Guest Post – Chicken Briyani Rice Recipe

mycookinghut October 7, 2010
biryani

Not too long ago, one of her dishes caught my attention. The ever familiar Black Sticky Rice (Orh Bee) that is usually used in Chinese dessert was used in a very interesting way! I got hooked and started to follow Sherie on her blog – a ½ food blog. Well, I mentioned that black sticky rice was used in a very interesting way, right?  Normally, black sticky rice is cooked and served with coconut milk. Sherie has 4 ways in using them, which all of them look yummy! You can see her posts here and here.

Today, I am glad to have Sherie on my blog. Of course, she is going to share with us a very delicious dish – Chicken Briyani Rice! It is by far, one of the most popular dishes around the globe. By looking at the photos, not only I can tell they are beautifully captured, I could almost imagine how good it smells and tastes. Let’s welcome Sherie!

When Leemei invited me to do a guest post on her blog, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes! After all, I started blogging and photographing about my bakes and my dishes a little more seriously not too long ago even though my blog has been around for yonks 😛 Thank you Leemei, for this wonderful opportunity! I am terribly honoured 😀 Leemei’s blog is undoubtedly one of those few blogs that i look up to. Wonderful wonderful recipes and photographs, and needless to say, brilliant travel stories with stunning photos!

I love spices. To be more exact, I love and absolutely intrigue by Indian spices. For the longest time, I put Indian cuisine on hold because truth be told, I was a little intimidated by the spices. So many types! So similar looking! You’ll hear me lament.

spices-copy

But not anymore because I’ve finally picked up the courage and venture beyond my comfort zone. For many of us who reside in Malaysia and Singapore, Chicken Briyani is not uncommon. We can get it almost at every corner. But what most of us do not know is that the biryani that we’ve been wolfing down actually are not exactly authentic though delicious to bits and pieces.

Today, I would like to share this wonderful authentic Chicken Biryani recipe with you which isn’t that intimidating at all. Once you have all the spices in the pantry at your disposal that is. In fact, it is so easy that I actually cooked this rice dish twice this week! One pot meal… makes my life so much easier 🙂

Now now, all you need to do is to do is list down the spices and hop over to the nearest Indian store! It will be your best decision ever – speaking from experience here *wink* Nandri!

 

biryani1-copy

yogurt

Chicken Biryani Recipe

Yield:

Ingredients:

To marinate:
25ml yogurt
1 tsp salt
2.5g garam masala
2.5g chili powder
2.5g tumeric powder
3 chicken drumstick (whole) or 500g chicken, cut into pieces

Chicken:
5 (for pan frying) + 4 tbsp oil
1 cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, pounded
1 tbsp ginger, pounded
6 green chillies, slit, seeded and pounded
1 tomato, diced
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1tsp tumeric powder
1.5 tbsp yogurt

Rice:
250g basmati rice, washed, soaked and drained
2 tbsp ghee
1 cinnamon stick
2 green cardamoms
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
350ml water
a pinch of saffron threads

Garnish:
chopped coriander leaves
a handful of fried shallots (optional)
Easy Peasy Spiced Yogurt:
200g plain yogurt, unsweetened
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
a dash of paprika
1 tbsp of raisins
1 tbsp of caster sugar, or to taste (optional)

Method:

To prepare marinade: Mix salt, garam masala, chili powder and tumeric powder with yogurt.

To marinate chicken: Combine the marinade and chicken, mix well. Cover and refrigerate in the fridge for an hour.

To cook the chicken:
1. Pan fry the chicken till golden brown on the outside using high heat. Do not fully cook the chicken. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil and add in the cinnamon stick, green cardamom, bay leaves and cloves. Fry on medium heat until aromatic. Add onions and saute till golden brown. Add the pounded ginger, garlic and chillies and fry till fragrant for about a minute. Stir in the diced tomatoes together with all the powdered spices, yogurt and salt.

3. Stir in the chicken. Mix the chicken well with spices and let it sit on low heat for 5 minutes or so. Set aside.

To cook the rice:
1. Heat ghee and add in the cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, bay leaf and cloves. Fry until aromatic. Stir in the rice. Coat each and every grain of the rice well with ghee. Add water and the saffron threads. Cook on high heat until boil. Cover the pot with lid and turn the heat to low. Cook for 4-5 minutes. (the rice is not supposed to be fully cooked till fluffy at this point)

2. Stir in the chicken. Mix well but very gently so that rice will not be broken. Cover the pot with lid again. Cook for another 2 -3 minutes for the flavours to seep into the rice.

3. Turn off the fire and set it aside covered for 5 minutes before serving but not before garnishing it with chopped coriander leaves.

To prepare the yogurt:
Roast cumin seeds for at least 2-3 minutes. Pound till powder like. Mix cumin with yogurt until well before stirring in the raisins. Add a dash of paprika right before serving it with the biryani.