Malabar_Fried_Chicken_Biriyani

Malabar_Fried_Chicken_Biriyani 

Biriyani is very popular all over the world.The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) which means "fried" or "roasted". It is a very delicious dish usually prepared for special occasions such as weddings, parties and holidays. Today I am sharing the recipe of my mother in law’s famous Malabar Fried Chicken Biriyani. This is a delicious meal in itself and needs no accompaniment. The rich aroma of the spices in this impressive dish will warm your home and your soul. Make sure your family won't get addicted to this dish. You'll be in trouble :)

Preparation of Rice 
Basmati rice - 4 cups

Water - 7 cups

Cardamom pods - 4
Cloves - 5
Cinnamon sticks - 2 pieces
Bay leaves - 2

Butter or Vegetable shortening - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 Tbsp

For Frying Chicken

Chicken - 1 Whole chicken cut in to big pieces

Chilli Powder – 1tbsp

Paprika or Kashmiri Chili Powder – 1tsp(Optional)

Turmeric Powder – 3 tsp

Pepper Poweder – 2 tsp (Optional)

Ginger/Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp(You can also use grated Ginger and Garlic)

Sugar n Spice Magic Spice / Garam Masala – 2 tsp

Yogurt – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste(2 tsp)

Oil – ½ cup(just to shallow fry the chicken)

Curry Leaves – A Bunch

For Masala

Onion – 4- 5 medium chopped

Coriander/ Cilantro leaves - A bunch

Mint leaves  - a bunch(Optional)
Garam Masala- 1 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Butter or Ghee – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

For garnish
Cashews - 10 - 15

Raisins - 1 pack (small)
2 medium onions sliced thin and fried
Biriyani essence - 1 or 2 drops

Pineapple - 1/4cup chopped

Tomatoes - 1/4cup chopped

How to prepare Rice

Wash rice 2 - 3 times and keep it on a colander to drain off the excess water. Add butter or Vegetable shortening in a large vessel. Add the spices and then the rice. Saute for 5 minutes. Add boiling water to the rice. Sprinkle salt and let it boil for sometime. Keep it on medium flame for another 10 minutes. As soon as the rice is cooked, remove it to another vessel. Add chopped cilantro and close it with a lid. If you follow the instructions correctly, you should get good textured rice that doesn’t stick to each other.

How to prepare Chicken

Wash chicken well and keep it in a colander to drain off the excess water. This is important especially if you are frying chicken. Marinate the chicken with all the spices and yoghurt. keep it for 15 minutes. Now heat a small pan under medium flame and add oil to it. Add few curry leaves to the pan to see if the oil is hot enough. Now add the pieces one by one and close the pan with a lid. After 5- 10 minutes, change the sides and cook it for few more minutes. Make sure the flame is medium, You don’t want to deef fry the chicken. You can see chicken turning dark brown. Take it out and keep it aside. Don’t throw that oil away.

Now add the sliced onions for Masala in that oil and sauté until they are golden brown. Remove onions. Mix fried chicken pieces with these Onion masala. Add a pinch of salt to it.

How to layer biriyani

Place a big Dutch pan under low heat. When it is slightly warm, add 1 tbsp of Butter/Ghee to it. Keep the remaining Ghee for garnishing.

Add one fouth cup of chicken chicken masala to it. Don’t add too much sometimes they stick to the pan. Layer rice on top of it. Add the next set of the masala and Rice. Complete the layering by adding the rest of masala and remaining rice. Sprinkle with cashews, raisins, pineapple, tomatoes & coriander leaves.

Cover the entire vessel with foil or tissue paper and close the lid tightly.This is to infuse the flavor of the biryani masala into the rice and the process is called "Dum". Make sure the flame is low. After sometime around 5 – 6 mts, , take the lid off you can see steam coming from the top.

Garnish with fried onions and boiled eggs. These are optional

Now the secret ingredient is grated Coconut.

After you sauté the onions, in the same pan add the ½ cup grated coconut (store bought coconut is fine). When it slightly changes color remove them from fire. You can mix this to the Chicken Onion masala . This will give a really good smoky flavor to the Biriyani. Now Enjoy!