Awadhi Murgh Biryani

Ingredients

• 3 cups long grained basmati rice
• 500 grams chicken
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 10-12 whole cashews
• 10 raisins
• For the marination:
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp biryani masala powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp fresh cream
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 lemon
• 4 broken green chillies
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp hand torn mint leaves
• To taste Salt
• For the yakhni:
• 3 each of cardaman, cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon
• 1 javitri / mace
• 1 tsp shahi jeera
• leaves Few bay
• 2 onion sliced
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8-12 saffron strands
• Other requirement:
• 1 tsp Kewra jal
• As required Coriander
• As required Mint
• 1 Lemon wedges
• 1 Tomatoe flowers for garnish
• As needed Ghee
• As needed Oil
• Spices potli:
• 3 each of cardamon, cloves
• 1/2 tsp pepper corns
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ghee
• 1 tsp salt

Steps

1. Wash and Soak the rice for half an hour. Add sufficient water with the spices potli,ghee and salt.Cook till 80 percent done. Drain and keep aside. Spread on a wide plate.
2. Marinate chicken with all ingredients mentioned overnight or for at least 1 to 2 hours hour.
3. Deep fry the sliced onion till brown and crisp. Drain on a tissue. Soak the saffron in milk.
4. Heat each of oil and ghee in a biryani pot. Add the whole spices. Saute for few seconds. Add the nuts and raisins and saute.
5. Add ginger paste and garlic paste and saute further till raw smell goes away.
6. Now add the marinated chicken. Cook covered till juices are released. Now cook open till it thickens a bit
7. Add water. Check for seasoning and adjust the salt and spice if required.cover and simmer for 10 minutes.now switch off. Remove all the gravy and chicken leaving some at the bottom if the vessel.
8. Start layering. Add a part of rice over the base. Spread some onion crisp,some coriander and some hand torn mint leaves.
9. Now spread some chicken with the yakhni all over. Repeat with rice layer,onion crisps,coriander and mint. Make another such layering.
10. Complete the layering. Finally top with remaining onion crisps, mint,coriander, saffron milk, ghee, drops if kewra water all over,some lemon juice. Cover and leave on slow heat for 15 minutes. Place the biryani pot over a flat tawa and keep on gas. This will avoid any kind of burning at the base.
11. Leave it covered till serving. Add finely chopped onions to whisked curd.Season with salt. Serve the delicious awadhi murgh biryani with onion raita.
12. To serve layer the top layer of saffron coloured rice in a glass. Press few chicken pieces on it as second layer. Now add another layer of rice and invert on a plate. Garnish with mint leaves,onion crisps,lemon wedges,tomato flowers.