chicken biryani

ingredients

1. chicken 600 gms
2. basmati rice 300 gms
3. curd 1 cup
4. bay leaf 2
5. black pepper 5-6
6. Cinnamon stick 1
7. cardamom green 2
8. cardamom brown 1
9. cumin seeds 1 tea sp.
10. ginger garlic paste 2 tea sp.
11. chopped green chilly 4
    
12. chopped tomato 2 big
13. chopped onion 1 big
    
14. edible red colour a pinch (diluted in water)
15. edible green colour a pinch (diluted in water)
    
16. coriander leaves
    
17. lemon juice 4 tea sp.
18. butter 50 gms
19. golden fried sliced onions 3/4 cup
    
20. garam masala powder 1 tea sp.
    
21. red chilly powder 1 tea spoon
    
22. turmeric powder 1/2 tea sp.
23. coriander powder 1 tea sp.
24. oil 5-6 tab sp.
    
25. salt to taste

marination:

in a large bowl, put curd and start adding the masalas....1/2 of the turmeric powder,1/2 of the red chilly powder, 1/2 of the coriander powder,1/2tea spoon salt and chicken pieces,mix all the ingredients well and keep aside for 3 hrs...

cook rice:

boil water add black pepper, Cinnamon stick,both the cardamoms,half tea spoon salt and boil rice till 3/4th done.Drain rice and keep aside. Now discard all the masalas from the rice.


start cooking chicken:

heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add cumin seeds ,ginger garlic paste and chopped green chillies, stir it for 5 min. now add onions and saute until golden brown, now add chopped tomatoes with all the remaining masalas(turmeric powder,red chilly powder ,coriander powder and salt) cook it for 5 min. now simply add the marinated chicken and cook till the chicken is tender.
now take two separate bowls and dissolve red and green colour separately with water ..
Finally take a big ,thick kadai spread 1 tea spoon of oil into that and arrange the first layer of rice, now add1/2 of the chicken ,spread1/2 of garam masala ,2 tea spoon of lemon juice,drop little butter and spread some chopped coriander leaves,again start with the rice layer and follow the same steps to spread the chicken and remaining ingredients, now finally cover it with the third layer of rice (you should end with the rice layer or u can say that the rice layer should always be on the top), now spread the red and green colours of your choice(u can spread it with making cross on the rice), and at last and final cover of fried sliced onions.
Now cover it with the roti dough or aluminium foil and cook it on an indirect flame for 10 to 12 minutes.
you can serve this biryani with some cucumber raita.

tandoori chicken

ingredients:

1. chicken 1 kg
2. curd 1/4kg
3. black pepper 10-12
4. cinamon powder(dalchini) 1/2 tea sp.
5. ginger garlic paste 2 tab. sp.
6. cumin seeds (jeera) 1 tea sp.
7. cardamom (green) 2-3
8. cardamom (brown) 1
9. bay leaf (tez patta) 3-4
10. green chilly (finely chopped) 5
11. dry red chilly (whole) 3
12. onions (vertically sliced) 2 small
13. tomato 1 big
14. turmeric powder 1 1/2 tea sp.
15. red chilly powder 1 tea sp.
16. coriander powder 2 tea sp.
    
17. salt to taste
18. ghee (desi ghee) 5 tab sp.
19. vinegar (white sirka) 1 tea sp.
    

for marination:
take a large bowl, add curd , black pepper, 1/2 of the turmeric powder, 1/2 of the red chilly powder,cinnamon powder,both the cardamoms powder,1/2 tea sp of salt,vinegar, half of the coriander powder,and chicken ..mix it well and keep aside in refrigerator for 5 hrs, if u marinate it for the whole night, it will double your taste, so the more u marinate the better it gets.........


now start cooking:

take big kadai,put it on a flame ,now add desi ghee ,cumin seeds ,dry red chilly,bay leaf,ginger garlic paste ,chopped green chillies and sliced onions, now fry onions till golden brown...now cut the tomato into small pieces and fry it with onions for 5 minutes, now add all the left masalas and stir it continuously and fry over low heat till the oil separates.....
now add the marinated chicken into that kadai and mix it well keep the flame high for 10 min..and now let it simmer until the chicken is tender..keep checking it so that the chicken should not stick into that kadai...
when chicken is almost done ,serve hot with sliced round onions and lemon wedges...