Chicken Biryani

Ingredients                                        by:Zaid Tariq             

1. 1 kg chicken with bone 
2. 1 kg Basmati rice
3. 3 tomatoes chopped
4. 3 onions chopped
5. 3 more onions thinly sliced and fried(beresta)
6. 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
7. 1 cup yogurt
8. Cooking oil as required
9. 1 handful Mint leaves
10. 1 tbsp ghee
11. 1 tbsp lemon juice
12. 2 tbsp salt
13. 1 packet Biryani masala (any good brand)
14. Few saffron strands soaked in 2 tbsp of warm milk
15. 2 drop Biryani essence (optional)

    Steps

    1. Clean and wash chicken. Make medium sized pieces.Cook the chicken just as regular chicken bhuna. Follow the instructions written on the Biryani masala packet.Be sure not to make the gravy dry. Some amount of gravy should be there.Boil the rice(soaked for 1 hour) with sufficient water. Add salt and lemon juice.When the rice is 70% done, drain the entire rice in a colander carefully.In a heavy bottomed broad vessel, arrange the chicken with gravy in the base.Now make a layer with fried onions and mint leaves.Then put half of the rice over the fried onion layer.Sprinkle some saffron-milk mixture, ghee, fried onions, mint leaves and 1 drop of essence.Arrange the remaining rice over it. Sprinkle same ingredients as before Like saffron, ghee, fried onions mint leaves and essence.Cover the vessel with aluminium foil and put on the lid tightly. Do the process as soon as possible.Put the vessel in high flame for 5 minutes.Then reduce the flame and keep on dum or steam for 1/2 an hour.You can keep a tawa or skillet at the bottom of the vessel to save the bottom from burning.After 1/2 an hour remove the seal and stir very gently and carefully to mix together everything.Serve hot with your choice of raita.