Breyani is not a difficult dish, but it is an unforgiving one: the rice is either right or it is a pot of porridge. Two things decide it — how far you par-boil the rice, and whether you leave the lid alone.
Serves 8. Marinate overnight, then about 1 hour 15 minutes.
You need
- 1.5 kg chicken pieces, bone in, skin off
- 500 g basmati rice
- 250 ml plain yoghurt
- 3 onions, sliced and fried until dark brown and crisp
- 4 potatoes, halved and par-fried
- 2 tbsp ginger and garlic
- A handful of coriander and mint, chopped
- 125 ml lentils, boiled until just tender
- A pinch of saffron in 60 ml warm milk, or 1 tsp haldi in milk
- Ghee
From the shelf: 3 tbsp Biryani Masala, 1 tsp Haldi, 1 piece Cinnamon, 4 Green Elaichi pods, 4 Cloves, 2 Bay Leaves, 1 Star Anise, 1 tsp Jeera.
Method
1. The night before. Mix the chicken with the yoghurt, ginger and garlic, biryani masala, haldi, half the fried onions and half the herbs. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours, ideally overnight. This is the step that seasons the meat all the way through.
2. Par-boil the rice. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil with the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay, star anise and jeera. Add the rinsed rice and boil for exactly six to seven minutes. Bite a grain — it should be soft outside with a firm white core. Drain immediately. Rice cooked through at this stage will collapse during the steaming.
3. Layer. Melt a generous spoon of ghee in the bottom of a heavy pot. Put the marinated chicken in, then the potatoes, then the lentils, then the rice in an even layer on top. Scatter the remaining onions and herbs. Pour the saffron milk over in streaks.
4. Seal and steam. Cover with foil, then the lid. Cook on high for the first ten minutes to get the steam going, then on the lowest possible heat for 40 minutes. A heat diffuser or a flat tawa under the pot stops the bottom catching.
5. Rest it for ten minutes off the heat before opening. Lift from the side with a flat spoon rather than stirring, so the layers stay visible.
Notes
Do not lift the lid to check. Every time you do, you lose the steam that is cooking the rice, and the top layer dries out.
If the bottom catches slightly, do not scrape it into the dish. Serve from above it.
Breyani is served with dhania chutney and a bowl of plain yoghurt with cucumber.
Leave a Reply