Biriyani is a popular South Asian dish that is made with Indian spices. It goes well with rice, meat, eggs, or even vegetables such as potatoes.
Most biryani is eaten with a rice dish. A classic biryani is made using basmati rice because it is thinner and longer than a traditional long grain rice.
The yellow coloring in the rice comes from the use of turmeric along with other spices.
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade
- 1200g Skinless chicken pieces
- ½ cup of natural yogurt
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 5 cardamom pods, seeds crushed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Vegetable oil
For the rice
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 2 large onions, finely sliced
- 400g basmati rice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- Raisins
Preparation
Step 1
Place the chicken in a large bowl with the yogurt, ginger, chili, cloves, lemon juice, garam masala, cardamom seeds, turmeric, and cumin. Leave for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight to marinate.
Step 2
Rinse the rice well and leave to soak in a large bowl of water for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, using vegetable oil, cook the onions until they are very soft and golden brown.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 4
Bring a large sufuria of water to a boil. Then season the water generously by adding 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, and 1 bay leaf, set aside to infuse for 30 minutes.
Bring the water back to a boil, add the rice, and cook for 2 minutes, so that it is par-cooked. Drain and set aside, removing the whole spices.
Step 5
Remove the chicken from the fridge. Do not discard the remaining yogurt marinade left at the bottom of the bowl.
Heat oil in a sufuria then place the marinated chicken to brown.
Add the remaining garlic, ginger, chili, garam masala, ground cumin and ground coriander and cook for 3 minutes, or until aromatic.
Step 6
Add the tomatoes and remaining yogurt marinade with a splash of water to loosen it. Season and stir well.
Step 7
Add rice to the mixture and lower the heat. Cover with the lid and cook for for 45 minutes.
Step 8
Leave the biryani to stand for 5 minutes, then sprinkle over the raisins for extra flavour and coriander before serving.
WATCH: The latest videos from the Star
