Chicken Dum Biryani

Today's special is Chicken Dum Biryani. The authentic biryani is meticulously prepared in the 'Kutchi' (raw) biryani style, in which raw rice and raw meat are cooked together in a 'handi' (earthen pot) with spices and little bit of water. " It takes meticulous planning and a lot of time to prepare biryani. The richness of biryani is due to its unique cooking style. 

There are several variants of biryani everywhere, the style of cooking however remains the same everywhere.
So here's a step by step recipe to make this lovely dish.

PREP TIME	COOK TIME	TOTAL TIME
7-8 hrs	1 hr (approx)	8-9 hrs

Serves:-  5-6
INGREDIENTS:-

• Chicken - 1500 g
• Basmati rice - 3 cups
• Bay leaf  -  3 leaves
• Star anise -  3
• Cinnamon sticks - 2
• Cloves -  4
• Cardamom - 6
• Shahi jeera - 1 tsp
• Golden fried onions - 150 g ready made or 2 medium sized onions fried in ghee this crispy.
• Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric -  1/4 tsp
• Yogurt -  1 cup
• Coriander chopped 1/2 bunch
• Mint chopped - 1/ bunch
• Green chilly - 5
• Oil -  ½ cup
• Saftron strands - 1 or 2 pinches dissolved in little warm milk
• Orange food colour- 1/4th tsp dissolved in little water. (optional)
• Lime juice - 2 tbsp 
• Ghee - 4 tbsp for cooking the biryani and 2-3 tbsp for frying onions.

METHOD:- 

• First make a powder of all the spices.
• Take a bowl add chicken pieces and add the masala which is made, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, salt, coriander powder, curd, chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onions, green chilly, lime juice, oil, and mix it well, and put it in the refrigerator over night.
  
  
•  Now soak the rice for 1 hour before cooking then heat water in a vessel and let it come to a boil after that add oil, salt, Shahi jeera, bay leaf and add soaked basmati rice. Cook the rice till 70 %.
  
  
  
• Now in a heavy bottom pan add layer of marinated chicken then a layer of fried onions, little masala made, red chilli powder.
  
• Then add this layer of rice. 
  
• Again sprinkle fried onions, add dissolved saffron strands in milk, little orange food colour (optional) and finely chopped coriander and mint leaves for garnishing, then add ghee (optional).
  
   
• After that put the lid on, which is lined with sticky dough for dum. 
  
• First cook it on high for first 4-5 minutes then reduce the flame to low, use a griddle or tawa under this for even heat transfer. And cook it for 25 to 30 min and switch off the flame. After switching of the flame, Open the lid after 20 -25 minutes. Never mix the biryani just check it removing the top rice and checking the bottom of the vessel for burnt marks.
  
• Serve your biryani hot!!!