Chicken Biryani

My husband loves this and so do my kids and friends. It is easy and cheap as chips to make. I hope you will enjoy this as much as we all do. If any of the servings are too big half the ingredients. Im just used to cooking for many :) Also it may seem like it is loads to do but once you organised and do it step at a time you will find it a very simple dish to make.

Serves 6-8 good sized portions and probably seconds and thirds..

For the curry

2 trays Chicken thighs (I prefer this meat to the breast much juicier also you can buy them boned and skinned in some butchers and supermarkets). Also much cheaper then breasts

1 Onion diced finely

6 cloves crushed garlic

1 large pot natural yogurt

2 1/2 tbl spoons of your favorite curry powder

1/2 teaspoon hot chilli powder

4 medium sized potatoes diced into nice cube sizes, as you would do for salad

4 large onions cut into medium sized rings

1 level teaspoon cummin seed

3-4 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 Bay leaf

1 Star anise

2 Cardamon

6 tbls vegetable cooking oil

For the Rice

2 large cups basmati rice (good grade basmati)

1 heaped teaspoon tumeric

2 tbl spoons cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon cummin seed

Method

Remove chicken from bone and skin (if you cant get the thighs boned and skinned) and chop up into nice bite size pieces. Place chicken in bowel add 1 1/2 tbl spoon curry, chilli powder, half the crushed garlic and 3/4's of the natural yogurt, set chicken aside and allow to marinate for at least an hour or more if you can. I prefer doing this the day before.

In a large pot heat 4 tbl spoons cooking oil and add all seed spices for curry.
Allow the aroma to release from the spices, add diced onions and saute until nice and tender not brown.
Add garlic and remaining tbl spoon of curry powder.
Cook curry slowly for at least 5mins, adding a little water at a time to prevent the curry from sticking to your pot and burning.
Add chicken and yogurt marinide and cook slowly till the yogurt begins to split (oil will rise in the pot) at this stage add I tin of finely chopped tomatoes and continue to cook until sauce begins to thicken at least 25mins on a medium heat/slow heat

In a frying pan or deep fat fryer, fry potato cubes as you would chips until nice and brown make sure they are cooked through.
Drain oil and add potatoes straight to your curry, do the same with onion rings.
Stir pot gently and continue to allow the sauce to simmer over a very low heat, if the mixture seems a bit dry add about 1/2 small cup water.

Finally for the rice:-

Wash rice thoroughly to get the starch out, be very careful basmati is a delicate rice, drain water well.
In a large pot heat 2 tbl spoons vegetable cooking oil, make sure it is piping hot, throw in the 1/2 teaspoon cummin seed, as soon as the aroma starts to release drain your rice and put it into your pot quickly, make sure there is no water in this.
Fry the rice and saute till the rice starts to clump together Do not over stir rice as it breaks easily.
Add 3 1/2 cups boiling water to the rice (use the same cup as the one you used to measure the rice), you want the rice to be just covered by the water.
Add tumeric give it a slight stir close the pot reduce the heat to a very low setting and leave until all the water is finished. DO NOT OPEN THE POT LID during this steaming process.
Use a fork to separate the rice grains lightly if you are too rough you can break and damage the grains.

Bringing it all together

In a nice serving bowl layer the curry, potato, onion and rice mixture as you would a lasagne and garnish with corriander.
Serve with salads of choice