Ginger, Salt & Pepper

Ingredients

Stage 1: Deep fry

2 cups Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 large Onions (sliced thin)

10-15 Cashew nuts

Stage 2: Preparing the paste

5 Green chillies

1 inch piece Ginger

2 bulbs Garlic (peeled and cleaned)

1/2 Cup Water

Stage 3: Preparing masala

1 lb Chicken (cleaned and cut into small pieces)

1/2 Onion (sliced thin)

1 1/2 tbsp Garam Masala powder

2 tbsp Indian Yoghurt (Curd)

1 tbsp Ghee

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

Stage 4: Cooking rice

2 Cups Rice (Jeera rice preferred/ Basmati rice) (Washed and drained)

3 Cups Water

1 tbsp Ghee

3-4 Cloves

1 Cinnamon stick

2-3 Bay leaves

2 pods Cardamom

2 Star Anise

Salt to taste

Stage 5: Layering

1/3 cup Coriander leaves (Chopped loosely packed)

1/3 cup Mint leaves (Chopped loosely packed)
Recipe

Preparing this biriyani is a stage by stage process.

Please use the ingredients in each stage for the corresponding steps provided for the stage unless specifically mentioned.

(Go to https://youtu.be/NRbH23VEsmo for a quick video of the preparation)

Stage 1

1. Heat 2 cups oil in a pan
2. Take the sliced onions and deep fry them and set aside
3. Fry cashews till golden and set aside
4. Once the fried onion have cooled, take 3/4th of it and crush it coarsely and set aside.

We’ll be using remaining friend onions in Stage 5

Stage 2

5. Grind all ingredients from Stage 2 (listed above) into a paste

Stage 3

6. In a large vessel, heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp Ghee
7. Add sliced onions to it and sauté for 2-3 minutes
8. Add Garam masala powder and cook for 2-3 minutes
9. Once cooked, add the chicken and let it cook till it changes color lightly
10. Take the crushed fried onions set aside in stage 1 and mix well
11. To this add the paste from stage 2 and mix well
12. Close this with a lid and let it cook for 25 minutes on medium heat and then set aside

Stage 4

13. In another vessel, heat 1 tbsp ghee
14. Add the whole spices (From Stage 4 ingredients) to this and sauté for few seconds
15. Add water, salt to taste and bring to a boil
16. Once the water starts boiling, add the rice
17. Close and cook for 15 minutes or until no water remains

Stage 5

18. Bring the vessel with masala from Stage 3 back on low heat
19. Ensure the cooked masala and the chicken are evenly spread in the bottom
20. Spread half the rice evenly over the masala
21. Take half of the fried onions (from stage 1), fried cashews, chopped coriander and mint and spread it evenly on top of the rice
22. Repeat steps 20 and 21
23. Close using a lid with no vents and cook for 12-15 minutes.
24. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving