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Tag: Dum biryani

  • Lucknowi Chicken Biryani

    Lucknowi or Awadhi biryani comes from the nawabi kitchens of Lucknow, where cooks perfected the pukki style: meat and rice cooked separately and then layered and finished on dum. It is the opposite of the fiery Hyderabadi kacchi biryani, prized instead for restraint, perfume and the separate, delicately flavoured grains.

    The chicken is first cooked in yogurt and whole spices to make a light, aromatic korma-like base with its own stock. Parboiled basmati is layered over it with saffron milk, kewra, rose water, fried onions and ghee, and the pot is sealed with dough. The result is subtle and fragrant, with gentle heat and moist, tender meat.

    Biryani is the centrepiece of Eid, weddings and Sunday feasts, served with burani raita or a simple onion salad. In Lucknow, it would be followed by phirni or shahi tukda. The chicken base can be made a few hours ahead, and the rice parboiled just before layering, so the pot can go on dum while guests arrive. Opening the seal at the table, with the burst of saffron and kewra aroma, is part of the ritual.

    At a glance

    RegionUttar Pradesh
    CuisineAwadhi
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseRice
    Prep time40 minutes
    Cook time75 minutes
    Total time115 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientschicken / basmati rice / yogurt / saffron / fried onions

    Ingredients

    For the chicken

    • 1 kg chicken, curry cut
    • 1 cup thick curd
    • 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1 tsp white pepper powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 4 tbsp ghee
    • 4 green cardamom, 2 black cardamom, 6 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 blade mace, 2 bay leaves
    • 1 cup fried onions (birista), crushed
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 cup water

    For the rice

    • 2 1/2 cups aged basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
    • 1 tbsp salt
    • 2 green cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp shahi jeera

    For layering

    • A generous pinch of saffron in 1/4 cup warm milk
    • 1 tsp kewra water
    • 1/2 tsp rose water
    • 3 tbsp ghee
    • 1/2 cup fried onions
    • 2 tbsp chopped mint
    • Atta dough to seal the lid

    Method

    1. Marinate chicken with curd, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, white pepper and salt for at least 1 hour.
    2. Heat ghee in a heavy biryani pot on medium. Add the whole spices and let them crackle for 30 seconds.
    3. Add the chicken with its marinade and the crushed fried onions. Cook on medium-high for 10 minutes, stirring, then add water, cover and simmer 15 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked and the gravy reduced to about 1 cup. Stir in garam masala.
    4. Meanwhile bring 3 litres of water to a rolling boil with salt and the rice spices. Add the drained rice and cook 6 to 7 minutes until 70 percent done – the grain should break with a firm white centre. Drain.
    5. Spread the rice over the chicken in an even layer. Drizzle with saffron milk, kewra, rose water and melted ghee, and scatter fried onions and mint.
    6. Cover with the lid and seal the edge with a rope of atta dough.
    7. Place the pot on a tawa over high heat for 5 minutes, then lower to the minimum and cook on dum for 25 minutes.
    8. Rest 10 minutes off the heat before breaking the seal. Serve by scooping from the side so each portion has rice and chicken.

    Tips

    • Parboiling the rice correctly is the crucial step; overcooked rice turns mushy on dum.
    • Fry your own onions thin and slowly until deep golden; they flavour both the chicken and the rice.
    • The salt in the boiling water should taste like sea water – the rice gets no other seasoning.

    Serve with

    Burani raita, onion-cucumber salad and mirchi ka salan or a light korma.

  • Malabar Chicken Biryani

    The biryani of the Malabar coast, especially from Thalassery and Kozhikode, is quite different from the biryanis of the north and of Hyderabad. It uses jeerakasala or kaima rice, a short, fragrant grain, and much less chilli. The influence of Arab traders and the Mappila Muslim community shows in its generous use of ghee, fennel and fried cashews and raisins.

    The chicken masala is cooked separately with plenty of onions, tomatoes, green chillies and ginger-garlic, and the rice is cooked in ghee and stock. The two are layered and sealed on dum. The result is aromatic and gently spiced, rich with ghee, with sweetness from fried onions. It is the dish of weddings and Eid in Malabar.

    At a glance

    RegionKerala
    CuisineMalabar
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseRice
    Prep time40 minutes
    Cook time75 minutes
    Total time115 minutes
    Serves5
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientschicken / kaima rice / ghee / onion / curd

    Ingredients

    For the chicken masala

    • 1 kg chicken, biryani cut
    • 4 tbsp ghee or oil
    • 4 large onions, thinly sliced
    • 8 green chillies, crushed
    • 2 inch ginger and 12 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
    • 2 tomatoes, chopped
    • 1/2 cup curd
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1.5 tsp garam masala
    • 1/2 cup chopped coriander and mint
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1.5 tsp salt

    For the rice

    • 3 cups kaima / jeerakasala rice, washed and drained 20 minutes
    • 3 tbsp ghee
    • 1 inch cinnamon, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 small onion, sliced
    • 4.5 cups boiling water
    • 1.5 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

    For garnish

    • 3 tbsp ghee
    • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
    • 15 cashews
    • 2 tbsp raisins
    • 1/4 cup chopped coriander and mint
    • pinch of saffron in 2 tbsp milk (optional)

    Method

    1. For garnish, heat 3 tbsp ghee and fry the sliced onion on medium heat for 10-12 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Remove. Fry cashews and raisins in the same ghee, remove, and keep the ghee.
    2. For the masala, heat ghee in a heavy pan and fry the 4 onions on medium heat for 10 minutes until soft and light golden. Add the crushed green chillies and ginger-garlic and saute 3 minutes.
    3. Add tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder and salt and cook until the tomatoes melt. Add the chicken and toss on high heat for 5 minutes.
    4. Stir in curd, garam masala and half the coriander and mint. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, without adding water, until the chicken is tender and the masala is thick. Add lemon juice.
    5. For the rice, heat 3 tbsp ghee in a large pot. Fry the whole spices, bay leaf and onion for 2 minutes. Add the drained rice and fry gently for 2-3 minutes until the grains turn opaque.
    6. Pour in the boiling water, salt and lemon juice. Cook covered on low heat for 10-12 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice is just cooked with separate grains.
    7. To layer, spread half the rice over the chicken masala in its pot (or layer in a separate pot: masala, rice, garnish, rice). Sprinkle half the fried onions, cashews, raisins, herbs and a spoon of the reserved ghee. Top with the remaining rice and garnish, and drizzle saffron milk.
    8. Seal the lid with dough or foil, place the pot on a hot tawa and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before opening and mix gently from the side while serving.

    Tips

    • Kaima rice is essential for the Malabar taste and texture; basmati makes a different dish.
    • The masala is cooked in the juices of chicken, curd and onions alone; adding water makes it soggy.
    • Fry the garnish onions thin and slow so they turn crisp, not bitter.

    Serve with

    Coconut and date chutney, raita with onion and cucumber, pappadam and lime pickle.