My daddi have deep Indian roots, and she taught me this very basic, mild biryani recipe that is not overly spicy with very balanced flavors. This recipe is stomach friendly for all people who have low spice tolerance. Let’s begin cooking.
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Ingredients to Marinate Chicken
- 1 kg chicken, small cuts with bones or as you prefer
- Half cup yogurt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp crushed cumin powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala powder
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp garlic paste
MARINATION TIME : 30 MINUTES
I marinate my chicken for 30 minutes only. It’s enough to help the chicken absorb the flavors.
PREPARE RICE
Take 3 cups of rice and soak in water.
INGREDIENTS TO PREPARE BIRYANI MASALA
- 1 large onion, finely sliced
- 1 large tomato, finely diced
- 3 green chilies for garnishing
- 1/2 cup oil for frying
- 2 medium size potatoes, thickly diced
Now begin with a large pot placed on the stove. Now add oil in it and the finely chopped onions. Now fry them on medium-low flame to give them a beautiful golden brown color. You guys can check tips to fry your onions just right by visiting my recipe here:-
After the onions turn golden brown, I add my marinated chicken and potatoes to it and let it fry until the chicken turns white in color. This will only take 5 minutes. Now I add one cup of water and cover the lid and let the chicken cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, while my chicken is cooking, I’ll prepare my rice for biryani.
Ingredients to Prepare Rice
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves
- 1 black cardamom
- Salt to taste
Now take another pot and add 6 cups of water in it. Now add all the above spices in water with salt according to your taste level. I personally add 2 tbsp salt according to my taste. When the water boils, add the soaked rice in boiling water by straining extra water from the rice. Let the rice fluff up a bit, and then with the help of a spoon check the grain. If it’s half done and feels grainy from one end, it’s time to strain them. And the rest will cook in steam in the end.
Now we take the lid off our chicken and add tomatoes to it and cook for 2 minutes. Now cook until the water is completely dry and you can see oil coming out from the sides. Now our biryani masala is ready.
INGREDIENTS FOR LAYERING BIRYANI
- 2 tsp rose water/ kewra water for aroma
- 3 to 4 strands of saffron mixed in 6 tbsp milk
- Mint leaves
- Lemon sliced thinly
Now we take the same rice pot in which we boiled our rice and begin with layering. First, I will begin layering with rice, then one layer of chicken, then rice, then chicken. Once you are done layering, add kewra or rose water on top with saffron milk drizzled all over. Add the garnishings now. Put some wet cloth on the lid from the inside and cover it, and let it sit on steam on low flame for 15 to twenty minutes.
If you are looking for a garam masala or spuces gri der check out this one its really easy to use and finely chops the spices:-
This biryani will introduce you to the milder, yet more indulging biryani category. It’s delicious and aromatic in flavors. I believe fewer ingredients impart more flavors to the biryani.
Now open the lid carefully, fluff the rice, and serve with Raita or salad as you desire
If you are looking for a perfect spice grinder to grind fresh spices or make garam masala try this spice grinder its easy to use and very handy:-
Watch this video that if you want visual representation of this recipe Kolkota style biryani