Thalassery Style Biryani Karnataka

Ingredients

• - 2 cups rice
• - 400g chicken
• - 2 onions
• - Spices as required
• - 3 tbsp ghee or oil
• - Salt to taste

Method

1. Marinate chicken: Mix 750g chicken with 1 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 2 tsp red chilli powder, half tsp turmeric, 1 tsp biryani masala and salt. Marinate 2 hours.
2. Make fresh masala paste: Grind 8 shallots, 6 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger, 4 green chillies and 1 tsp fennel to a coarse paste.
3. Fry birista: Slice 3 large onions thinly. Deep fry until dark golden. Drain. Reserve oil.
4. Parboil Jeerakasala rice: Wash 2.5 cups Jeerakasala rice. Soak 20 minutes. Boil in salted water 5-6 minutes. Drain.
5. Cook chicken: In a heavy pot heat reserved oil. Add fresh masala paste and fry 4 minutes. Add chicken and cook 10-12 minutes.
6. Layer biryani: Spread chicken as base. Add parboiled rice on top.
7. Add garnishes: Add birista, 4 tbsp ghee, fresh mint and coriander.
8. Add saffron milk: Drizzle saffron milk over the rice.
9. Seal and dum cook: Seal pot. Cook on tawa — high heat 5 minutes then lowest heat 35 minutes.
10. Serve: Rest 10 minutes. Thalassery style biryani Karnataka uses Jeerakasala rice and fresh masala paste. Serve with raita.