Handi Chicken Biriyani

Ingredients

• 2 cups Basmati rice
• Half Kg chicken
• Half cup of chopped coriander leaves
• 1/4th cup of chopped mint leaves
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 pinch kesar soaked in milk
• 1/4th cup of milk
• 4-5 drops kewra essence
• Half tsp rose essence
• 1 cup barista or fried onions
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• As Per Taste Salt
• As Required Orange & green food colour, as required
• For Marination
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ghee
• As per taste Salt
• 1 cup curd
• As Required Turmeric powder
• 1& half tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4th cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/4th cup chopped mint leaves
• 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• Half tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tsp biriyani masala
• As required Fried onions
• 4-5 drops Biriyani Essence
• As required Khada Masalas
• 2-3 green cardamom
• 1 tsp shahi jeera
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-5 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 chakra phool or biriyani phool
• 1 javitri
• 1 black cardamom

Steps

1. Firstly for chicken marination, take all the chicken pieces in a bowl, and add all the above-stated marination masalas into it, including chopped coriander, nearly half onion barista (mentioned in step 2) & chopped mint leaves. Now mix everything well and keep it in a refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Secondly, we will prepare a "Barista". For that, take two onions and slice it. Add 1 tbsp of cornflour, and some salt, and mix everything well. Then take a Kadai & heat some oil and deep-fry those onion slices until it turns golden brown in colour. Do not put much at a time, then it would get jumbled up & would get stick to each other. Sprinkle all over the oil in batches & separately. Remove them on tissue paper & keep them aside. Then soak the Kesar strands in 1 tbsp of milk for a few minutes.
3. Now soak the rice for 15 mins. Then boil the rice, add a little more water, then add a little more salt and all the khada masalas into it. Let the water come to a boil, then add rice to it. Cook the rice till it's 70 to 80 percent done. Remove all the khada masalas except shahi jeera. Then very gently strain it over a strainer. Keep it aside.
4. Now take a large kadai or biriyani handi. Then set a layer of marinated chicken. Add 2 tbsp of milk over it. Then very gently pour the rice over it.
5. Add half of the barista for marination and half over the rice. Then add chopped coriander leaves, chopped mint leaves, soaked Kesar milk, salt, ghee, kewra essence, rose essence, 2 tbsp of milk, few drops of orange food colour.
6. Now cover the lid and seal it with some aata and cook it on a medium flame for 5 mins. Then put the biriyani handi over an iron or normal tawa and then cook it over a low flame for about 35 to 40 mins. Do not open in between or do not open the lid for about 15 mins. after it's done. Keep it as it is. Then serve it hot with raita.