Hyderabadi Biryani

Biryani is a popular Mughal dish in India and it has got variations in the method of preparation in each state. I've been longing to make Hyderabadi biryani for a long time. Finally, cooked it today. The taste was so good that my hubby ate a lot. The bowl was empty within a couple of minutes. I was happy that he loved it. Hope I will cook this biryani often.

  

What did I use?

1. Rice - 2 cups, washed and soaked for 15 mins
2. Chicken - 1/2 kg, cut into small cubes
3. Onion - 3 medium, thin sliced
4. Tomatoes - 3 medium, cut into cubes
5. Biryani powder - 2 tbsp
6. Turmeric powder - a little
7. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup, chopped
8. Mint leaves - 1/2 cup, chopped
9. Plain yogurt - 1 cup, whipped
10. Oil/ghee - 3 to 4 tbsps
11. Salt - to taste

How is it prepared?

Boil the rice (not fully) and drain it thoroughly.

Heat the oil/ghee in a pan. Fry the onions until it turns golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook until the raw smell goes out. Now add the chicken and stir fry for few minutes. Then cover it with a lid and cook it until the chicken is tender.

Now add yogurt and the Biryani powder. Stir fry until the oil separates from the masala. Now, layer the rice and chicken curry. Spread the coriander and mint leaves. Cover it and cook until the rice is done in low flame. 

Serve it hot with curry or raita. My husband doesn't like raita. So, I served it with plain yogurt. 

Biryani Powder - homemade masala

Recently, I was looking to cook Hyderabadi Biryani. Usually I use the readymade masalas. This time I wanted to prepare the masala powder at home. I came across so many blogs which had different methods. Didn't know which one to follow and suddenly I thought I could prepare it with my own ideas. I decided not to make something similar to the garam masala. Finally, came out with the below recipe and tried the powder in the biryani. It came out so well with a new flavour and my husband loved it so much. I'm sharing it with you all so that you can also try it.

All you need is:

Red chilli - 5

Ginger - 2 inch

Garlic - 10 to 12 cloves

Dried onion - 5 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 3 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander seeds - 3 tsp

Cardamom - 10

Black pepper - 2 tsp 

Cinnamon - 2 to 3 inch

Cloves - 7

How is it prepared?

Dry roast all the ingredients until it turns brown in a medium flame and grind it in a mixer grinder or a blender. Transfer it to an air tight container and store it for six months.