LUCKNOW STYLE CHICKEN BIRYANI
Biryani is a great dish to prepare ahead then reheat gently in the oven. Fragrant pilau teamed with a mild chicken curry and served with a simple steamed green vegetable make it a mid week winner. I often omit the garnish except for the herbs, though the onions, saffron and rose water do add a special touch. This recipe was inspired by a dish of the same name from The Indian Kitchen by Monisha Bharadwaj
for the rice:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 cloves
12 black peppercorns
10cm cinnamon stick
4 cloves garlic peeled
4 cm root ginger, peeled
300g basmati rice
1 teaspoon salt
For the curry:
300g boneless chicken, diced (4 thighs)
300mls natural yoghurt
3teaspoons maize flour
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed dried red chillis
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black cumin seed (sahjeera)
2 large onions
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons garam masala
For the garnish:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup crisp fried shallots
1 teaspoon saffron pistils soaked in 2 teaspoons warm water
4 tablespoons chopped coriander
4 tablespoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon rose water
To make the rice: wash the rice thoroughly under cold running water and drain well. Heat the oil in a pan with a tight fitting lid, add the cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon and fry until they become aromatic. Add the garlic and ginger and stir to coat in oil. Add the well drained rice, again stir to coat the grains in oil, then add 600ml of hot water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Steam the rice for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat but do not remove the lid. Allow to rest forma further 10 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the rice over with a fork. Leave uncovered until ready to use.
To make the curry: Mix the chicken with the yoghurt, maize flour, ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric and chilli. Heat the oil and fry the black cumin seed until it pops. Add the onion and cook until brown. Add the tomato and garam masala. Stir until well blended then add the chicken and yoghurt mixture and chicken stock. Return the mixture to the boil and simmer uncovered until the chicken is cooked, 10 – 15 minutes.In a greased deep ovenproof dish layer the chicken and rice, beginning and ending with rice layers. At this point the dish can be refrigerated until needed. In a moderate oven 160C heat the covered Biryani for 20 minutes if serving immediately, or 40 minutes if the dish has been refrigerated.
To garnish: Sprinkle the shallots on top of the biryani along with the saffron, rose water and herbs. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Serves 4
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
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That sounds so delicious!
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One of my favourites and it’s better as leftovers!
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