Today I am gonna post about my favorite dish here which is Kolkata style Chicken Dum Biryani. I am madly in love with this. Whenever in Kolkata, I go to some restaurants, the 1st food which comes to my mind is Biryani. Even during festive time, or when I have guests at my house, I try to manage time to cook it. So guys, I am gonna share my Biryani recipe with you. Cook according to my instructions and I can guarantee that you would not regret it. Besides being a biryani lover, you will also be a popular biryani chef among your friends and families. 🙂
I have tried different biryani recipes from different places in India and even tried cooking it in different styles. But, I find no comparison of them with my Kolkata style Mughlai Chicken Dum Biryani. When I am not in Kolkata, I badly miss its biryani. And from missing it, I learned how to cook it. So that, wherever I am, I may have it when I wish.
So guys, among you who do not know about the history of biryani, let me share with your its little past to give you the feeling of its tradition and authenticity. Biryani originated in Persia. Since then, it entered India using different roots and styles. During Mogul empire, Lucknow was known as Awadh, which gave rise to Awadhi Biryani. In 1856, British sent Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in Kolkata, and with that the famous biryani eating started here.
I agree that cooking biryani is not an easy job. It takes time, patience and practice. I find the rice cooking step pretty crucial. If you overcook it a little even, then the entire biryani will be messy. So, you have to keep an eye always when cooking it. And the Dum process has to be done with expert hands. The freshly grounded spices create magic. So make sure that, you are buying them from an authentic source and make sure they have good and genuine quality. You can cook biryani using ready made store-brought Biryani masala, but it will never taste the same. The aroma will never be that special, But yes, if you lack time and resources, you surely can try the recipe with that. Also choose very good quality aromatic rice. Rice plays the most important role here. So make sure it’s aged, aromatic, authentic. If you don’t find excellent quality Basmati rice at your place, replace with other type of rice(if that has the smell and quality).
So friends try this recipe. Even if 1st time, you won’t score GOOD, eventually you will bee an expert.
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom
- 2 black cardamom
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds or shah Jeera
- 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 1 nutmeg or Jaifol
- 1 Mace or Javetri flower
- ½ tsp whole black pepper
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
- 2 full cups of fine quality Basmati rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 tsp salt or according to taste
- water
- 300 gm chicken
- 1 tsp red chili paste or 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 cup plain curd
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 finely chopped onions
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- salt according to taste
- 2-3 medium sized potatoes
- oil to cook
- 1 tsp Keora water
- 1 tsp Rose water
- 4-5 tsp Ghee or clarified butter
- a pinch of saffron soaked in ½ cup warm milk
- 2 boiled eggs (optional)
- 2 slit green chilies (optional)
- Dry roast all the Biryani spices on a tawa. Stir and roast them till they start leaving their aroma.
- Now grind all the spices in a mixer and make a very fine and smooth texture of them.
- Your freshly made biryani masala is ready to use.
- Take the chicken pieces and wash them well and dry them with the help of a clean cloth.
- Marinate them with curd, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, Biryani masala, ginger-garlic paste.
- Keep the marinated chicken in a freeze for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Now wash the Basmati rice very well and soak it for 30 minutes.
- Take 5 cups of water and boil it. Add rice, 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamom, salt to it.
- When rice is 70% ready (almost ready but not full) switch off the gas flame and stain the water.
- Take a deep pan, heat oil. Peel the potatoes and marinate with salt and turmeric powder.
- Semi fry the peeled potatoes and keep the potatoes in a different bowl.
- Add more oil and heat again. Add a bay leaf and saute for a minute.
- Now add onions and fry till it becomes golden. Add the chicken pieces to it.
- Stir and fry them in medium flame till spices star releasing water and aroma.
- After 15 minutes of doing that, cover the pan, cook for another 15 mints in low-medium flame.
- Now take a big deep pan or Handi. Grease it with extra ghee. Add half rice in 1st layer.
- Now add the cooked chicken as the 2nd layer. Add eggs and potatoes too on it.
- Now add the leftover rice as the 3rd layer. Spread chicken gravy evenly on it.
- Spread Keora and Rose water above all and also the saffron milk.
- Last but not the least, spread Ghee allover it. Add 2 green chilies. Close the pan with a lid.
- Seal the lid with the help of whole wheat dough. Now put it on gas,
- Cook it for 15 mints on dum on lower flame. Remove from heat and keep it for other 5 mints.
- You can garnish it with fried onions. Your mouth watering Biryani is ready. Serve it hot.
do you have any recipe with boiled spinach? I want it for my fat loss diet program so no much of oil or ghee.
thanks
SO yummy 😛
Thank you so much ……..
Good job …………
I badly miss its biryani
Thanks for this post.I love biriyani it is my favourite dish.how to make biriyani i knew from your post.