Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

A royal recipe straight from the erswhile Nizami kitchen of Hyderabad :)

Ingredients:

For Chicken:

• 1 kg Chicken (leg and breast pieces)
• 2 medium sized onions sliced
• 1 cup curd
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Coriander Powder
• 2 tbsp Garam Masala Powder
• 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
• Salt---as per taste

For Rice:

• A small Muslin Cloth
• 2-3 Black Cardamoms, 2-3 Green Cardamoms, 2 inch Cinnamon Stick, 1 Bay Leaf, 1 nos. Mace
• Black Cumin seeds
• 2-3 tbsp Ghee
• 2 Cups Rice
• 1 tbsp Salt

For Garnishing:

• 1/2 cup Raisins
• 1 tbsp Saffron mixed in warm milk
• Fried Onions
• Coriander and Mint leaves (optional)
• Rose Water(optional)

For Dum:
A mound of dough


Method:

• Mix all the spices and curd with the chicken and referigerate the marinated chicken overnight
• Now heat some Oil in the Pan and cook the chicken till its half done. You will know its half done when you poke the chicken with a fork and the fork will go in easily but the flesh will not fall off the bone
• Now tie all the solid spices mentioned above in the muslin cloth
• Boil water in a Pan and add the muslin cloth , Black Jeera and Ghee and Salt in the water
• Add the rice and boil till the rice is also half done (Remember the rice should be soaked atleast 30 mins before boiling)
• Now Drain the excess water and keep the rice aside
• Now in a deep pan, spread evenly a layer of chicken Pieces and above it a layer of rice
• Sprinkle some raisins, Fried onions, Coriander and Mint leaves and a spoon of Saffron and milk and Rose water respectively.
• Now again put a layer of chicken above this and then rice and repeat the process until all chicken and rice is finished
• Now Put the lid on the Pan and cover it with dough and cook it on Dum for atleast 30 mins

Serve Hot with Raita :)