Recipe: Chicken Biryani by Vignesh

Last year on our vacation to San Diego, one of our friends surprised us with an awesome chicken biryani. We were all so impressed, we've been bugging him for the recipe. OK, now it is online for all of you to go impress your friends with :-)

Ingredients:

• Briyani Rice - 1 Kg
• Chicken / Mutton - 1 Kg
• Oil - approx 250ml
• Yogurt - approx 150 to 200ml
• Green Chillies - 30 to 35 (Depends on the size of chillies)
• Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Mint - 25 gms
• Corinder - 25gms + 25gms (final)
• Ginger - 100gms
• Garlic - 75gms
• Spices - Use either Garam Masala powder (2 tsp) or use indiviudal ones...
• Onion - 250gms
• Tomato - 250 gms
• Lime - 1

Directions:

- Soak Rice in water when u start cooking - add one/two lime juice in water to soak the rice.

- Heat the oil, add the garam masala/spices

- Then add the cut onions (cut onion in length wise, not into small pieces), keep seasoning onion in the pan for some time until it gets cooked.

- Add the Ginger & Garlic paste. Season this paste until the smell wears off.

- Add finely chopped Mint and coriender leaves and season it well.

- Add Green Chillis (without chopping) + Tomatos - dont season tomatos, immediatly add chicken after adding tomato. - mix for some time in high temperature.

- Add Yogrt + Red Chilli powder. Mix well. Add Salt to taste

- Keep in Medium heat - Cook chicken for 20 mins to 30 mins.

- Take a break, get coffee, vote for American Idol or something.

- Meanwhile heat water until it boils, then add the rice. Please dont cook the rice in this water. This is just to remove the starch from rice, so once you see the bubbles coming up after adding rice in boiling water, just remove it and drain the starch.
- Keep it aside until the chicken gets cooked.

===> Back again..

- Just check up on the taste of gravy, (you can add some more salt / chilli powder, if you need. After adding let it cook it for some more time)

- After Chicken is cooked, you can see the gravy in that.. Add the half cooked rice in that, mix well. Close it with tight lid or aluminium foil, keep it in preheated Oven/Microwave for 20 to 30 mins.

Thats it.. Ready to serve!!