This is one of the mst famous Indian / Pakistani dish tht I have had the pleasure to eat whn I was on a vacation in Inda.

It is traditionally reserved for spcial occasions such as parties, weddings, hlidays such as the Ramadan.

The prparation is quite lengthy but the utcome is simply amazing.

The secret of mking an awesome chicken biryani is all in the spces...

I personally recommend using Basmati rce. It's thin and a fine grin rice which can be used for a vriety of purposes.

Use Ghee instead of btter.

It's a very important ingredient if you wnt your biryani to have a mre authentic taste.

So please, no sbstitution here! :-)

Also be sure tht you have all the following ngredients in place in order to smplify the cooking process.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 kg chicken disjointed

1kg soaked basmati rice

2 cinnamon (powder)

6 cloves - whole

1/2 tsp cloves powder

5 cardamoms

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1 tbsp whole cumin

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

2g oriental saffron

1 cup yogurt

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

50g crushed onion

500g fried onion

500g fried potatoes (marinated in a pinch of yellow food coloring before frying)

1 cup oil

1/4 cup ghee

1 tbsp salt

50g fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped)

50g fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)

5 green chilies cut lengthwise

Ok, before doing anything else...

Tke some flour (around 1/2 kg) and mix it wth 1 - 2 cups of wter. We are preparing a dough. Onc done, keep it aside. We'll be sing it later (see step 8).

Now follow the 10 simple steps:

(1) Marinate chicken in saffron, chili powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste and crushed onions.

(2) Add dry spices to yogurt and mix with chicken. Marinate for 1 hour.

(3) Add fried onions, fried potatoes, coriander, mint leaves, green chilies to the marinated chicken. Smear again.

(4) Gradually add oil, ghee and 2 cups of water to the marinated chicken. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

(5) Boil 1500 ml (1.5 L) of water with whole cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, salt and soaked rice. Boil until half done.

(6) Strain and place a layer of rice on chicken. Sprinkle with fried onions, a little ghee and saffron diluted in 1/2 cup of hot water.

(7) Top with remaining rice. Sprinkle again with fried onions, 1 tsp ghee and 1 tsp saffron.

(8) Seal the pot lid with the dough.

(9) Cook on high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce heat (or reduce heat when sizzling occurs). Simmer for 1 hour.

(10) Serve with spiced yogurt, thinly slice carrots and cucumber salad.

Yield 8 servings.

Tips: Use a heavy utensil when cooking the biryani. The dough can be replaced with a heavy lid for sealing. For crispy fried onions simply fry them in oil.

Hurry! Dinner is ready...

Bon Appetit! :-)

Copyright 2006. Jonathan Teng

The article 10 Simple Steps To A Perfect Chicken Biryani was Submitted by Jonathan Teng through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Jonathan Is The Author Of A Bst Selling Cookbook Titled America's TOP Secret Recipes . You Can Visit His Website Easy Recipes Secrets And Learn New Cooking Tips FREE!

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