10/28/2023
Biryani🍚🍚
-Biryani is a flavorful and aromatic South Asian rice dish that's known for its fragrant spices, tender meat or vegetables, and fluffy rice. Biryani can be made in various regional styles and with different ingredients
Ingredients:
For the biryani spice blend:
1 cinnamon stick (2 inches)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
5 cloves
3 blades mace
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
3 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
For the chicken and marinade:
2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and legs
1 cup whole milk yogurt
2-inch piece fresh ginger
10 garlic cloves
20 cashews soaked in warm water
1 teaspoon nutmeg
tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ghee
2 bay leaves
For the rice:
2 cups basmati rice
1 teaspoon ghee
1 teaspoon salt
1 green cardamom pod (optional)
1 bay leaf (optional)
3 cloves (optional)
To assemble the biryani:
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large russet potato, cubed
5 tablespoons ghee, divided
A pinch of turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 cup whole milk
A pinch of saffron
A handful of dried fruit, like plums, raisins or golden sour prunes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kewra water (optional)
For a quick cucumber and onion salad:
1 English cucumber, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
A drizzle of olive oil
Directions:
-In a nonstick pan over medium heat, toast all the biryani spices until fragrant, about three to five minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the spices cool for 30 seconds. Transfer the spices to a spice grinder, grind to a fine powder and set aside.
Alternatively, you can also use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices, though you would need to be extra vigilant to ensure no tiny bits and pieces of whole spices remain.
-Next, to create the yogurt marinade, add yogurt, ginger, garlic, soaked cashews, nutmeg, ghee and salt to a blender and blend at high speed until smooth.
To prepare the chicken, remove the skin by gently pulling it away from the meat with your fingers and slicing it off with a knife if necessary. No need to remove the remaining bits and pieces of skin and fat, because those will melt away during the cooking process.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, the yogurt marinade, the biryani spice blend and two bay leaves, and mix until well combined. You can use a pair of tongs for this step, though the best (and traditional) way to do this is by hand, which ensures that the marinade is thoroughly incorporated into the chicken. Cover tightly and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
-30 minutes into the marinating time, begin preparing the other layering elements of the biryani. First, wash the rice thoroughly under cold water, gently agitating with your fingers until the water runs clear and set aside.
Next, prep the onions and potatoes that will help build the different layers of flavor. Finely slice one large yellow onion into thin slices. It’s very important to make sure the slices are as thin and as even as possible, or they will cook unevenly causing the thinner slices to burn and lend a bitter taste to the final dish. Then, peel and cube one large russet potato into relatively even pieces.
-Add the remaining onions to your Dutch oven. Saute the onions on low to medium-low heat until softened. Add a teaspoon of garam masala, a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of chili powder, and cook until the onions are caramelized. (Feel free to reduce the amount of chili powder If you don’t want your biryani to be too spicy.)
Pull the chicken out of the fridge and discard the bay leaves. Add the chicken, along with the yogurt marinade, to the caramelized onions and cook on medium heat for five minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom to prevent the sauce from sticking. Add the potatoes. You can add a few tablespoons of water if the sauce begins to thicken too much.
Cook the chicken and potatoes for 15 minutes on medium heat, occasionally stirring and scraping.
-While the chicken is cooking, in a separate pot, combine the washed basmati rice, two cups of warm water, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of ghee.
Cook the rice over medium-low heat until the water has evaporated and the rice grains are about 75% cooked. The grains should have a slight bite and when pressed between two fingers, the outer layer of the grain should disintegrate leaving behind a tiny white grain in the center. Fluff the rice with a fork and set aside.
-First, place your oven rack in the middle and preheat to 350°F.
This step is where the layering finally begins. Once the chicken has browned all around and the sauce has turned slightly darker, turn off the heat. Gently warm a cup of milk with a pinch of saffron. To begin the layering process, layer half the rice on top of the chicken along with half of the reserved fried onions and dried fruits. Layer the remaining rice and, with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, poke several holes on the surface of rice. Pour warm saffron milk throughout, sprinkle a teaspoon of kewra water (if using) and top with the remaining fried onions. Drizzle with about a teaspoon of ghee, cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone.
-This cucumber and red onion salad is a classic accompaniment for biryani because it’s a great palate cleanser. You can put this together quickly while the biryani finishes in the oven. Just slice the cucumber and red onion and toss with some salt, pepper, lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can also add any fresh herbs of your choice.
-Take the biryani out of the oven and let it rest with the lid on for two to three minutes, so the steam settles and the flavors continue to integrate. Take off the lid and, with a metal spatula, carefully mix the rice and the chicken, scraping the bottom of the pot and pulling some of the chicken pieces to the surface. Be careful not to overmix during this step. Overmixing could break the rice grains and ruin the texture of the entire dish.
Finally, serve your biryani family-style with the cucumber and red onion salad.
