Let's Make This Delicious Hyderabadi Biryani At Home
Image Credit: Hyderabadi Biryani

The Hyderabadi biryani needs no real introduction. It is a dish that originated from the south region and spread all over the world. But do you know how Hyderabadi biryani comes across? The Hydrabadi or Lucknow biryani both belongs to the Mughal era. But the real taste to differentiate between them is the flavoring and preparation method. In Hyderabadi biryani, the marination involves meat in yogurt by adding lemon drops and is garnished with coriander leaves and fried onions. Here's the complete recipe for your rescue.

Ingredients you need :

  • 3 cup long basmati rice 
  • 1 tsp shahi jeera 
  • 2 whole black cardamoms
  • 2-3 whole green cardamoms
  • 2 javitri 
  • 3-4 cloves 
  • 5-6 black peppercorns 
  • 1 whole star anise 
  • 2-3 bay leaves 
  • 2-inch cinnamon stick 
  • 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
  • 1 tbsp green chilli paste 
  • 2-3 drops kewra essence 
  • 1 tsp lime juice 
  • 3 tsp salt 

For Chicken Marination:

  • 500 grams bone-in chicken (small pieces)
  • 1 tsp shahi jeera
  • 1 tbsp ghee 
  • 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder 
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp green chilli paste 
  • 2 tbsp lime juice 
  • 200 grams thick yoghurt (hung curd)
  • 2 tbsp mint (chopped)
  • 2 tbsp coriander (chopped)
  • ¼ cup fried golden onion 

To assemble the biryani:

  • ½ cup milk 
  • 10-15 strands saffron (soaked with 2 tbsp milk)
  • ½ cup fried golden onion 
  • 4 tbsp ghee

Image: Unsplash

Instructions To Make Hyderabadi Biryani:

  1. To start this tempting biryani, first need to marinate the chicken, take a large bowl, add cleaned chicken, shahi jeera, ghee, ginger- garlic paste, coriander, cumin, red chili, turmeric, garam masala, salt, vegetable oil, green paste, lime and coat the chicken with marination. 
  2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 8-10 hours. After the hours of marination, take that out and marinate it for the second time. Add thick yogurt, mint, coriander leaves, and golden fried onions to the bowl. Give a good mix with your hands, and again transfer in the fridge for another 1 hour. 
  3. Take an 8-inch square cotton cloth to keep shahi jeera, black cardamom, green cardamom, javitri, cloves, black peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves in the center and bring the ends together and tie a knot to make a potli of dry spices. 
  4. Take the rice and soak it in water for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large pan, add 6-8 cups of water, add the dry spices potli and ginger-garlic paste, green chili paste, kewra essence, lime juice, salt, and bring water to a boil. 
  5. Now take the drain out of the soaked rice and add them to the boiling water. Simmer it to medium flame and let it cook until it is cooked 80%, don’t overcook the rice; otherwise, the biryani will become mushy. 
  6. Now take the marinated chicken and transfer it into a large, heavy-bottom pan with a tight-fitted lid. 
  7. Once the rice is cooked, discard the potli, take the rice out from a sieve, and immediately spread over the semi-cooked chicken. 
  8. Sprinkle ½ cup milk, soaked saffron with milk, fried onions, ghee on the top, and in the layers. And cover the pan tightly. 
  9. Place the pan on a high for 4-5 minutes and then on the low flame for 30-45 minutes once it is done. 

Gently dig a serving spoon and take out the masala rice and chicken pieces on your plate. Serve hot with garlic raita or salad.