Recipe-o'-clock: Here's how you can make Kolkata chicken biryani
Durga Puja not only calls for fun and frolic but also triggers a bong's immense love for food, especially biryani. Restaurants selling biryani always experience a boom during the five-day festival. And if you've ever tasted a spoonful of Kolkata, biryani you'd know why people go gaga over it. Let's check out the recipe for every Bengali's go-to pandal hopping menu here.
Things you need to assemble
Basmati rice: One kilogram Chicken: One kilogram Potatoes (medium): Four Hard-boiled eggs: Four Onions (medium): Three Garlic paste: Two teaspoon Ginger paste: One and a half teaspoon Half a lemon juice Half cup yogurt Ghee: 10 tablespoon Half cup refined oil Milk: Four tablespoon Bay leaves: Five Cinnamon stick: Three inches Cloves: 10 Green cardamom: 10 Biryani masala: three and a half teaspoon
Spices and more
Kashmiri chili powder: One teaspoon Rose essence: Three drops Kewra water: One and one-third teaspoon Mitha attar: Eight drops A pinch of saffron Turmeric powder: One teaspoon For the biryani masala: Shahi jeera: One teaspoon White peppercorn: One teaspoon Green cardamom: 25 Mace: 1 1/2 Cinnamon stick: Half inch Nutmeg: 1/4 Kebab chini or allspice: One teaspoon Cloves: Five
Prepare and keep aside
First, roast the spices for the biryani masala and grind them into a powder. Pressure cook the potatoes. Then fry them when cool. Also, fry onions and keep them aside for later. Prepare saffron milk by soaking a few saffron strands in warm milk for 15 minutes. Add kewra water and rose essence into the mix. Finally, add the attar and mix well.
Cooking the rice
Wash and soak basmati rice for at least 30 minutes. Fill a large pot with water, add salt, oil, cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon sticks and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and cook. It should not be cooked all the way through. Turn off the heat and drain the starch. Spread the rice out on plates to cool it completely.
Cooking the chicken
Mix the yogurt and chili powder and add to the chicken pieces. Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, and powdered biryani masala and mix. Add lemon juice to this and a handful of fried onions and mix. Now marinate chicken for at least an hour. Cook the marinated chicken in the pan thoroughly, and then turn off the heat after about 20 minutes.
Assemble the biryani
Lay bay leaves on the bottom of a saucepan and spread a layer of rice. Add pieces of chicken and potatoes, some gravy, sprinkle biryani masala, saffron milk, ghee, and fried onions. After another layer, place rice, hard-boiled eggs, and cover with lid. Seal lid with dough, place a pan of hot water on it, and heat on low flame. Serve after 30 minutes.
