Kolkata Style Chicken Biriyani...!

It's been a long time I didn't prepare anything special for my family ,for my daughter and in this way I was away from my blog, page and from all of you. Due to some family related responsibilities I was out of touch from all these. But , thank God, I am back to my normal routine life and at my most favourite place where I spend my "Me Time".
Last Sunday, I made one of our most favourite dishes,Kolkata Style Chicken Biriyani and going to share the recipe with all of you.  

Biriyani is the exemplification of the Indian Cuisine and I must say that Kolkata is the wanderer of this special dish. As long as we were in Kolkata I never took any attempt to cook it at home as it was widely available in every nook and corner of the city. In the most famous restaurants, like Rahmania ,Shiraz if you take a spoonful of its mutton or chicken biriyani it almost melts in your mouth and even the most ordinary restaurants make it so well.

But here ,since last two and a half years, the food we miss extremely is the Biriyani. Even the most famous biriyani house in Mumbai cant bring the actual taste of the dish with which our taste buds have been accustomed.

Few months back, after my very successful attempt of making Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani, I acquired my confidence and now I make Biriyani at home whenever we want.

Here, the recipe I am going to depict is less spicy , easy to cook and obviously very delicious.





Ingredients:

• List :1

• Main Ingredients:

• Chicken:500 gm (with bone, medium sized)
• Long Grain Basmati Rice:4 Cups
• Potatoes:4(Medium Sized, washed, peeled and cut into two halves)
• Eggs: 4 ( Hard Boiled)

• List:2

• For marinating the Chicken:

• Mustard Oil:2-3 tbsp.
• Yoghurt:2 Cups
• Chilli Powder:1 tsp.
• Turmeric Powder:1 tsp.
• Salt:As per taste
• Ginger:1" (Paste)
• Garlic:8-10 Cloves(Paste)
• Onion:2 (finely chopped)

• List:3

• Biriyani Masala:

• Cinnamon Stick:1"
• Cloves:8
• Black Cardamoms:4
• Green Cardamoms:2
• Shah Jeera( Caraway Seeds):3/4 th tsp.
• Peppercorns:8-10
• Nutmeg:1/2 of a whole nutmeg
• Mace:4-5
• Dry Red Chilli(Optional)

• List:4

• Few Other Important Ingredients:

• Onion: 2 Large (thin slice,for making barista)
• Saffron:2 Pinches
• Milk:1 cup
• Ghee:3-4 tbsp.
• Salt: As Per Taste:
• Water: As required
• Bay Leaves:1
• Cinnamon Stick:1"
• Cardamoms:3-4
• Star Anise:1
• White Oil:1-2 tsp.

Process:

• Marinate the chicken pieces with all the ingredients mentioned in the List 2. Keep it for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile boil the rice with enough water, bay leaves, 1" cinnamon sticks,1 tsp white oil, cardamoms and star anise (mentioned in the List 4). Now cook the rice till 60% done. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice while the rice is boiling. It will make the rice perfect white and the grains will be separated from each other.Drain the excess water and spread the rice in a flat plate . You may sprinkle one tsp. of more oil on the rice . It will help to keep the rice grains remain separated from one another.
• Soak the saffron on 1 cup of milk.
• Now dry roast all the biriyani masala mentioned in the List 3 . Let it cool and then grind it into a fine powder.
• Now heat one tsp of ghee in a pan and fry the sliced onion till the onion slices become crisp .For the time being keep it aside.
• Now add the marinated chicken to the pan and stir well. Cover and cook for 15-20 mins on low flame. Add little water if required. Add one spoonful of biriyani masala powder prepared earlier to the chicken and mix well. Don't forget to taste the seasoning. If required add little salt and sugar. Once the chicken is done keep it in a bowl along with the gravy.
• Mean while hard boiled the eggs and fry the peeled halves of potato and keep them aside.
• Now take a deep bottomed vessel or pressure cooker .Grease it well with enough ghee.
• At first make one layer of rice in the vessel and then make a layer of 2-3 pieces of chicken and 2 pieces of potatoes . Sprinkle 1/4 th tsp of biriyani masala ,little salt (sprinkle evenly), saffron milk and fried onions.
• Now make consecutive layers of chicken, potato and rice till your ingredients come to an end. But don't forget that the top layer must be of rice . Heat the rest of the ghee and pour it on the top layer.
• Now seal the mouth of the vessel with a tight lid or you may put heavy weight on the lid. You may seal the mouth of the vessel with wheat flour dough. But if you are using pressure cooker then close the lid with out whistle.
• Cook this on a very low heat for 10 -15 mins.
• Now your Kolkata Style chicken biriyani is ready,while serving don't forget to add the hard boiled eggs also.
• Enjoy the biriyani with salad /raita or any other chicken mutton preparations of your choice.

                                                                     Enjoy Your Food....!