Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

Biryani! Doesn’t that word conjure feelings of joy and comfort? Who doesn’t love this pampered, fragrant, rice delicacy that reigns supreme as the world best one pot meal?

Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

For many of my dear readers, today’s post is a long awaited one. At last I got to blog the recipe of the quintessential ‘home style’ Chicken Dum Biryani from the royal kitchen of the Nizams. A dish that calls for an elaborate process and requires lots of TLC aka ‘tender loving care’ while preparing unlike the quick pressure cooker biryani. There are two versions, Kachha (raw) and Pakki (cooked) Biryani. Today’s recipe is basically a Hyderabadi kachha style of biryani where marinated raw chicken and partially cooked basmati rice are layered and cooked on dum, over low heat. I prepared this biryani a couple of times, the recipe is perfect and has never failed me. Once the biryani is cooked on dum, as you open the lid, the kitchen smells fragrant, rich with the reassuring aroma of pure ghee and saffron and the chicken cooked to melt in the mouth tenderness.

Chicken Dum Biryani

A few things to keep in mind while preparing biryani. Use best quality aged Basmati rice, good quality chicken and the best saffron available. Marinate chicken for at least 4-6 hrs and if running out of time then two hours will do. No short cut methods and all the ingredients listed below are a MUST, in other words, there are no substitutes for the mentioned ingredients.

Marinated Chicken ~ Partially cooked basmati rice

Caramelized Onions ~ Saffron Milk

Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe

Marination: 4 hrs Prep & Cooking: 1 hr

Serves 6-7 persons

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Ingredients:

1 kg chicken, washed and drained completely

2 large onions, finely sliced

2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves

1 tsp saffron

1/2 cup luke warm milk

salt to taste

2 tbsps ghee + 5 tbsps oil

For marination:

3/4 cup thick curd/yogurt

8-10 green chillis, make a small slit in them

1 1/2 tbsps ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp red chilli pwd (adjust)

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

3/4 tbsp coriander pwd

1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves

3/4 cup pudina leaves

juice of 1 lemon

1 3/4 tsps salt

Biryani masala, make pwd:

8 cloves

1″ cinnamon stick

4 elaichi/cardamom

3/4 tsp shah jeera

12 pepper corns

Ingredients to cook rice:

4 cups Basmati rice

6 cloves

3 cardamoms

1″ cinnamon stick

3 bay leaves

1 marathi mogga

1 star anise

10 mint leaves

1 tbsp oil

1 1/2 tbsps salt

water as required

1 Marinate chicken with the ingredients called for ‘marination’ along with biryani masala pwd. Keep aside for 4 hrs or a min of 1 1/2 hrs. While the chicken is marinating, work on the rest of the preparation.
2 Cook basmati rice in lots of water along with bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, marathi mogga, elaichi, oil, salt till its half cooked. Strain the water and spread the rice on a large wide plate. Allow to cool.
3 Heat 1 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp ghee in a vessel, add sliced onions, saute for 8-10 mts till caramelized. Remove and keep aside.
4 Add the saffron to the luke warm milk and combine well. Keep aside.
5 Take a wide deep vessel to prepare the biryani. Add 3 tbsps oil, add the marinated chicken and spread out over the vessel. Cook on high for 2 mts. Add a tbsp of oil over the chicken pieces. Reduce flame.
6 Spread half of the rice over the chicken layer, pour half a tbsp of ghee all over the rice, add half of the caramalized onions and spread over the rice. Next sprinkle a tbsp of coriander leaves and pour about one fourth cup of saffron milk over the rice. Over this layer, spread the remaining rice. Again pour half a tbsp of ghee all over, add remaining caramelized onions and spread over the rice. Finally sprinkle a tbsp of coriander leaves and pour remaining saffron milk over the rice..
7 Place lid and over the lid place a heavy weight and seal the edges with wheat dough. Cook on high flame for 2 mts. Remove the vessel from the stove and place a iron tawa. Allow to heat. Reduce to low flame and place back the biryani vessel on the iron tawa and cook biryani for 20-25 mts. Turn off heat and do not remove lid for 10 mts.
8 After 10 mts, remove lid, combine gently and serve hot with raita and curry of your choice.

Our Sunday meal ~ Chicken Dum Biryani, Nilgiri Chicken Korma and Raita

Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 60 min

Yield: 5

Main Ingredients: ricechicken

Kerala Chicken Stew

Kerala Chicken Stew

Chicken stew with Appam is a popular breakfast fare in Kerala. Simple, aromatic, hearty stew that is sure to win many a heart. Chicken and potato cubes are slowly simmered in a subtly spiced coconut milk base. You can even add vegetables like carrot, beans and peas and increase the nutrition profile of the stew. This culinary gem of Kerala cuisine makes for a decent side with roti, paratha and rice too other than appam and puttu.

