Hyderabadi biryani recipe | restaurant style chicken dum biryani

biryani masala to powder

• 1 star anise / biryani flower
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp. jeera / cumin (optional)
• 3 to 4 pepper corn / kali mirch
• ½ tsp. stone flower / dagad phool
• 3 to 4 green cardamoms / choti elaichi
• ¾ tbsp. coriander seeds / sabut daniya
• 1 strand of Mace / javitri
• ½ tsp. shahi jeera / caraway seeds
• 4 cloves / lavang
• 2 inch cinnamon stick / dalchini

Marinade

• Biryani masala powder from above
• ¾ tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• ¾ tbsp. red chili powder / lal mirch powder
• ⅛ tsp. turmeric / haldi
• 2 medium onions fried to brown (set aside half for garnishing)
• 750 grams chicken
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp yogurt
• 3 slit green chilies
• Handful pudina or mint leaves finely chopped
• Handful coriander leaves/ daniya finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• ¾ tsp. rose water
• ¾ tsp. kewra water

For cooking biryani rice

• Salt as needed
• 2 cups of aged basmathi rice
• 1 tsp oil
• ½ tsp shahi jeera / caraway seeds
• 3 to 4 green cardamoms/ elaichi
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 3 to 4 cloves/ lavang
• 2 small cinnamon / dalchini sticks
• 8 to 10 cups of water

for layering

• 3 tbsp. Ghee (onion fried oil can be used)
• Pinch of saffron soaked in hot milk
• Few fried onions
• Mint and coriander leaves few

1. Make a fine powder of the ingredients mentioned under biryani masala.
2. Mix all the marinade ingredients along with the biryani masala powder. Check the salt and spice by tasting it. Then add chicken and marinate. Marinate for at least 2 hours, overnight works best. If resting for longer than an hour, refrigerate the chicken.
3. Wash rice few times until the water runs clear. Then soak it for 30 mins.
4. Slice onions and deep fry or shallow fry them to brown in ghee. You can also use store bought ones.
5. Add the spices, oil and salt to rice. Bring to a boil. Drain the rice and cook the rice on a medium high flame until ¾th done. You must be able to get a bite into the rice. Drain it completely.
6. Soak saffron in little milk and set aside along with ghee used for frying onions.
7. Bring the marinade to room temperature by keeping it out while you begin to cook the rice.
8. Transfer it to a heavy bottom pot or a baking dish if making in an oven.
9. Layer the rice over the chicken. Add fried onions, saffron milk, ghee, kewra and rose water.
10. Cover with a foil. Place a tight lid. If cooking on stove top, cover the pan with thick moist cloth and then place the lid. You can also seal with chapatti dough.

Dum cooking hyderabadi biryani on a stove top:

1. Place an old dosa tawa on the stove and heat it. On another burner first 5 mins cook on a medium high flame directly on the stove. Later move to a hot tawa (griddle) and cook for 30 mins on a low flame.

If making hyderabadi biryani in oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 c and bake for 30 to 40 mins. The time can vary depending on how deep your bowl is. Check after 30 mins to prevent over cooking. If it is still moist at the bottom, you can continue to cook for another 10 mins.
2. Serve hyderabadi chicken biryani hot with raita or shorva.