Chicken Biryani - Cooked Calcutta Style

Biryani.
The epitome of Indian cuisine.Much has been said and written about it - its history, legacy, types et al, but the point I am trying to make is - nothing on earth can beat a well cooked Dum Biryani. The choice is bound to vary, person to person, Biryani remains a cut above the rest.Biryani has undergone several changes in the course of history and across India biryani is made in some unique methods - some use curry leaves, others use kewra water,some use coriander leaves etc. Thereby the names - Lucknowi Biryani, 

Chicken Biryani

Calcutta styled Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani, Dhaba - styled biryani etc. But broadly speaking biryani can be made by two methods:Pukki Biryani and Kacchi Biryani - the internet is abundant with information regarding it, so I wont elaborate much.I have been making Pukki Biryani for more than 2 years now. And with time somehow managed to perfect the Calcutta style of biryani that distinguishes itself with the use of eggs and potato.
And now that the summer is gone, and the monsoon weather being relatively cool,I have started to spend time in the kitchen once again on weekends.Last Sunday morning, after a good night sleep, I was feeling quite relaxed and cool and thought about trying Biryani.

Most of the ingredients were at hand. All I had to do was buy some chicken and good quality Basmati rice. Remember, use the finest quality rice available in the market and cook at ease. Biryani is not something that is done in no time - it requires patience; its not a complicated dish but there are three phases involved:
1 - Preparation
2 - Cooking the chicken and parboiling the rice
3 - Mixing the chicken and rice to make the perfect biryani.

The recipe,ingredients and the quantities are meant for 5 people.

Phase I - The Preparation:

Ingredients:
1.Rice - 500 gm
2.Chicken - 1 kg
3.Onion - 200 gm.Made into a fine paste
4.Ginger - One 1 inch stick. Crushed.
5.Garlic - One 1 inch stick. Crushed.
6.Vegetable Oil - 2 tsp.
7.Salt, to taste.
8.Cumin powder
9.Kashmiri Mirch Powder
10.Coriander Powder
11.Tumeric Powder

Procedure
1.Soak the rice in water for 30-40 mins.
2.Prepare the chicken marinade by mixing above ingredients - 2 to 11. Keep aside for 2 hrs.

Phase II - Cooking the rice
Ingredients:
1.Biryani Spices: Jaiphal-1 pc,Joitri-1 pc,Sa jeera-2 pcs, Sa morich - 4-5,Kali mirch -8-10,Chota elaichi - 4 pcs, Black cardamon - 2-3 pcs, Cinnamon stick - Two 1 inch sticks
2.Ghee - 3-4 tsps

Procedure:
1. In a deep heavy bottomed kadai, pour water to 80% of the level and heat it until it boils.
2. Once boiling - add the biryani spices,salt and ghee. Then add the rice
3. Parboil the rice i.e. to say, 60-70% boiling and drain aside the water.
The parboiled-scented rice is ready. Keep aside.


Phase III - Cooking the chicken
Ingredients: 1 medium sized onion, garam masala powder - 1 tsp, Curd - 100 gms, whisked.
1. Prepare a chicken curry with a thick gravy. The usual chicken curry preparation will be just fine.Separate the chicken from the gravy and keep it aside.

Phase IV - Layering and the "Dum".Here comes the Biryani.
Ingredients:
1. Kewra Water - 1 drop
2. Rose  Water - 1 drop
3. Meetha Itra - 1 drop
4. Ghee - 4 tsp. Melted.
5. Saffron strands soaked in hot milk.
6. Boiled Egg - Depends on the number of pieces.
7. Boiled Large Slice of Potato.
8. Chicken Pieces
9. Chicken Gravy
10.Parboiled Rice.

Procedure:
1. Coat a flat bottomed deep pan with some melted ghee.
2. Put a layer of chicken first
3. Then put a layer of rice. Add some saffron milk.potato slices and boiled egg.
4. Repeat the layering until the rice,chicken,eggs and potato is exhausted.
5. Now, add the ingredients - 1 -4.
6. Seal the pan with a cover and some atta.
7. Set the oven on Low(SIM) and place a thick plate on the oven. The Biryani pan will be put on top of the plate so that it does not  face the direct heat.
8. Leave it aside for 30 mins for best results.

Serving: Keep the biryani sealed until the plates have been laid out to serve. This ensures that the flavours remain intact.

Note: There are several ways by which you can customize the biryani. Using brown fried onions, dry fruits not only enhance the flavour but give the biryani a rich look. But the philosohy of cooking should remain the same as mentioned above, else it might become a pulao.

Thats all for this week.Thanks for reading!