Malabari chicken biriyani is one of my favourite dishes, widely appreciated by everyone who tastes it. One of the recipes I’ve always struggled with is the perfect biriyani. I have collected recipes from friends, family, neighbours but it never clicked for me. Ultimately, I decided to make my own recipe. It took me a lot of trials and experimentation, over 20-25 years, until I finally found my perfect biriyani. It was an extremely proud moment in my culinary journey when my family said that I had nailed it.
I have a perfect ghee rice recipe which enabled me to develop this biriyani as the ghee rice is the central component of Malabari biriyani.
How to prepare in 3 steps?
- Cook rice according to instructions.
- Marinate chicken and cook according to the recipe.
- Layer chicken and rice and bake or slow cook. Garnish and serve warm along with raita, pickle and pappadam.
Check out another classic rice dish here!
Malabari Chicken Biriyani
Ingredients
For Marinade
For Curry Base
For Garnish
For Rice
Instructions
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Washh and soak rice for 20 minutes. Drain.
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Heat a saucepan with 2 tsp of ghee. Add torn bay leaves, lightly crushed cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, mace and star anise. Fry for 30 sec until fragrant.
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Then add sliced onions, saute for 2 min and add ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2 minutes.
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Now add rice, fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add boiling water and boiling chicken stock.
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Cook on high flame for 1 min. Then on medium flame for 3 min. Lower the flame, cover the pan and cook for 7 min. Switch off, let it sit covered for 10 min.
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After 10 min, open the lid, fluff with a flask. Spread the rice on a sheet tray to completely cool it down.
For Chicken
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Wash and drain chicken thoroughly. Pat dry. Marinate chicken with the list of ingredients mentioned under marinade. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
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In a heavy bottom deep pan, add 4 tbsp of ghee. Fry onions until brown. Keep aside.
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Into the same pan, add cashews. Fry for a few minutes. Keep aside.
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Now add more ghee if needed. Add onion, saute for 2 min. Then add marinated chicken. Fry on high flame for 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is browned, stirring continuously.
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Now add tomatoes and cook until they are soft.
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Add half of coriander leaves and half of mint leaves.
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Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is soft and tender. Adjust salt. Stir occasionally to prevent chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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Once chicken is cooked, transfer 1/2 of the chicken to another dish. Add half of cooked rice on top of the chicken. Drizzle 1/2 tsp of ghee, sprinkle a little coriander and mint, as well as 1/2 cup of fried onions. Top it with chicken and rest of the rice. Drizzle 1/2 tsp of ghee and more mint and coriander leaves.
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Cover with a tight lid. Place the pan on top of an iron tawa. Cook on low flame for 15 to 20 minutes.
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Turn off. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Open, garnish with fried onions, mint, and coriander leaves and fried cashews.
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Serve warm with raita, pickle and pappadam.
Note
Baking - You can layer chicken and rice in a baking dish. Cover with silver foil and bake at 180C for 25 to 30 minutes.
Making ahead - Chicken and rice can be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator a day ahead.
Layer and slow cook or bake the next day before serving.
Storing - Leftover biriyani can be stored in the fridge upto a week in an airtight container. Warm it up on low flame, and top with freshly cut coriander and mint before serving.
Ghee - Good quality ghee imparts a good taste to biriyani. Do not skip on the quantity.
