If tales of the past are to be believed, Indian royal meals were considered incomplete without a hot bowl of this brilliant, aromatic and fulfilling dish. So much so, that cooking the perfect biryani is considered no smaller achievement than painting a beautiful oil portrait. Truly a work of art.
It is an open secret that the caribbeans love their food. In fact, good food is right there at the top of the things the Caribbean is passionate about, in addition to reggae music and sports. With the insane amount of cultural diversity that the islands have to offer, it is imperative that they borrow and share a lot of their taste buds from the rest of the world.
We at CurryBien have set out to discover recipes from around the world in our quest to find the best dishes on offer. In particular, a large number of Caribbean delicacies have been heavily inspired by Indian-style food, especially curries. Ergo, it is no wonder that we begin our journey there.
The next spot on our list is bagged by the very amazing Hyderabadi Dum Biryani. Hailing from the royal city of Hyderabad, this recipe is an all time favourite.
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 43 minutes
Serves: 6 people
INGREDIENTS
For Biryani
- 3½ cups Water
- 2⅓ cups long-grain Basmati rice
- 4 Bay leaves
- ½ cup Warm Milk
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- ¼ cup ghee
- 2 onions thinly sliced
- 2 Green Chillies chopped
- For Marinade
- 500 gms Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks
- 10 black peppercorns
- 6 whole cloves
- 5 cardamom pods
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves
- 1 bunch of fresh mint leaves
- ½ tsp black cumin seeds
- 1 cup Yoghurt
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 tsp Red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp biryani masala
- Salt to taste
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
INSTRUCTIONS-
Grind black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and cumin seeds into a fine powder. Finely chop mint and coriander leaves.
Add dry spice mix, chopped mint and coriander leaves and other marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine all of them. Add the chicken and coat it well. Use a plastic wrap to cover the bowl and let the marinated chicken sit in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Wash the rice thoroughly. Take a saucepan and add water and rice in it. Once it boils, add 2 ba leaves and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and let it simmer until rice is partially cooked and is firm. This might take about 5 minutes. Once done, drain the rice. Add saffron to a bowl of milk, stir and keep it aside.
Add ghee to a large pot with a tight-fitting lid or a pressure cooker, heat it over medium-high flame. Stir in onions until golden brown for about 15 minutes. Drain them on a paper towel.
Switch the flame to low and add bay leaves, chillies, and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Remove a tbsp of ghee from the pot and set it aside.
Add the chicken along with the marinade into the pot and cook for 2 minutes per side until it’s no longer pink. Spread the drained rice on top, sprinkle fried onions and drizzle ghee with saffron milk on top. Cook for 8-10 minutes over a high flame covered with a lid. Then reduce the flame to low and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Turn off the flame and let it stand covered for about 15 minutes. Garnish with mint and coriander leaves on top. Serve hot with raita or green salad.
