India’s finest one dish meal- Biryani

India’s finest one dish meal, biryani comes with various suffixes; it’s completely your call to pick the one that entices you! From Kashmiri Biryani to Bombay Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani, Nawabi Biryani, and Lucknawi Biryani to Sindhi Biryani, the choice is vast, but all it depicts is the fact that Biryani is very prevalent in all the parts of our country. And not just country, the cuisine is famous among our neighbouring countries too! Probably, the aroma of the Indian herbs, spices and the condiments travelled across too rapidly to tempt them to give it a shot.
Amongst all the Biryani variants I’ve ever tried, there isn’t any that I would say did not excite my taste buds. But when I cook, I have this nice and easy biryani recipe that is sure not to ditch you, no matter you have some important guests coming up for dinner! It’s a delight to share it with you, and who knows when I’m visiting you and you cook it for me ;)
Go Grab:
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons curd
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 piece cinnamon stick
400 gms boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 pinch saffron
5 pods cardamom
3 whole cloves
1 piece cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1-2 bay leaves
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt

Quickly take these steps:
1. In a skillet or pan, fry up finely chopped onions, finely chopped ginger and crushed garlic until crisp and golden. Add green chillies (deseeded and finely chopped), red chilli powder, salt, tomato puree, fennel, coriander, and all the remaining spices. After a minute of sautéing, add chicken and curd too. Cook for 15 minutes. Keep aside.
2. Now parboil rice with the chicken stock in the presence of a few drops of oil (to help rice not to stick!), and a teaspoon salt.
3. In a small skillet, fry some sliced onions till golden brown. Add bay leaves to it. Keep aside.
4. By now, the rice must be done. Spread them on the cooked chicken in an even layer. Add a tablespoon of ghee to it. Also add the fried onions and bay leaves you had kept separately. After a while, mix saffron in a tablespoon full of milk and pour it over the preparation. Cover with a heavy lid and let it simmer for 20 minutes on a low flame.

You are now only left with the time you’d need to lay the table before aromatic biryani flavoured with herbs, spices and seasoning tickles your taste buds.

Tip: It is always better to serve biryani in the same pot or vessel in which you cook it. You can garnish your Biryani with sliced boiled eggs and fresh coriander leaves. Sprinkling some garam masala on top gives extra aroma.
This one-dish meal tastes best alone, but if you really need to, you can serve it with raita/plain curd or onions and tomato gravy. Ring onions also go along well.