Chicken Biryani (from WikiHow)

Hubby loves chicken biryani, but we just don't get good biryani anywhere here. This is yet another of my attempts- considerably more successful than the earlier ones, but still not good enough. I will nail it someday.

1 kilogram curry cut chicken 

For marinade-
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp dhania powder

Salt to taste

8 cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
6 green Cardamoms
2 Bay leaves
1/2 tsp shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp Gram Masala Powder
5-6 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 green chilli
3 chopped tomatoes
1 inch piece of ginger root, grated
2 measures basmati rice
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup curds

3 medium onions
Oil
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup of milk
A few strands of Saffron (kesar)
Desi ghee (clarified butter)
Salt to taste

Method:Marinate the chicken and keep aside for an hour
Soak the rice for about 30 minutes
Cut the onion into long strips and fry them till they are well browned- the oil should not be too hot, nor too cold
Heat the ghee in a pan, add half the quantity of whole spices and saute for a couple of minutes. Add ginger garlic paste, and the chicken, and cook till the excess water evaporates. Add tomatoes, mint, green chillis, the powdered spices and salt, and cook till the chicken is almost done
Add the remaining whole spices and salt to the rice, and boil till 3/4th done. Take much more water than needed and drain the rest off.
Heat the milk and add the saffron strands to it

In a heavy bottomed pan with a lid, spread the bottom with melted ghee.
Put a layer of rice,
Then a layer of chicken
Followed by a layer of fried onions
 Repeat and finish off with the rice layer. Lastly, sprinkle the leftover fried onions (if any). Pour the saffron milk on top. Also pour some desi ghee down the sides of the pan and some on top of the rice. It will trickle down with the heat.
Seal the lid by sticking it with some chapati dough or simply fix a big foil before placing the lid. The idea is to restrict the steam from escaping. Place this pot on a very slow flame. Ideally place this vessel on top of another flat pan or tawa, so that the bottom of the pan doesn't come in direct contact with the heat source. Cook for about an hour.
Yummy biryani ready.

Chicken Biryani

Everyone in the family (me included) loves chicken biryani, but we have been singularly unlucky in finding a place where they serve "good" chicken biryani. Most places are either too spicy, or too dry, or just don't have enough chicken. Once, and only once, I attempted to make it using a ready made mix, but the less said about that experience, the better.
My hubby swears by the biryani that his father's maid makes, and on my recent trip to Delhi, I made her teach me how she does it. It seemed easy enough, but I was always too scared to try. And then, finally, I took the plunge. And I am glad I did!

Soak 2 measures of rice with black cardamon, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon sticks for 15 minutes, then cook till 75% done. Drain and keep aside.
In a hard bottomed kadhai, fry 2 chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste till the raw smell goes. Add 3 chopped tomatoes, and 1 tsp each of dhania pwd, jeera pwd, red chilli pwd and garam masala pwd. Fry on a low flame till the tomatoes get squashy.
Add 1 kg chicken (curry cut will be best, but I had only legs) and salt to taste, stir till all the chicken is coated with the masala, cover the kadhai and let it cook in its own heat till the chicken is almost done (gravy should be thick, but present).
While it is cooking, chop one onion lengthwise, and fry in ghee till well browned. Keep aside.
Grease a container with ghee, arrange a layer of rice, sprinkle some browned onions, squeeze about 1/2 tsp lemon juice, arrange one layer of chicken pieces, drizzle with gravy. Repeat. Finish by placing a last layer of rice, browned onions and lemon juice.
Cover with a tight lid (leaving a small vent so the pressure doesn't build up), and zap it on the microwave for 2 1/2 mins (you can also cook it for 15 minutes on the stove, but giving it indirect heat by placing on a tawa).

Serve piping hot. And don't be caught unawares when you are asked to make it again soon!