Hyderabadi Biryani

Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most popular biryani disheswhich has its origin in the Nizam's Stae of Hyderabad in India. When I firsttasted this dish about 4-5 years ago, it was just enchanting. I tasted the bestHyderabadi Biryani prepared by the world's best Hyderabadi Biryani chef.

It just melted away in my mouth what with the fresh aroma ofthe spices and the ghee. It couldny get better that that. Right now, I ampreparing this famous biryani in my kitchen and am writing the blog while thebiryani is being cooked. God!! I am just not able to resist the mystic smell ofthe spices touching my nose!! I want to gorge onto it as soon as its broughtdown from the stove!!

Meanwhile, let me give you a little more information onthis dish and after that, the ingredients and the preparation method.

Thereare basically two styles of preparing the Hyderabadi biryani… The kacchi Biryaniis prepared with the Kacchi Akhni method (that is, with the raw meat) and it isusually accompanied with Raita (a yogurt dish) and in the Pakki biryani, themeat and the rice is cooked in a dough sealed vessel. Now, lets start with the dish… Make a quick note of the ingredients and the preparation method…

Hyderabadi Biryani Ingredients:

Chicken : 1 whole
Basmati rice : 1 kg
Onions : 1 cup (thinly sliced)
Coconut milk : 1 cup
Ginger and garlic paste : 2 tea spoon
Chilli powder : 3 tea spoon
Turmeric : 1/2 tea spoon
Cashew nuts : 100 g
Bay leaves : 4 to 5
Cloves : 5 to 6
Cinnamon sticks : 1 inch long
Cardamom pods : 3 to 4
Mint leaves : 5-6 strands
Coriander leaves : 4-5 strands
Garam masala powder : 1/2 tea spoon
Lemon : 1
Ghee (clarified butter) : 1 cup
Oil : 4 table spoons
Yogurt : 1/2 cup
Saffron : 6-8 strands
Salt to taste

Preparation Method :

Mix turmeric, chilli powder, salt, garlic paste, yogurt and 1 table spoon oflemon juice.
Next, make deep incisions on the chicken pieces such that the spices areabsorbed well.
Apply the above prepared paste onto the chicken pieces and let it marinatefor an hour.
Heat 4 table spoons of oil in a vessel. Roast cloves, cumin, cinnamon,cardamom, 1/2 spoon cumin, 1 spoon coriander powder,bay leaves and 1/2 cuponions.
Roast it for 1-2 minutes and then add some mint leaves.
When the onions turn golden brown, add the marinated chicken pieces and cookfor about 30-35 minutes.
Note that the chicken should not be fully cooked at this stage.
Now add garam masala powder and coconut and turn off the flame once thechicken is about 3/4th cooked.
See to it that the gravy should not be much and also, the chicken piecesshould look as if they have been roasted.
Meanwhile, when the chicken is still cooking, prepare the biryani rice.
Wash 3 cups of basmati rice and add water slightly less than the quantity ofthe rice itself so that it is only half cooked.
Add 1-2 tea spoons of salt to it.
Soak 3-4 strands of saffron in 4-5 table spoons of milk.
Now take 1/2 table spoon of this half cooked rice and dip it into the saffroflavoured milk.
Take a utencil having a base of 12″ and place half of the semi-cooked ricein it.
Prepare a layer of half of the above prepared chicken on top of this ricelayer and again, top the chicken layer with rice (half of the remaining).
Again, another layer of remaining chicken and finally with the layer of theremaining rice on the top, ends the rice-chicken layering process.
Heat 2-3 table spoons of oil and deep fry 1/2 cup onions until they turngolden brown. Next, roast the cashews.
Garnish the top layer of rice with the fried onions, cashews, coconut milk,ghee, coriander and the saffron flavoured rice.
Cover the vessel with a lid and place it on a high flame for about 5minutes. Note that the flame should not concentrate at the vessel's center, buton one side of it.
Wait for 2-3 minutes and rotate the vessel to heat the opposite side. Thisway, keep rotating the vessel every 2-3 minutes for about 20-25 minutes. Everytime you rotate it, carefully disturb the contents by a small jerk so as toavoid settling of ghee at the bottom.
Turn off the flame and keep it aside for 10 minutes before taking off thelid.
Before serving, mix thoroughly, the medley from the bottom.
Serve with boiled egg halves to enjoy the dish fully.