Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients
Chicken    -    1kg
Basmati Rice    -    5cups
Curd    -    1cup
Onions    -    5(big size,cut lengthwise)
Chilli powder    -    3tsp
Coriander Powder     -    1tsp
Turmeric powder    -    1pinch
Salt    -    to taste
Garam Masala Powder    -    1tsp
Ginger garlic paste    -    2tsp
Lemon     -    3-4drops
Mint leaves    -    1/2cup(crushed)
Cinnamon -    2sticks
Cardamom    -    3
Cloves    -    4
Saffron    -    1tsp
Milk    -    1/2cup
Cashew nuts    -    10slit open
Raisins    -    10
Ghee    -    2cups

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces in a mixture of curd,chilli powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder,salt,garam masala powder,mint leaves and lemon drops for 3hours or refrigerate overnight.

Soak the saffron in milk.Fry the cashew nuts and raisins in ghee.Then separately fry the Onions and keep aside.

Soak the basmati rice for half an hour(not more than that as the rice may break).Boil water with cloves,cinnamon and cardamom added to it.Add required amount of salt and Ghee.When the water boils nicely, add the basmati rice and keep it boiling for 4-5minutes(make sure the rice is just half cooked)Switch off the stove and immediately strain off the remaining water.Mix half the quantity of soaked saffron to rice.

Heat ghee in a deep bottomed vessel. Add bay leaves,cinnamon,cloves and cardamom to it and fry for few minutes.Add the onions and green chillies and fry them nicely till they turn dark golden brown.Then add the marinated chicken to it and stir well for 2 minutes (Don't have to cook the chicken nicely.This stage is just to blend the fried onions and chillies with the marinated chicken).Make sure enough of ghee is there else in the final stage the chicken masala gets burnt.

Next stage is layering.(Remember chicken and rice should only be half cooked)

Simmer the stove.Already we have the chicken at the base.Add the half cooked rice on top of the chicken (Optional: apply ghee on all sides of the vessel)Top the rice with the remaining saffron in milk,fried raisins and cashew nuts,fried onions and the remaining mint leaves.Finally add 1tsp of ghee .

Close the vessel with a lid tightly and seal it with chappati dough.(Better to keep a heavy object on the lid ,so the steam doesn't pass away).Simmer the stove and cook it for 50-60minutes.Switch off the stove and keep it closed for 10 more minutes.

Then open the lid and mix the biryani well.

Serve hot with raita and boiled egg.