Kerala Chicken Stew Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 40 mts

Serves 5 persons

Cuisine: Kerala

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Ingredients:

1 kg chicken pieces, washed

2 large onions, finely sliced

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1/2 tsp ginger paste

3 cloves garlic, sliced

6-7 green chillis, partially slit

4-5 cloves

1″ cinnamon

2 cardamom

8-10 pepper corns

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd (optional)

large pinch fennel pwd (optional)

1/2 tsp garam masala pwd

1/2 cup thick coconut milk

1 1/2 cups thin coconut milk

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper pwd

salt to taste

1 tbsp lemon juice

15-18 curry leaves

1 1/2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp ghee

1 Heat oil and ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, add few curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper corns and saute for few secs till the aroma emanates the kitchen. Add garlic slices and saute for for few secs. Add ginger paste and saute for few secs. Add the green chillis and sliced onions and fry for 4 mts.
2 Add turmeric pwd and combine. Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium heat for 7-8 mts.
3 Add the thin coconut milk and salt and combine. Cook without lid for 5-6 mts. Add garam masala pwd, fennel pwd and potato cubes and place lid. Simmer till the chicken and potatoes turn tender and the gravy thickens. Turn off heat. Add the thick coconut milk, few fresh curry leaves, lemon juice and pepper pwd and combine.
4 Serve warm with appam, rice or roti.

Kerala Chicken Stew Recipe

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Yield: 5

Main Ingredients: chicken coconut milk

Chicken stew with Appam is a popular breakfast fare in Kerala. Simple, aromatic, hearty stew that is sure to win many a heart. Chicken and potato cubes are slowly simmered in a subtly spiced coconut milk base. You can even add vegetables like carrot, beans and peas and increase the nutrition profile of the stew.This culinary gem of Kerala cuisine makes for a decent side with roti, paratha and rice too other than appam and puttu.

Chettinad Style Chicken Curry

I first had this fiery, deeply flavorful chicken dish as a friend’s home along with dosas and ever since hooked to it. I was told it’s a traditional Chettinad chicken curry and that there are quite a few variations to this recipe. In today’s version, chicken is simmered in coconut milk and gets its unique flavor from a blend of quite a few spices like fennel seeds, coriander seeds, poppy seeds, pepper corns, cardamoms and cumin to name a few.

Quite a bit of preparation goes into the making of this curry and there is no short cut method and if you have the time and the ingredients on hand, only then venture to prepare and please don’t compromise with the ingredients if you want that authentic chicken curry flavor.

Chettinad Style Chicken Curry Recipe

Recipe source: Revathi Aunty

Prep: 20 mts, Cooking Time: 25 mts

Serves 5-6 persons

Cuisine: South Indian

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Ingredients:

1 kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces

1 cup small onions, shallots (sambar onions)

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

10-12 curry leaves

1 cup coconut milk (extract from 1/2 coconut)

fresh coriander leaves for garnish

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Make a paste:

2 green chillis

8 garlic flakes

1″ ginger

1 tsp poppy seeds (soak in warm water for 10 mts)

Roast and make a powder:

1/2 tsp pepper corns

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 tsp fennel seeds

1 1/2 tbsps coriander seeds

6-8 dry red chillies

2 cardamoms

1″ cinnamon

6-7 curry leaves

1/2 tsp oil

1 Drizzle a vessel with oil and roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, red chillis, cardamoms, cinnamon and curry leaves on medium heat stirring constantly for 2 mts. Remove from fire, cool and grind to a powder.2 Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, green chillies and poppy seeds. Keep aside.3 Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the small onions and curry leaves and saute till transparent.4 Add the ground paste and cook for a minute before adding the chicken and cook on high heat for approx 4 mts and do stir the chicken once in a while.5 Reduce to medium heat, add salt, turmeric pwd and tomatoes and combine well. Let the chicken cook in this for 4-5 mts, uncovered.6 Now add the coconut milk and transfer the contents to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 4 mts or until one whistle. Open lid and combine well.7 Finally add the ground masala pwd and cook for 3 mts. Turn off heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.8 Serve hot with white steamed rice, biryani, chapatis or dosas.

Note:

Adjust the green chillis, red chillis and pepper corns according to your spice level. Ensure that the chicken doesn’t pressure cook for more than one whistle, as it could get mushy if pressure cooked beyond the required time. In fact, mutton is usually used for this recipe but it tastes equally good with chicken.