Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients:

For Chicken marinate

1. 8 medium pieces (about 500 grams) of chicken
2. 1 cup curd and salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) to taste

and

Masala (to be ground)
3. 1" cinnamon stick broken
4. 2 cloves and 1 green cardamom
5. 1 teaspoon shajeera (cumin)
6. 1 large onion chopped
7. 2 tablespoon(s) ginger-garlic paste
8. 2 green chilli(es) chopped
9. 2 tablespoon(s) of chopped coriander leaves
10. 2 tablespoons chopped Pudina leaves

For Rice
11. 1 cup basmati rice
12. 3 cups water
13. Whole garam masala ( 1 cinnamon+2 cloves+2 cardomom seeds)
14. salt (about 1 teaspoon) to taste
15. 4 tablespoons desi ghee
16. 2 medium sized onions sliced
17. ½ teaspoon saffron soaked ½ cup boiled milk
18. ½ tablespoon(s) lime juice
19. a sheet of aluminum foil for sealing
20. slices of boiled eggs to garnish

Grind the ingredients 3 to 10 to a fine paste. Mix this paste with curd and salt. Make cuts on the chicken pieces and rub this marinade into them well. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

In a large vessel take the rice, water, salt and whole garam masala and cook till the rice is half-done (for about 10 minutes). Drain the excess liquid and spread the rice on a plate to cool.
Heat 2 tablespoons desi ghee in a pan till hot and fry the sliced onions till they are crisp and golden brown. Add the marinated chicken pieces, mix well and cook on low flame for about 20 minute(s) or till the chicken is almost done.
In a large vessel add some melted desi ghee, a layer of chicken with gravy, a layer of rice topped with a portion of the saffron milk. In this way arrange alternate layers of melted desi ghee, chicken, rice and saffron milk till they are all used up. Make sure the topmost layer is of rice topped with melted desi ghee and saffron milk. Spread the aluminum foil on the top of the vessel and cover it with a tight fitting lid. Cook on very low flame (a griddle can be kept under the pan to cook on indirect flame) for another 20 minutes. Alternatively cook for the same amount of time in a pre-heated oven. Your Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani is now ready.

Served with Mirchi ka saalan or Raaitha