I am not using Ghee to deep fry the onions, it will take some time for the onions to get fried well. You don't have to saute continuously, saute every 30 secs or so until it starts turning brown. Set aside the fried ingredients.

Add ginger - garlic - shallot paste in ghee & when the smell spreads, add the marinated chicken pieces to this and cook without adding water for 5 min. The outer surface turns whitish . At this point add Yogurt , Biriyani masala (OR 1 tsp salt and Chilly powder 1/2 tsp,Cori 1 tsp, Turmeric 1/2 tsp ) & chopped tomatoes.
Mix everything well and allow to coat on the chicken . Cook like that for 5 min.

Add 1/2 cup water and cook covered until chicken is done and the gravy thickens .

Preparation method for Rice:
Add some Ghee in a nonstick vessel.

Add the crushed spices ( cloves 5 , Cardamom 3 crushed, Cinnamon - 5 sticks , Bayleaves - 3 broken) . And when their flavour spreads , Add the rice .

Usually for cooking rice we adds double the quantity of water . But for making Biriyani add a bit less. Like 3/4 th of the usual quantity.
Add 4 tsp salt & 5 1/2 cup water to the rice and cook closing lid. When there is enough steam inside the vessel and drops started forming in the Lid, reduce the flame to low. So it will cook in the steam slowly and won't burn at the bottom.

Cook like this for 20 min. Use a fork to check if the water is completely absorbed. Spread 3 tbsp of lemon juice over rice.

Preparing Biriyani:
After both rice & chicken are finished, next step is to layer the rice and chicken and bake for some time.

Mix 1/2 of the fried onions with the cooked chicken.

Take a deep pot in which you want to bake. Spread rice then chicken with some gravy again rice continue this and finish it with spreading some chopped mint & coriander leaves, nuts raisins and fried onions on the top.

Bake for 45 min in 150 degrees preheated oven.

After finished mix all with a serving spoon .
Serve with boiled egg and a salad.