CHICKEN BIRIYANI

Ingredients

01. Biriyani rice - 1 kg 02. Chicken, cut to pieces - 1 kg 03. Oil - ½ cup 04. Onions, chopped - 1 kg 05. Ginger, crushed - 1 ½ tbsp 06. Garlic, crushed - 1 ½ tbsp 07. Green chillies, crushed - 20 08. Tomatoes, chopped - 2 large 09. Coriander powder - 2 tsp 10. Turmeric powder - ½ tsp 11. Garam masala - 2 tsp 12. Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 3 tbsp 13. Lemon juice - 2 tbsp 14. Ghee  - ½ cup 15. Cashew nuts, cut in pieces - 6 16. Raisins - 1 tbsp 17. Cardamom - 2 18. Cinnamon  - 1 '' piece 19. Cloves - 3 20. Hot water  - double the measurement (volume) of rice 21. Mint leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp 22. Salt - to taste

Preparation

01. Wash the rice and drain through a sieve. Keep aside. 02. Add one table spoon oil to a pressure cooker and sauté the onion with salt, after keeping aside the pieces of two onions for a later use. 03. Add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and tomato and sauté for two more minutes. 04. Add also the coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt followed by two table spoon coriander leaves and chicken pieces. 05. When the chicken is done, add half the quantity of garam masala and coriander leaves along with one and half table spoon lemon juice. You can reduce the amount of lemon juice if you so desire. 06. Heat a non-stick or thick bottomed vessel and add the cooked chicken pieces to it. Add also half the quantity of chicken gravy and continue to cook till all the water is absorbed. 07. Combine the remaining gravy and lemon juice with half teaspoon garam masala. Keep aside. 08. Heat the ghee and the remaining oil in another thick bottomed pan. 09. Fry the kept-aside onion pieces in it followed by cashew nuts and raisins. Remove them from the pan and keep aside. 10. Add the rice to the remaining oil in the pan followed by cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and fry for three minutes. 11. Add the hot water and as it starts boiling, add the mint leaves and salt. 12. Reduce the fire and turn the rice over from time to time to get the rice cooked evenly. 13. When all the water in the rice is absorbed, add the kept-aside gravy and blend it with the rice. 14. Arrange half the quantity of the rice as a layer over the masala in a non-stick vessel. 15. Mix the remaining portions of the garam masala and coriander leaves with the fried pieces of onion. Sprinkle half portion of the mix over the rice. Arrange the remaining rice over it. 16. Cover the vessel tightly with a heavy lid and cook over a low fire for a few minutes. 17. Uncover the vessel and transfer the rice to the serving dish. Spread out the chicken masala over the rice and garnish with the remaining portion of the fried onion-garam masala coriander leaf mix. 18. Serve hot