One Pot Biryani

One Pot Biryani

You know what I would really like? I would like to make biryani the old fashioned way.

I love watching food channels. One of the shows was about Kareem’s near Jama Masjid. I have been to the original Kareem’s. It is a small little place in the bye lanes near Jama Masjid. It has the most amazing biryanis. In the show they showed us how they make biryanis still following the age old traditions. Their day starts at 4 in the morning when the marinated chicken or meat is layered along with the rice, kept in huge handis and then sealed close. The handis are then surrounded by hot coal. A lot of coal is also placed on the lid. The handis are left to cook this way for hours. The heat from the coals is not direct and the biryani is cooked in its own “dum”. That is how they get that awesome taste.

This method is very difficult to replicate in our modular kitchens. You need lots of open space, hot charcoal in large quantities and lots of time. Since time is a luxury now-a-days we always look for short cuts. Something that would not take too much time and effort. This One Pot Biryani is just right for those busy days.

Ingredients

700 gms chicken, boneless

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp salt

2 dry red chillies

2 bay leaf

1 javitri

1 tsp black pepper

2 green cardamoms

1” cinnamon

4 large onions, sliced fine

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped garlic

3 potatoes, cubed

4 tbsp biryani masala

½ cup curd

Salt to taste

2 cups long grained rice, washed and soaked.

Wash the chicken. Apply ginger garlic paste, curd and salt and keep aside. 

Heat some ghee. 

Add the dry red chillies, bay leaf, javitri, black pepper, green cardamom and cinnamon. 

Add the chopped ginger and garlic and saute till a fragrant aroma rises. Add the cubed potatoes and fry well. 

Add the sliced onions and cook till the onions are translucent.

 Add the biryani masala and curd and cook till oil starts leaving the sides. Add the chicken pieces and cook well on high flame. 

Cover and cook till the chicken is half done. Add the rice and 2 cups of water. Boil on high flame till almost all the water has evaporated. Lower the flame to sim, cover and cook till the rice is done.