Skip to main content

Men Can Cook: Chicken Biriyani


Disclaimer 1: I have never cooked Biriyani. I know at least three different styles of cooking it but I have never, and hopefully never will try cooking Biriyani. i don't want to demystify this mythical wonder. This was originally written for a friend of mine, and the Biriyani apparently turned out really good. So reposting it here for the greater good.
Disclaimer 2: This is not really a biriyani recipe. It is a pulao- biriyani hybrid, and is based on Ambur biriyani and the kind of biriyani my mom makes. It is easy to cook, tastes amazing (or so I presume) and that is all that matters.

Ingredients-
FOR MARINATION:
Chicken- 1 kg- small pieces. Biriyani usually uses large pieces, but using small pieces will cut down on the cooking time and will also keep the chicken evenly cooked throughout.
Yoghurt- 1.5 tbsp
Turmeric
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 0.5 tbsp
Salt- to taste
Biriyani masala- .5 tsp (optional)

Mix all the above ingredients, ensuring all the chicken piece is well coated. Set aside for ½ to 1 hour or more.

FOR BIRIYANI
Rice (either Bullet rice or ½ jeera rice- ½ basmati rice)- 1 kg (equal parts chicken and rice)
Cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon (chakke)
Bay leaf (optional)
Onions- 3 large
Tomatoes- 2 large
Green chillies- 2- 3
Mint leaves
Coriander leaves
Note: Measure the rice by volume. You will need to heat twice the amount of water, by volume and add it later on
1. Soak the rice in cold water for about 30 minutes.
2. Slice onions and tomatoes. Chop mint leaves and coriander coarsely
3. Grind mint leaves, coriander and green chilli, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom to a fine paste
4. Place a suitable sized pressure cooker on the stove and fry the dry spices in oil/ ghee until fragrant
5. Add onions, fry till golden brown
6. Add the mint- chilli paste, and a tea spoon of ginger garlic paste to the pan. Fry till the raw smell is removed
7. Add the chicken pieces, and fry for five to seven minutes in an open pan, medium to high flame, until the pieces are semi cooked
8. Add tomatoes, and red chilli powder
9. Heat water- twice as much as the volume of rice
10. Add the hot water to the chicken and bring to a boil
11. Add the soaked rice. Mix gently. Push the rice from the sides to the middle
12. Add a thin layer of ghee to the edge of the pan
13. Close pressure cooker, cook till rice is cooked in medium high flame.
(Alternate method- Drape a clean, thin towel over the top of the cooker, cover it with a well-fitting plate and place weights over the plate- a container with water will do and let it cook)
14. Once this is cooked, let the cooker cool down completely
15. Serve with raita




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Peter Principle and the (Middle) Managerial Trap

If you are in any managerial position (thanks to promotions) and this is the first time you’re hearing of the Peter Principle, then you are already a lost cause.  Close this tab and go back to scrolling Instagram reels. Bye-bye. According to Wikipedia (remember that old relic, before ChatGPT became the de facto encyclopedia? Remember encyclopedia? Never mind). According to Wikipedia, the Peter Principle “observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to 'a level of respective incompetence’”, which means your promotions are based on how good you are at your current role. You continue to rise the rungs of corporate till you reach a position where you, and you will, suck at your job. At some point in your career, you will end up rotting away at a level you are least competent at; some place where you barely scrape by, unsure of where you’re faltering because the barometer for quality is hidden behind a thick veil of your own incompetence. Hence, the burnout.  And the desperate ...
1 comment
Read more

Clubhouse. CoWin. China.

If you feel an odd sense of deja vu while reading this piece, then you've spent too much time switching between Facebook and Clubhouse. Unless you've been living underground or in a home with ACT broadband, you know what Clubhouse is - it is where many people can have their Mann ki Baat at once. And Facebook has turned into a platform to critique, analyse and make fun of discussions that happen on Clubouse. Congrats Clubhouse, you just replaced the Indian Government, at least as far as Facebook discourses go. Clubhouse is more or less an impulsive, live podcast session - an open space where everyone is made to feel like Joe Rogan. But no one talks about DMT or shaved gorillas or MMA or shaved gorillas doing MMA while on DMT. But it always does sound like everyone is on something stronger than the devil's lettuce. Maybe you need that to hear your own thoughts over the din of uncomprehensive ramblings and mouth-breathing noises. Speaking of noises, Saudi Arabia restricted the...
1 comment
Read more

Bharatipura: The Curious Case of the Solo Social Reformer

  Set against the backdrop of a caste-ridden society, Bharatipura delves into the idealism of Jagannatha, a man whose philosophy is as well-intentioned as it is misguided. Having recently returned from England, he attempts to apply Western models of social justice to his village's deeply entrenched caste system. He is aware of the struggles of communities like the Black population in the West and wants to initiate similar change for the Holeyaru, the community of manual scavengers. Jagannatha's efforts are futile because he fails to grasp how social movements gain momentum. While he aims to lead a strong agitation, he discovers he is a lone crusader. The novel expertly highlights how the injustice of the caste system has been internalized by both the upper castes and the Dalits, with neither group showing a true willingness to change. His well-intentioned initiatives fail because the very people he seeks to uplift are not prepared to embrace his cause. This resistance is rooted...
Post a Comment
Read more