This biryani is bursting with flavour
Always wanted to try your hand at a proper biryani? Now’s your chance, with chef Naqiyah Mayat’s delicious recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg free range chicken, cut into 8 pieces without removing the bones
For the marinade, combine:
- 3 T red ginger and garlic masala
- 1 t rough dried red chillies
- ½ bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 T mint, chopped
- 3 T biryani masala
- Salt, to taste
- ½ t turmeric
- 1 T ground coriander
- 1 T chilli powder
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 tomato, grated
- 1 cup yoghurt
- 2 T chopped mint, with a little reserved to garnish
- 3 onions, grated and fried in oil, with a little reserved to garnish
For the rice:
- 590 g basmati rice
- 1 t whole cumin seeds
- 3 t salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 cups water
- ½ cup ghee
- 1 t whole cumin
- ½ cup canned masoor (red or brown lentils) (or replace with ½ cup frozen peas)
- 3 potatoes, peeled and halved
- Oil, for frying
- 1 T saffron water, with the frond
- 3 eggs, boiled and peeled (optional)
- 2 T chopped coriander, to garnish
Method:
- Marinate the chicken overnight.
- Parboil the potatoes and then fry in the oil.
- Boil the rice with 1 t cumin, salt, and the cinnamon stick in water for approximately 15 minutes, until soft but still firm when pressed between your fingers.
- Heat ½ cup ghee and add 1 t whole cumin. Once hot, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place ½ cup of the cooked rice and ¼ cup canned masoor or brown lentils at the bottom of a large saucepan. Add the marinated raw chicken, shaking off the marinade and reserving. This will be used later.
- Add the fried potatoes as a layer to the biryani.
- Mix a little rice with the leftover chicken marinade and add it as a layer to the biryani.
- Lastly, add the remaining plain rice and sprinkle over any leftover masoor (or peas if you substituted).
- Make a little saffron water and sprinkle over the rice. You can also boil 3 eggs, peel and place on top of the rice if you wish, at this point.
- 1Top with fried onion, peas (or masoor or brown lentils) and steam for about an hour in the oven at 200°C or stovetop (on low). Serve garnished with the coriander and mint.
(Serves 10)
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