Hyderabadi Biryani Recipes

HYDERABADI BIRYANI

Steps:

• Slice onion thinly, separate the layers and set aside.
• Heat 4 tbsps oil or ghee in a deep pan.
• Fry the onions stirring often until deep golden to brown.
• Do not burn else they turn bitter. Remove them from oil & set aside.
• Cool & pour this oil to the marinade later.
• Add yogurt, salt, turmeric, chili powder, biryani or garam masala powder, cardamom powder, green chilli, ginger garlic paste & lemon juice to a mixing bowl.
• Mix well & taste this. If needed add more salt or spice.
• Next add in chicken & marinate for 2 hours to overnight for best results.
• Overnight marination in fridge yields best soft succulent chicken.
• Wash rice till the water runs clear. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain & set aside.
• Heat 6 to 7 cups water in a pot. Add 1 tsp oil, whole spices & salt.
• Taste this. The water has to be slightly salty.
• Boil water rapidly for 5 mins to release the aroma of spices.
• Add rice & cook till it is ¾ or 75% done.
• The center of the rice must be still slightly uncooked.
• Do not make the rice mushy. Drain off to a colander.
• While the rice cooks, transfer marinated chicken to a heavy bottom casserole or non-stick pan.
• Add oil, ½ of the fried onions, mint & coriander leaves. Mix & spread chicken in a single even layer.
• Layer the cooked rice evenly, sprinkle fried onions, mint & coriander leaves over the chicken.
• Sprinkle ¼ tsp masala powder. Pour the saffron milk all over & then ghee.
• Cover the pot with a foil to trap the steam or dum. Then cover with a tight & heavy lid.
• Bake for 30 to 40 mins at 200 C in a preheated oven. The timings will slightly vary depending on the depth of the casserole/pot used. Once done, if the chicken is too moist then bake for another 10 mins.
• Place this over a thick hot griddle or tawa. Set the flame to medium high such that the flame reaches all over the diameter of the casserole. Cook this way for exactly 20 mins.
• Reduce the flame to lowest. Cook for exactly 15 mins. Off the flame. Rest for 20 to 30 mins.
• Garnish hyderabadi biryani with fresh chopped coriander leaves & serve with raita.

HYDERABAD DUM BIRYANI

Steps:

• Place black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and kala jeera in a spice grinder; grind into a fine powder.
• Place cilantro and mint leaves in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Combine spice powder, cilantro-mint mixture, yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, chile powder, biryani masala powder, and turmeric in a large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator, about 2 hours.
• Bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan; add 2 bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is partially cooked through and still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Combine milk and saffron in a small bowl; stir to combine.
• Heat ghee in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reduce heat to low. Add remaining 2 bay leaves and chile peppers; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully remove 1 tablespoon of ghee from the pot; set it aside.
• Wipe excess marinade off the chicken, discarding marinade, and add to the pot. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink, about 2 minutes per side. Spread drained rice on top. Sprinkle onions on top of the rice. Drizzle reserved ghee and saffron milk over onions and rice.
• Cover the pot and cook over high heat, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until rice is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 15 minutes.

HYDERABADI BIRYANI

Steps:

• Lay the lamb pieces in the bottom of a flat copper dish or Dutch oven. Add papaya paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, turmeric, chile powder, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pods. Mix the spices into the meat with your hands.
• Heat 1-inch of refined peanut oil or sunflower oil in a saute pan to 360 degrees F. Add the thinly sliced onions and fry until light golden and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Reserve the oil. Crush the fried onions onto meat and mix with hands. Add yogurt and mix again. Add lemon juice, fresh herbs, and 2 tablespoons of the oil that is leftover from the onions. Cover and refrigerate for 40 to 45 minutes, for the flavor to develop.
• While the meat is marinating, par boil the rice as if it were pasta in a 6 cups of salted boiling water. When the rice is still crunchy in the middle, remove from the heat and strain, reserving the cooking liquid. In a small bowl, mix the ghee with 2 cups of the water from the boiling rice and pour over the rice. Add the saffron and milk mixture to the rice and pour over the meat mixture. Place a lid over the dish, but do not remove it until completely cooked. Cook in a preheated 350 degree F, oven for 40 minutes. Serve with Nan bread and salad.

HYDERABADI CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• hyderabadi chicken biryani gravy.
• Marinate chicken overnight with yogurt, salt, lemon, and red chilli powder.
• Slice onions thin and length-wise. Fry in oil until brown and crispy. Remove and set aside by soaking in paper towels.
• Use the remainder oil to add the following spices: (cloves, cardomom, bay leaf, anise, black cardomom, mase, shah jeera, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks).
• Once fragrant, add in the tomatoes, chillies and girnger/garlic paste.
• Now, add in the garam masala.
• After stirring a few mins, add in the marinated chicken.
• Now, add in the Shan Biryani Masala.
• Stir and cover with a lid over medium-low heat. This will need to cook for an hr or so. The longer it cooks, the more tender the meat will be.
• Soak the basmati rice in cool water after flushing about 3-4 times.
• Boil around 6 cups of water for the 4 cups of rice, Add in the rice. Heat uncovered until the first boil appears within the first 10-15 minutes.
• Use the tray and line the first layer with gravy and chicken from earlier. Now add a layer on top with the semi- cooked rice. Top with garnish of mint and the fried onion from earlier.
• Continue with step 11 until the tray is full.
• Soak the saffron layers in warm milk for a couple minutes Garnish this dilution over the top of the biryani.
• Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
• Enjoy!