My Biryani Recipe
There are many ways to make delicious Hyderabadi Biryani! Here, I share with you the one which works for me. (We call it Pakki Aakhni ki Biryani!)
Step 1:
Rice Prep:
Take 2 cups (750 grams) basmati rice, wash it three times & let it soak in water at least for 30 minutes.
Aakhni Prep:
Step 2:
In a bowl, take 1.5 kg chicken, wash it well.
Add :
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste, salt, 2 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp garam masala powder, 2 tbsp green chili paste (in a jar add 2 fist green chilies & grind them) – mix well.
Lastly, add 3 tbsp curd & mix well. Marinate it for at least 40 minutes.
Step 3:
- In a pan, take 6-7 medium sized onions, finely chop it & deep fry it until it turns light brown ( keep aside some fried onion for garnishing)
- Add marinated chicken from the step 2 & mix well
- Cover the lid & let it cook until the chicken is completely cooked & the water evaporates.
Your Aakhni is ready!
Step 4:
In a Bagona/patila add 4.5 glasses of water (use the same glass you did for measuring the rice)
Here, you will add whole garam masala:
- 1.5big sticks of cinnamon,
- 6-7 cardamom,
- 4-5 clove,
- 1.5 tsp Shahzeera (Royal Cumin) please do not confuse it for black caraway or caraway seeds.
- 1 bunch of mint leaves
- 1 bunch of cilantro/ coriander
- 10-12 whole green chilies.
- salt
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Cover it with a lid & let the water boil.
Once you see the water boiling, add the soaked rice and mix well.
Let it cook until the rice is 3/4th cooked & strain the water.
Step 5:
Your rice is almost ready, your chicken, mutton is ready, now we will set layers!
- Take a big bagona: add a layer of your chicken akhni, add a layer of rice, squeeze half a lemon, add 1tbsp ghee (clarified butter) – make sure you evenly spread out everything.
- Add the rest of the chicken akhni, add the remaining rice, squeeze half a lemon, add 1 tbsp ghee.
- heat 1/4 cup of milk with 1 pinch of saffron, mix well
- add the saffron to the layers, add fried onion (the one we keep aside from step 3), freshly chopped coriander/ cilantro & cover it with a lid.
- Turn the stove on, let it cook n high flame for 5 minutes & 10 minutes on medium flame.
Biryani is ready. ! While serving, make sure you mix all the layers well. Serve it with Dahi ki chutney!!!
Dahi ki chutney: In a jar add 1 cup curd, salt, black pepper, 1 green chili, few mint leaves, finely chopped 2 tbsp coriander & grind it. Add finely chopped 1/4th cucumber & 1/4th onion. Voila its ready!
I hope you enjoy the recipe!