Briyani Rice Recipe

Briyani Rice Recipe

Ingredients for Chicken:

4 tablespoons ghee or oil

1 cup shallots, peeled and sliced

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 thumb-sized length of ginger, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

2 tomatoes, chopped coarsely

2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

1 tablespoon salt

1½ kilo chicken pieces

2-3 cardamoms

5-cm cinnamon stick

4 tablespoons yoghurt

Ingredients for Rice:

4 cups Basmati rice

1 tablespoon oil or ghee

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 thumb-sized length ginger, peeled and smashed

6 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

5-cm stick cinnamon stick

5 cardamoms

5 cloves

1 teaspoon saffron threads

Sprinkling of rose essence

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups fresh or canned unsalted chicken stock

Method:

To cook chicken: Heat oil in a wok and fry the shallots until golden.  Set aside.  In the same oil, brown the chopped onions, garlic and ginger.  Add a little water to the spice powders to make a paste and add it to the wok to fry over a low fire until fragrant.  Add the tomatoes, mint and salt and cook until softened.  Finally add the chicken pieces, cinnamon and cardamoms.  Cook gently until meat is just cooked.  Stir in the yoghurt and cook for 15 minutes more.  Reserve chicken and gravy and skim oil to flavor the rice.

To cook rice: Wash and drain the rice.  Heat oil in a wok.  Fry ginger, garlic and shallots until light brown.  Add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms.  When fragrance rises, add the reserved oil and rice grains.  Continue to fry until grains absorb the oil.  Heat stock and add salt, saffron and rose essence.  Pour stock over the rice.  Transfer rice to a rice cooker and cook until just dry.  Make a well in the center of the rice for the chicken.  Cover with the rice and cook, without stirring, for another 10 to 15 minutes.  Garnish with the fried shallots and serve hot.