Chicken Biryani

INGREDIENTS:

1.Chicken: cut into medium pieces ( preferably from the leg porti0n )_ 1 Kilogram
2.Fine grained parboiled rice_ 250 grams
3.Curd (preferably home made) - 250 grams
4.Ginger paste- 2 tbsp
5.Whole green chillies (do not slit)- 1 cup
6.Onion- 3 large
7.Refined white oil (preferably sunflower oil )- 2 tbsp
8.Clarified butter (ghee)- 2tbsp
9.Bay leafs- 4\6
10. 8 Spice garam masala- 2tbsp - this masala contains equal portions of:-
green cardamoms ,black cardamoms , cloves , cinnamons , mace(jaiphal) , jayatri (dry flower of the mace - being brownish orange in color) , white cumin seeds , white pepper corns (omit this if you do not want the hot\chillies taste) .
11. Keora water(essence)- 1 or 2 tsp
12.Salt-4\5 tsp
13.Medium sized potatoes- 6\7
14Coriander and mint leaves (optional) -2\3 handfuls

PROCEDURE

Wash the chicken well. Smear the chicken with a tsp of salt, black pepper and vinegar each. Put it in a colander( a vessel with holes) for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes mix\smear the chicken with 250 grams of curd, 1 cup green chillies(10\15 in number) , 2 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tsp salt and coarsely chopped leaves (only) of coriander (dhania) and mint(pudina). Keep the chicken in the fridge to marinate for4-12 hours.
After 4-12 hours take out the marinated chicken from the fridge. Wash the rice well and put in a colander to drain out water for 30-60 minutes. Slice the 3 onions thinly. Peel the potatoes. Boil them in a pressure cooker on full flame. Lower the flame after cooker whistles. keep for 2\3 minutes.
Meanwhile heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a large wok\kadai (round and heavy at bottom) on high flame. When the oil emits smoke, slowly stir in the sliced onions along with a little salt. Fry them, stirring continuously- till light brown. Remove and keep aside the fried onions. In the same oil, fry the boiled potatoes with a little salt. Fry lightly for a minute. Remove the potatoes and keep aside. In the same wok add two tbsp of white oil. When the oil emits smoke, slowly stir in 4-6 bay-leafs. Now stir in the marinated chicken along with all the ingredients of the marinade. Stir slowly on high flame. Lower the flame to medium and keep covered for 10-15 minutes. After 10 mins remove the cover. Stir the chicken once in every 2 minutes till the chicken shows oil and is almost dry. Stir in the garam masala. Stir for 2-3 mins. Put off the flame. Cover and keep aside.
In a large vessel boil 2 liters of water with 2-3 tsp of salt. When water starts boiling, put the rice in water. After 2 mins cover it. After 5-7 mins, put off the flame. After 10-12 mins, remove cover to see if the rice if the rice is cooked. If it is not cooked, keep covered for a few more mins. The rice should be just cooked (not overcooked). The rice should be chewy (NOT SOFT!) and look firm. When ready, put in a large colander or a large piece of muslin. Keep to drain for at least 30 mins.
In another large vessel, put a layer of boiled rice. Smear or spread some fried onions, half tsp salt, half tsp keora water. Spread some meat over the rice. Again put a layer of rice, fried onions, keora water and salt. Spread some meat again. Repeat this process till all the rice and meat has been used. Put a cover. Serve after 10 mins. Put the potatoes in the serving plate. Take out portions of the biryani, stirring lightly with a stick or a round shaped serving spoon. Serve hot.

N.B. The 8 spice garam masala should be roasted a little, before grinding them to a powder/paste, in a mixer-at high speed.

Bon apetit!!
Another tasty chicken dish:Chicken tandoori in oven