Chicken Biryani

 

This is one recipe that was lying in my inbox for a long time. This was given to me by one of my colleague and friend Sandhya. This is the method that is followed at her place in Hyderabad. I was waiting to try it but was not getting a chance to make it. We seldom bring chicken at home (once in 2 months). So last week I made up my mind to give it a try. I marinated the chicken on Saturday, cooked the rice on Sunday, assembled both the things and dished it out in no time. It was a success and we all liked it. It hardly takes much time. This was my first attempt to make Kacchi Biryani (raw meat is cooked along with half cooked rice).All my previous attempts were with cooked meat layered with cooked rice (Lucknowi /Awadhi Biryani). From now onwards I am going to follow this method for making biryanis.

I tweaked her original recipe a bit. She suggests adding a tsp of Kasoori methi and half cup of milk with saffron over the rice. Adding Kewra essence was my addition.

Thanks to Sandhya for her recipe!!!

                                                        

Ingredients for the chicken marinade –

400 gms chicken pieces,

2 cups of yogurt,

A small bunch of coriander leaves,

A small bunch of mint leaves,

3 green chilies,

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste,

Juice of 1 lime,

2 tsp red chili powder,

2 tsp garam masala powder (roast and grind together 4 cloves, a piece of cinnamon, 1 tsp pepper corns, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp poppy seeds, 1 small piece of nutmeg, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp sahi jeera),

Ingredients for the rice –

1.5 cups long grain basmati rice,

Few mint leaves,

3 cloves,

A piece of cinnamon,

1 bay leaf,

Water,

Salt

Other Ingredients –

3 big onions thinly sliced,

Oil,

Few drops of kewra essence.

Method –

Marinade chicken pieces with salt, lime juice, ginger garlic paste, ground coriander, mint leaves and green chili paste, red chili powder, garam masala powder and yogurt.

Keep it aside for a minimum of 4 hours.

Wash the rice well and soak in sufficient water for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Fry 2 big sliced onions in oil till brown and keep aside (caramelized onions).

Keep water for boiling in a big vessel. Add sufficient salt (I used 2 tsp salt), few mint leaves, cloves, cinnamon and a bay leaf. Let the water boil.

Now add soaked rice and let the rice get half cooked. Drain the water completely from the rice and keep aside.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a deep heavy bottomed vessel and fry one sliced onion till golden brown.

Add marinated chicken pieces to the onion stir well and top it up with half of the caramelized onions.

Lay the half cooked rice over the chicken pieces and sprinkle the remaining caramelized onions on top of the rice.

Sprinkle a few drops of kewra essence and cove the vessel with a tight lid.

After 5 minutes keep the vessel on a hot griddle on a stove and dum cook for 30 minutes.

Serve hot with raita.

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Chicken Xacuti

This is another well known chicken curry of Goa pronounced as Shakuti. It is generally made on Sundays in most of the Goan households and is eaten with pao (bread) and with rice.

The garam masala that I have used in this is my mom’s home made masala. Click here for the recipe. You can use any store brought garam masala but the taste differs. You can also make ‘roos omlet’ (another well known Goan delicacy) of the left over curry by just making an omlet of an egg,  soak it with this chicken curry and serve it stuffed in a Goan poli (famous bread of Goa). So here is the recipe of Chicken Xacuti.

Ingredients –

1 kg chicken cut into medium sized pieces,

2 onions finely chopped,

2 tomatoes finely chopped,

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste,

Juice of 1 lime,

1/4^th tsp turmeric powder,

1 bay leaf,

2 green chilies,

Coriander leaves,

5 tsp oil

To grind-

2 cups grated coconut,

1 big onion cut lengthwise,

4 cloves,

6 peppercorns,

A small piece of cinnamon,

4 tsp garam masala powder,

2 tsp red chili powder,

2 tsp oil

Method –

Marinate the chicken pieces with ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, lime juice and salt for a minimum 1 to 2 hours.

Heat oil in a pan and fry lengthwise cut onions till golden brown. Add coconut and keep frying till the mixture turns dry and light brown in color.

Add cloves, pepper and cinnamon and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Once cooled grind this with garam masala and red chili powder to a very smooth paste with sufficient water.

Keep this masala aside.

In a deep bottomed pan heat oil and fry bay leaves and slit green chilies for half a minute.

Add finely cut onion and fry for 5 to 6 minutes till onion gets cooked. Now add tomatoes and fry well till tomatoes are done.

Add chicken pieces to this, mix well and cover it with a lid.

When chicken is half cooked, add the ground masala. Adjust salt.

Cover and cook till chicken is done.
Garnish with coriander leaves and add more lime juice if required.

Serve hot with pao or chapattis, or plain rice.

Chicken Roast

This is a healthy version of chicken starter without any oil. You can eat this with rice or chapattis or just have it as starters.

I also make fish in this style but without adding yogurt.

Ingredients-

4 chicken drumsticks,

2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste,

3 tsp red chili powder,

1 tsp coriander powder,

7 to 8 fenugreek seeds,

4 tsp thick yogurt,

Juice of a half lime,

4 to 5 curry leaves,

Salt to taste

Method –

Wash the drumsticks and apply all the above ingredients and marinate it for 3 to 4 hours.

Heat a shallow frying pan. Arrange the chicken pieces in the pan and put in the marinate mixture to cover the chicken.

Cover with a lid and let it cook on a low flame.

In about 5 minutes, turn the chicken pieces. Put little water if the masala is getting burnt.

Again cover and cook till chicken is fully cooked.

When the chicken is done, keep the flame high and remove the lid to dry out any water in the masala and to make it thick.

Serve hot.

Chicken Fry

This is a very easy chicken fry recipe made by my MIL. It does not take much time for the preparation and the ingredients are also very simple but tastes yummy. 

Ingredients- 

4 chicken legs,

2 tsp ginger garlic paste,

1 tsp garam masala powder,

2 tsp lime juice,

½ tsp coarsely ground pepper,

Salt to taste,

Oil 

Method- 

Wash chicken legs and marinate with ginger garlic paste, garam masala, lime juice, pepper and salt.

Let it stand for 1 hour.

Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the legs till done.

Serve with onion rings.