Chicken Biryani

• Fresh chicken- 2 (approx 700gms each), cut into 8 pcs each


• Finest basmati you can find- 3 steel glass full OR about 4 and a half cups


• Onions (sliced)- 7 medium


• Ginger- 1/2 cup chopped


• Garlic-1/2 cup chopped


• Almonds- soaked and peeled, a handful


• Raisins and cashews- handful


• Mint- 1 cup chopped


• Juice of 1 large lemon


• Saffron -a pinch soaked in milk


• Pure desi ghee-1/2 cup


• Garam masala- 3-4 tbsp (freshly ground)


• Bay leaves-2


• Butter-50 gms


• Aniseed powder(saunf)-1 tsp


• Green chillies- 2 sliced


• Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped onions, ginger and garlic.

Wash basmati and soak at least 1 hour before.

Make the stock-In a pressure cooker take the lesser desired parts of the chicken like neck and all, add a handful of onions alongwith a tbsp each of ginger and garlic as well as some garam masala and bay leaves and give 5-6 whistles, strain and keep stock aside.

Fry rest of the chicken in desi ghee, till golden brown,drain and keep aside.

In the same ghee fry the onions ,ginger and garlic till golden, drain and keep aside.

Now fry the nuts and raisins in this ghee.

Soak saffron in milk.

Take a heavy bottom pot like the one shown above,OR you can use whatever you have at hand. Bring the stock to a boil, add 2 tbsp garam masala to it, then the drained rice, add salt .Let rice cook covered till almost done.

Add chicken and onion, ginger garlic fried , dot with butter/ghee.

Add chopped mint, dry fruit and saffron.

Squeeze lemon juice,add rest of garam masala and saunf powder, adjust seasoning , you can add finely sliced green chillies too.Combine everything well very, very gently so as not to break the rice.

Seal top of pot with some dough, put on "dum" (put in moderate oven or on slow heat for 10-15 minutes).