Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

- Serves 8

Biryani, to me, defines Indian food. Originally brought into India by the Moguls in the form of Persian Pilaf, the chefs of the empire fused it with Indian Pulav, and it evolved into this luxurious blend of spiced meat and basmati rice. There are now multiple versions of this dish, depending on which state in India you are in, "Hyderabadi Dum Biryani" being the most famous.

My recipe here is that of a more modern version of a traditional dum biryani, where chunks of marinated chicken or lamb are steamed with aromatic basmati rice, rose water, garam masala, raisins and nuts. Traditionally, the steaming process involves slow-cooking layers of meat and spice-infused rice on very low fire. However, I have taken a more modern approach here, and baked it in the oven instead, resulting in faster and more even distribution of heat.

There are few steps to this recipe: marinating chicken, cooking basmati rice, making the sauce with caramelized onions, and putting together biryani. Remember to make the marinade a day ahead or at least 8 hours before cooking, as you do want to give your chicken enough time to absorb all those wonderful flavors from the spices. The recipe is quite simple and easy to follow, just a little time-consuming - a labor of love and patience, but sooooooo worth the effort.

A few things to remember:

Remember to use good salt and use it liberally - the chicken, the rice and the sauce all need to be seasoned very well. My quantities here are based on coarse sea-salt, but you should know your salt well, and can add more or less as per your own palate.
Quality garam masala is key to this dish. Either make your own (I have the recipe included in my cookbook) or buy the best organic garam masala you can find. It should smell of cardamoms and cloves, and not like fennel.
The most prized part in biryani is the golden-crusty bit at the bottom, much like socarat in Spanish Paella and Persian Tahdig. Once cooked, use the back of the spoon to carefully scrape the bottom of the pan. If it doesn't feel crusty enough, cover and leave the pan on medium flame for five minutes, and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy the recipe for this "out-of-this-world" Hyderabadi Dum Biryani, and if you are a fan of a good, spicy Chicken Tikka Biryani, check out the recipe and video here.

Ingredients for Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

1.2 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1 inch strips OR 1 whole chicken chopped into pieces OR 1kg lamb leg and shoulder chopped into 1” cubes

For marinade
1/2 cup thick plain yogurt, preferably sour yogurt
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
1-2 fresh green chili padi, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 tablespoons chopped mint
1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut milk, optional

For rice
3 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon ghee
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin seeds or 1/2 tablespoon caraway seeds
2" piece cinnamon stick
8-10 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 black cardamom
4-6 green cardamoms, pounded in a mortar and pestle
1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
2L water
1 teaspoon salt

For biryani
large pinch saffron strands
1/2 cup warm milk
1/3 cup ghee
2 large or 500g red onions, sliced
1 teaspoon garam masala or biryani masala
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon rose water, optional

Garnish
2-3 boiled eggs, quartered

Recipe

Marinading Chicken:

Marinade meat with all listed marinade ingredients except coconut milk and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Place it out on the kitchen counter for about half an hour to bring it back to room temperature, before cooking.

Rice:

Rinse and place basmati in plenty of water - set aside for an hour.
In a large saucepan on medium flame, heat a tablespoon of ghee. Add garlic, cumin, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves, black and green cardamoms, and fry until garlic turns golden brown.
Drain rice through a sieve and add to the saucepan, along with 2L water and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium-high flame, then drain using a sieve.
Once rice is done, it will be still be slightly undercooked at this stage. Remove and discard whole spices except cumin, green cardamoms and garlic. Use the par-cooked rice immediately for biryani.

Prepare biryani (use biryani ingredients)

Soak saffron strands in warm milk for about 30 minutes.
Heat 1/3 cup ghee in a large Dutch oven and fry sliced onions on medium-high heat until crispy brown. Drain and set aside half of the fried onions on a kitchen towel to cool.
Add marinated meat into the pan with the rest of the onions. Stir-fry for 10-15 minutes on high heat until meat is no longer pink. Add coconut milk and fry for a fe minutes until sauce thickens. (If using lamb, add half a cup of water at this point, stir, and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook for 1.25 hours until slightly tender)
Remove half of the onion-meat mixture and set aside.
Spread the leftover onion-meat mix evenly at the bottom of your Dutch oven. Next, spread half the amount of the rice evenly on top of the chicken/lamb mix sitting in the Dutch oven.
Pour half of the milk and saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon rose water evenly all over rice.
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala and half of the all the following ingredients: cashews, raisins, fried onions, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Pour half of the butter evenly on this layer.
Evenly spread the leftover second layer of onion-meat mix on top of the first layer of rice.
Next, spread the rest of the rice on this layer and repeat steps 6 and 7 with the leftover herbs and spices.
Using the stem of a spoon, create a few holes in the layers, for steam to escape. Seal the pan with a large square of aluminum foil.
Cover the foil with a tight lid and heat it on medium flame for about 5 minutes. Reduce flame to low and let biryani steam for about 40-45 minutes, until fully cooked. (To cook biryani in an oven, place in a pre-heated oven at 180ºC for 40-45 minutes.)
Turn off the flame and let it rest for 10 minutes before taking off the lid. Mix gently before serving. Serve hot garnished with quartered boiled eggs and a side of cucumber raita.