Last night, for Shab-e-Meraj, I decided to make one of our all-time favorite dishes for dinner- #biryani!! As you can see from the pictures below, I ensured I served it along with #thumsup and all my friends from Kolkata will know the absolute joy of this combination!
Everyone who knows me, is aware of my insane love for this dish! I’m extremely judgmental when it comes to what I consider “good biryani” and my definition of good biryani must have the following- alus (potatoes), soft tender meat, a hard boiled egg and a good blend of aromatic spices.
We all know that biryani can be made in so many different ways and has its unique taste from each Indian state. The current Indian subcontinent versions of Biryani were developed from the 15th century to about the 19th century, during the reign of the Mughal Empire. #Funfact- The word comes from the #Persian word “birian”, which means “fried before cooking”. In my version of my special version for Shab-e-Meraj, I try to bring a blend of #Kolkata (the alu i.e potato and egg) and the #Memoni trading community of Gujarat (the fried onions, yoghurt and mild spices) together to ensure the final product excites both my husband and myself!
Since I can't travel home for a long while due to #covid19, I will have to satisfy myself with my special recipe till I get to have my favorite #arsalanbiryani when I get to go home. I strongly recommend you try this out. I used boneless chicken, but you can use the recipe below for chicken with bones as well.
Ingredients:
500 gms boneless chicken
3 medium onions
3 large potatoes diced
3 dried red chilies
3 cloves garlic, 1 piece ginger
3 tbsp greek yoghurt
1 large chopped tomato
1 cup basmati rice- for 2 people (keep it soaked while preparing the rest of the ingredients)
Salt to taste
3 peppercorns
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cardamom
6-7 mint leaves
Recipe for my special biryani:
Step 1: Marinate the chicken pieces with ginger & garlic paste (it tastes super good if you freshly grind it), salt, nutmeg, cardamom, red chili powder, garam masala powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder. Leave this marinating for about an hour.
Step 2: Slice the onions and sauté in some hot oil.
Step 3: Once the onions turn a nice golden brown, add in the dried red chilies.
Step 4: Add the diced tomatoes in and mix well. Keep it to cook till the oil starts separating from the tomato and onion mixture.
Step 5: Add in the marinated chicken and let it cook.
Step 6: Add in the boiled potatoes and hard boiled eggs (I’m from Kolkata, and I love my “alus” and eggs) and Greek yoghurt. Let it cook till the gravy becomes thick.
Step 7: Boil Rice- Add peppercorns, cloves, star anise, bay leaves, some mint leaves, salt to taste and bring to a boil before adding in the rice.
Step 8: For rice color, I used a pinch of yellow biryani color and some saffron. I then sprinkled this over my boiled rice and mixed it well to give the rice that nice yellow tinge.
Layer up!!! Start with the chicken and then keep filling the pot till you reach the top. Ensure the rice is the last layer and that the bottom of the pot is well greased. Finally garnish it with some deep fried onions.
Biryani should be served hot- do not remove from the pot till you are ready to serve. You can keep it cooking on a very slow flame so that the rice is nice and hot. You can accompany it with a mixed vegetable #raita (yoghurt mixed with cut green chilies, onions and tomatoes) and a nice fizzy drink.
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