The Best Biryani Recipes

THE BEST BIRYANI

Steps:

• Soak rice for half an hour.
• Cook in rice cooker with 15 cups of water. Cook rice until almost done.
• Fry onions in oil until golden brown.
• Add ginger and garlic.
• Add chili powder, cloves, cardamom, pepper corn, cumin, curry, graham masala, coriander, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, dried plums, and salt.
• Add yogurt.
• Add tomatoes and cook until dry.
• Add meat.
• Add green chiles.
• Cook until meat is done and add water if needed.
• Add cilantro.
• Mix saffron with hot water.
• Layer rice and meat mixture and sprinkle with saffron mixture.
• Put in oven at 350°F for 20 minutes.

THE BEST CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• Whisk together the yogurt, 3 tablespoons salt, chili powder and turmeric in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Let sit at room temperature until ready to use, up to 1 hour. (Alternatively, the chicken can be marinated for up to 2 days covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.)
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350 degrees F. Fry half of the onions, stirring frequently for even cooking, until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer them to a paper-towel lined baking sheet to drain. Season with salt and let cool. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with the remaining onions. Reserve the oil.
• Wash, rinse and drain the rice in a bowl full of cold water until the water is almost clear, about 5 times. Bring the rice, 1/4 cup salt, 4 of the cloves, 3 of the cardamom pods, 1 of the bay leaves, the peppercorns and 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook for exactly 5 minutes. (The rice will not be completely cooked; it will continue to cook in the oven. Do not cook longer or the rice will get mushy.) Drain and transfer the rice and spices to a medium bowl.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
• Stir together the saffron and milk in a small bowl until combined.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the reserved onion oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and the remaining 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods and 2 bay leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices are very fragrant and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the garlic and ginger from the bottom of the pan, until the tomatoes start to break down and most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and layer on top of the tomatoes. Then sprinkle half the fried onions on top of the chicken. Top with the rice and spices and then drizzle the saffron milk over the rice. Cover the pan and bake until the liquid evaporates, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let sit covered for 10 minutes, then transfer the biryani to a large serving platter. Top with the remaining fried onions, cilantro and mint leaves.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BOMBAY BIRYANI RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, cumin, coriander, garam masala, chile powder, and lime juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat well, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.
• Soak the rice: In a medium bowl, gently rinse the rice in cool water, ensuring the grains don't break, then drain. Repeat a few more times, until the water is clear, then cover the rice with fresh water and soak for 30-45 minutes. Drain well.
• Partially cook the rice: In a medium pot, combine the water, green and black cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook until about three-quarters of the way done, but still al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain, then spread the rice on a plate or baking sheet in an even layer and let cool
• Make the biryani: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat and season generously with salt. Add the potatoes, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and allow to dry for a few minutes.
• Heat about 2 inches of neutral oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350°F (180°C).
• Blot the boiled potatoes with paper towels to remove any excess moisture, then add to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Add the sliced red onions to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Use the spider or slotted spoon to transfer to a separate paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Add the saffron threads to a small bowl. Pour in the boiling water and gently crush the saffron with the back of a spoon to release the color and flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and 1 tablespoon ghee over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the green cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorns, mace, bay leaf, red chile, star anise, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, but not burnt.
• Add the chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes, until softened.
• Add the marinated chicken, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until chicken is starting to cook through. Stir in the fried potatoes and prunes. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Transfer half of the chicken mixture to a medium bowl. Layer half of the par-boiled rice on top of the chicken in the pot. Sprinkle with half of the saffron water, half of the cilantro and mint, 1 teaspoon ghee, and half of the fried onions. Layer the remaining chicken over the rice layer, then top with the remaining rice, saffron water, cilantro, mint, 1 teaspoon ghee, and fried onions.
• Cover the pot tightly with foil, then place the lid on top. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the pot from the oven and allow the biryani to rest covered for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and foil.
• Serve the biryani immediately with raita and pickled mango.
• Enjoy!