Have a nice Dum Biryani

Ingredients for making Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

• 1 ½ cups Basmathi rice
• 450 gms Chicken, With bones
• 1 Large Onion, Fried (Half for the marination, ¼ for layering and remaining for garnishing)
• Handful Coriander leaves, Chopped
• Few Mint leaves, Chopped
• 4 tbsps Sunflower Oil or Ghee
• ¼ tsp Saffron strands
• 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• 3 slit Green chilies
• 130 ml Curd
• 2 tbsps Lemon juice
• 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ tsp Biryani masala powder
• ½ tsp Green cardamom powder
• To taste Salt
• 2 ½ cups Water
• 2 strands Mace
• 2 Black cardamoms
• 4 Green cardamoms
• 3 inch Cinnamon stick
• 6 Cloves
• 2 Bay leaves
• ½ tsp Pepper corn
• ½ tsp Shahi jeera / Caraway seeds

How to make Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani

1. Soak the rice in water for around 30 minutes, drain and set it aside. Also, soak the saffron strands in 3 tbsps of hot milk and keep it aside.
2. Marinate the chicken with all the marination ingredients (1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, ¼ tsp turmeric, 3 slit green chilies, 130 ml Curd, 2 tbsps Lemon juice, 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ tsp biryani masala powder, ½ tsp green cardamom powder, Salt) and set it aside for around half an hour.
3. Heat water in a utensil in order to cook the rice. Add one tsp oil, 2 strands of mace, 2 black cardamoms, 4 green cardamoms, 3 inch cinnamon stick, 6 cloves, 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp pepper corn, ½ tsp shahi jeera and salt and let the water boil for five minutes. Add the water soaked rice and cook till it is almost done. This step is very important as the rice must not become mushy. Drain off any excess water if it remains in the rice.
4. While the rice is cooking, place the marinated chicken in a casserole, handi or a non stick pan. Add the fried onions, green chilies, half the mint, coriander leaves and then pour in the oil or the melted ghee. Mix everything well and even the surface above the chicken.
5. Layer the rice from step two evenly and add the fried onions, mint and coriander leaves.
6. Sprinkle the biryani masala.
7. Now repeat steps four and five.
8. Now pour the saffron milk all over the rice.
9. Rinse a thick cloth and remove all the excess water. It must be only moist and not dripping with water. Double layer the cloth and spread it over the mouth of the casserole and cover the lid over the casserole.
10. Place this vessel over a hot tawa and make the flame to medium high so that everything inside the vessel cooks evenly. Cook the rice for twenty minutes.
11. Now reduce the flame to very low and cook this way for exactly twenty minutes. You can see the vapor dripping on the moist cloth. Now close the flame and leave it as it is for at least half an hour.
12. Hyderabadi Dum Chicken Biryani is now ready. Serve it hot and savor this delicious recipe with your loved ones.