Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani
Indian
One of the most popular and favorite dishes with my family and friends. Can't go wrong with this recipe. DUM means slow cooking in a heavy bottomed pan with the lid that is tightly sealed so the steam does not escape easily.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken - bone-in thighs and drumsticks (no skin)
- 5 teaspoons red chilli powder
- 4 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 3/4 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon whole shah jeera (black cumin seeds)
- 10 cloves
- 8 inch pieces cinnamon sticks
- 4 cups red onions - sliced, fried crisp & crushed
- 1 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1/2 cup mint leaves roughly chopped
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons crushed green chilies (about 5 chilies)
- 300 ml whisked plain yogurt
- 1 cup oil reserved from frying the onions
- 750 grams Basmati rice
- 3/4 teaspoon whole shah jeera (black cumin seeds)
- 4 green cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 2 inch pieces cinnamon sticks
- 2.5 tablespoons salt
- Saffron strands soaked in warm milk
- 2.5 liters water
- 1.5 cups red onions - sliced fine and fried crisp
- 10 - 15 mint leaves
- 1/2 cup water reserved from boiling rice
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- Aluminum foil for Dum cooking
Instructions
Use a heavy bottom pan (Dutch oven works great) that will be used to cook the Biryani on Dum and add the chicken pieces. Now add all the items for the marinade. Mix well, cover & set it aside for 2 hours.
One hour after marinating the chicken - take 1/2 cup of warm milk & soak few strands of saffron. Mix it with a spoon.
Wash & soak the Basmati rice for 30 minutes. IMPORTANT - not more and not less than 30 minutes.
Take another heavy bottomed pan & add around 2.5 liters of water to cook the rice . Place it on high heat to boil the water.
While the water is coming to a boil, add 3/4 tsp Shah Jeera, 4 Green cardamom, 4 Cloves, 2 Cinnamon pieces.
Add 2.5 tablespoons salt. Stir it well to dissolve the salt completely. The water must be very salty.
Once the water is boiling add the strained basmati rice & stir it well. Continue to boil it on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring few times very gently to not break the rice.
Exactly after 5 minutes on high heat, start scooping out the half cooked rice with the slotted ladle & spread it on the arranged chicken in the heavy bottomed pan. Continue doing that till half of the rice is taken out. Strain rest of the rice and keep it separate. Reserve 1/2 cup of the rice water.
Now spread half of the fried onions & all of the 10 - 15 mint leaves.
Spread out the balance rice on top of the 1st layer of rice and add the rest of the fried onions.
Lastly take out 1/2 cup of the hot rice water & add 1 tablespoon ghee in it. Mix it well & pour it uniformly over the rice. Then pour in the saffron milk and spread it uniformly over the rice.
Now, seal the pan with foil to cover it completely . Fold it in & cover with the lid.
Place this pan directly on heat for 10 minutes on high heat. Place a bowl filled with water on top of this for weight (or something heavy).
After 10 minutes, take a heavy flat pan (tawa) & shift the pan onto the tawa to cook on DUM.
Keep on high heat for 2 minutes & lower the flame to low & cook on DUM for 30 minutes.
Switch off heat and remove from the tawa but not the bowl (or weight).
Allow it to rest for an hour. After an hour remove the lid and the foil and give a gentle mix.