Chicken Biryani

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 Kg or 2 Pounds

Rice (sona masoori or jeera samba preferred) - 1 Kg or measure of 10 stainless steel glass which you have at home.

Sakthi biriyani masala powder (preferrable or any other brand will do) - 3 tsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 3 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 6 tsp

Pattai (cinnamon bark) - 3 pieces

Ilavang (cloves) - 5 nos

Ilaichi ( cardamom pods) - 10 nos

Saunf(fennel) powder - 1 ½ tsp

Onion - 4

Tomato - 2

Green chilli - 5

Pudina(mint - 20 leaves

Kothamalli (coriander leaves) - ½ bundle

Curd (yoghurt) - 2 tsp

Method

1. Clean the chicken and apply sakthi masala powder, chilli powder, curd and salt and marinate for ½ hour .
2. Grind 1 onion, pudina, kothamalli 2 pattai, and Ilavang and keep aside.
3. Clean the rice and soak for 10 minutes.
4. In the pressure cooker, put ¾ small stainless steel glass quantity oil ( a little unsalted butter can be added as this gives it a special flavour) and add rest of the cut onions, green chilli and fry nicely till the raw smell goes and then add the ginger-garlic paste and fry nicely. Add the chicken with the rest of the ground masala and fry nicely. Fry till the water evaporates and the oil comes up. (Reduce and increase the heat when needed).
   
5. Then pour water at the ratio of 1:2 (for 10 glasses of rice 20 glasses of water). When the water boils, add the rice and just the required salt and cook for sometime without closing the cooker lid.
6. After the water gets absorbed, close the cooker and leave it for 15 minutes on sim.
7. Open the cooker and gently mix the content from the side and again close it. Place the weight valve and leave it for 5 minutes only on sim.
8. At the end, stir the content from the sides . Transfer the cooked biriyani to a different vessel, put the silver foil on top .
9. Serve with curd raita/pachadi when required.
10. Biryani usually tastes better the next day .

Curd/yoghurt pachadi:

Cut an onion fine.Soak it in cold water and drain it after a few minutes.
To this add 1 tomato, a little grated ginger, a finely chopped green chilli and a handful of coriander leaves.
Add curd/yoghurt( a little sour is good) and salt to taste.
Variations can be made by adding cut cucumber or finely grated carrot as well.