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Vijaya's South Indian chicken biryani
Vijaya channels her mother's traditional cooking methods and shares one of her all-time favourite recipes, chicken biryani.
SERVES
4
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 star anise
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cloves
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated
- 6 Thai green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 tomato, cut into four pieces
- 1/2 a whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup, chopped coriander
- 1/4 cup, chopped mint
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Rinse rice until water runs clear. Then soak for 20 minutes in room temperature water. This prevents the grains from breaking while they cook.
- In a medium Dutch oven, heat oil and ghee on medium-high heat. When hot, add all spices (cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, bay leaf, clove), and sauté until cloves puff.
- Add onions and sauté until they soften. Then add garlic, ginger and chilies. Cook for two to three minutes until they soften and become fragrant.
- Add tomato and cook for two minutes until slightly softened, followed by chicken.
- Season with salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, stirring often to coat the chicken, and reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook for ten minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Add water and return heat to high; bring to a boil.
- Drain rice in a colander, and add to pot. Gently stir, adding chopped mint and coriander, and lemon juice. Return to a boil, then drop heat to low.
- Cover pot with aluminum foil and lid, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed.
- Enjoy hot with onion pachadi (plain yogurt, chopped onions, salt)!
