Chicken Biryani

 Chicken Biryani


1. Make the garlic-ginger paste 
Peel 2 bulbs of garlic and chop 5 or 6 inches in length of ginger into 1 inch pieces. Blend with 1 tbp of olive oil and 1/8 of a tsp of turmeric, along with 1/8 of a cup of water (eyeball the water -- it's there just to help the blades rotate). Blend until smooth. Store the paste in a clean container in the fridge. It will keep well for a few months. You may notice it will turn green over time; this is normal. You can still eat it. 

2. Cut the chicken
Use 4-6 pieces of chicken thighs, with the skin and bones included. For each thigh, rinse under water, then peel back the skin and discard. Cut off and discard any excess fat, although leave some fat because it will add a nice flavor. Cut as much flesh off as you can around the bone, and create 1 inch pieces (big enough for a fork to stab). Add the pieces, along with the remaining bone pieces into a bowl. Set aside. 

3. Marinate the chicken
Add 1/8 of a cup of the garlic ginger paste (3 big soup spoonfuls) to the bowl of raw chicken. Add 1/2 cup of yogurt if it's a full fat greek yogurt, or 1 full cup of lower fat, european style yogurt. Add 3 tbsps of ground coriander, 3/4 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of salt, 3/4 tsp of red chili pepper flakes or chili powder, and 1/3 tsp of turmeric. Add 10 leaves of minced mint. Marinate for one hour, or overnight. 

4. Prepare the rice
Soak 1.5 cups of long grain white basmati rice in a pot of water. Set it aside. It needs to soak for an 


4. Prepare the vegetables
Dice one large yellow onion, (equivalent to one medium + 1 small yellow onion, or 3 small yellow onions). Wash and set aside about 30 mint leaves, or about 1/4 of a cup of mint leaves that are unpacked. 
  
5. Cook the sauce
Add 2 tbps of butter and 2 tbsps of olive oil (or 1/3 cup of vegetable oil) to a large, deep pot. While the butter melts on low heat, break open 6 cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle or the back end of a knife against a cutting board. Break one cinnamon stick into 4 or 5 smaller pieces using the same method. Once the butter is melted, add the cardamom and cinnamon to the pot. Bring to medium heat. After about 1 minute, once the contents are crackling, add all of the diced onion and 1/4 of a tsp of salt. Coat the onion thoroughly in the oil mixture and cover the pot. Cook the onions for about ten minutes, stirring often, until they are well softened and the edges are just starting to brown. Once the onions have browned, add the marinating chicken along with all of its juices. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Next, add one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (or 4-5 chopped roma tomatoes). Stir and cook for another 5 minutes, partially covered on medium heat. Once the chicken is cooked, check the salt level. It should be really flavorful and tasty. 

6. Cook the rice 
Add the soaked basmati rice to the pot and stir it thoroughly into the sauce. After about 2 minutes, add 2.5 cups of water to the pot. Don't mix it - let the water sit on the top. Taste some of the water on top and add a bit more salt if it is it not super tasty. If you add more salt, only mix the salt into the water mixture on top. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Mix the rice a bit and lift up any stuck bits from the bottom and edges. The rice should be almost done cooking at this point. Let the biriyani cook for a few more minutes uncovered, until all of the liquid is evaporated. It's finished once the rice is cooked and the liquid is gone. 

Typically served with a raita, a sauce combination of yogurt, diced cucumber, diced tomato, salt, and mint. 



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