The biryani is what the Persians ever did culinary wise for India. It’s a delicacy which is made nowadays throughout the country but especially so in rice growing regions. It’s also incredibly popular in UK restaurants and might even have supplanted the chicken tikka masala in popularity. This is a simplified version for Western tastes because the chicken would normally be marinaded and spiced in the bottom of a pot in the dum style. We will do this version one day.
Use your own masala or curry pastes or you can make a balti curry paste. We have recipes for masala such as garam and chaat. A chicken stock is a great idea here for bringing out the flavour and it is easy to make. Traditionally it would be water.
Serves 4: Preparation: 10 minutes: Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
- 350g basmati rice
- 25g ghee or soft butter
- 1 large red or yellow onion, finely sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 4 tablespoon of your own curry/masala or a balti curry paste
- small cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 80g raisins
- 850ml chicken stock
- 30g coriander, ½ chopped, ½ leaves picked and sorted
- 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds, to serve
Preparation:
- Soak the basmati rice in warm water, then wash in cold until the water runs clear. This removes any starch and makes the rice clean when boiled
- Heat the ghee/butter in a skillet or casserole dish.
- Add finely sliced large onion with bay leaf, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick for 10 mins. Cook to soften the onion.
- Add the turmeric, then add chunks of chicken breasts and stir in the curry paste. Cook until aromatic. let the chicken cook all the way through and then simmer on as low a heat as possible.
- Stir the rice into the pan with raisins, then pour in chicken stock.
- Place a tight-fitting lid on the pan, bring to a hard boil, lower the heat to a minimum and cook the rice for another 5 mins or until it’s tender or all the stock liquid has disappeared into the rice.
- Turn off the heat and leave for 10 mins. Stir well, mixing through chopped coriander.
- To serve, scatter over the leaves of the remaining coriander and toasted almonds.
Such a great recipe
This was so good. I’d forgotten what a good curry a biryani is. In Nottingham they have some good Indian restaurants in town and I think you borrowed this version from up there. Don’t know if you have but the spice flavours are excellent. I use more fresh coriander than you do but it is all about taste.