DISH NAME : HYDERABADI CHICKEN DUM BIRYANI

Preparation Time : 25 minutes

Cooking Time : 45 minutes

Description

Hyderabadi biryani is quite famous all over India. Unlike biryanis made in Tamilnadu & Kerala, where Kaima or seeraga samba, the shorter grain rices are used, Hyderabad uses long grained basmati rice. Hyderabadi biryani has the influence of Mughals.
Also in Hyderabadi biryani, meat and rice are cooked together after the initial boiling of rice. This method of cooking is called dum cooking. In dum cooking, the edge of the vessel is sealed with dough to retain the moisture and aroma of biryani.

Note

1) Some people use rice and chicken in the proportion of 1 to 1.5. I have used in equal proportion.
2) The longer the rice is aged, the better the quality of biryani.
3) Do not wash rice after soaking, grains will break.

Method

1) Deep fry onion till golden. Add a tiny pinch of salt while frying. Onion will turn more brown and crisp after removing from oil.
2) To cleaned chicken, add all the marination ingredients along with half of the fried onions after crushing them.
3) Also add 2 tbsp. of onion fried oil also to the chicken, after the oil attains room temperature. let it marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
4) When chicken is ready to cook, arrange in a heavy bottomed pan.
5) Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes after washing it.
6) Boil around 2 litres of water. When water comes to a boil, add caraway, cardamom, cinnamon & clove.
7) Add salt. Water should taste salty.
8) Now add rice and stir gently and allow the water to come to a rolling boil on high heat.
9) Let rice boil for 5 minutes. Put off fire. With a slotted spoon take out rice and spread on the chicken. Continue taking out rice till we have taken out 1/2 of the total rice.
10) Add half of the fried onion, half mint & corriander on top of rice.
11) Then take out the remaining rice and spread on top of the onion-corriander & mint.
12) Take out 1/2 cup of hot water in which rice was boiled & add half of the ghee in it. Mix well & pour it over the rice.
13) Spread the remaing fried onion, mint, corriander & ghee.
14) Cover the pan with aluminium foil. Place a lid on top.
15) Place a heavy bottomed pan on high heat. Keep the biryani pot on the wata. keep a heavy wait on top of the lid. You can even keep a pot with water for weight. Cook on fire for about 12 minutes, then lower heat to a low flame & cook for about 15 minutes. Then switch off flame. Let it stay unopened for an hour.
16) After an hour, remove lid and foil and fluff rice gently with a fork.
17) When serving, gently take the biryani digging from bottom gently, so that every plate has chicken and biryani.

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot with raita.