Ustads Dum Biryani Recipes

Steps:

• Place black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and kala jeera in a spice grinder; grind into a fine powder.
• Place cilantro and mint leaves in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Combine spice powder, cilantro-mint mixture, yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, chile powder, biryani masala powder, and turmeric in a large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator, about 2 hours.
• Bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan; add 2 bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is partially cooked through and still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Combine milk and saffron in a small bowl; stir to combine.
• Heat ghee in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reduce heat to low. Add remaining 2 bay leaves and chile peppers; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully remove 1 tablespoon of ghee from the pot; set it aside.
• Wipe excess marinade off the chicken, discarding marinade, and add to the pot. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink, about 2 minutes per side. Spread drained rice on top. Sprinkle onions on top of the rice. Drizzle reserved ghee and saffron milk over onions and rice.
• Cover the pot and cook over high heat, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until rice is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• 1. In a pressure cooker, heat ghee and oil together.
• 2. Fry the onions on medium-high flame until nicely browned.
• 3. Add enough water to cover the onions.
• 4. Fold in all the dry masalas.
• 5. Allow the mixture to come to a boil.
• 6. Fold in the thoroughly cleaned, washed and drained rice and the potatoes.
• 7. Cover and pressure cook for upto 2 to 3 whistles.
• 8. Once cooled, open the pressure cooker and garnish the dum biryani rice with rose water and food colour.
• 9. Serve hot with raita.
• 10. To prepare the vegetables for this biryani, heat 2-3 tbsps. of ghee in a wok.
• 11. Add cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.
• 12. Fold in the sliced onions and stir-fry until browned.
• 13. Fold in all the vegetables, chopped in cubes. You may add paneer and mushrooms if you wish.
• 14. Stir in all the dry masala powders, salt to taste and a little water.
• 15. Beat yoghurt very thoroughly in a bowl.
• 16. Add the beaten yoghurt to the chopped vegetables followed by a sprinkling of few finely chopped corriander leaves.
• 17. Mix thoroughly.
• 18. Cover and allow to cook on slow flame for 10 to 15 minutes.
• 19. In the wide bottomed dish in which you wish to serve the biryani, layer-wise lay the rice followed by the vegetable mixture and again followed by the rice and then the vegetable mixture. Garnish with roasted cashews, fried raisins, corriander leaves, mint leaves, fried and nicely browned onion slices and some grated paneer.
• 20. Serve hot with raita on the side and papad for a hearty lunch.