Kannur Style Chicken Dum Biryani

Kannur style Chicken Dum Biryani

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For chicken:

750 g chicken pieces

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Wash and clean chicken pieces. Drain out water thoroughly. In a wide bowl, marinate chicken pieces with turmeric powder and salt. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

For the masala paste:

5 green chillies (7 small size or 5 big size)

1 – inch piece ginger, chopped

10 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

1 teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon pepper powder

½ teaspoon fennel powder (sounf powder / perumjeerakapodi)

3 cloves (or ¼ teaspoon clove powder)

1 small piece nut meg (or ¼ teaspoon nut meg powder)

2 cinnamon sticks (or ¼ teaspoon clove powder)

Make a smooth paste of above ingredients in a small mixer bowl. Sprinkle very little water when making the paste. Keep aside.

For rice:

3 tablespoon ghee

1 onion, finely sliced

2 tablespoons cashew nut (splits)

2 tablespoons raisins

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

2 small cinnamon sticks

3 cardamom

2 cups (400 g) jeerakasala rice (1 ½ cup hot water required for 1 cup jeerakasala rice)

3 cups hot water

½ teaspoon salt

Method

Wash and clean rice. Drain out water. Do not soak rice in water.

In a non stick pan, heat ghee on a medium heat. Add finely sliced onions and fry till golden color and crisp on a medium to low heat. Carefully remove from ghee and keep in a separate container.

Add cashew nut splits and fry until golden color on a medium to low heat. Remove and keep aside.

Add raisins and fry until golden color on a medium to low heat. Remove and keep aside.

Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Fry for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant.

Add drained rice and fry for 3 – 4 minutes until water dries up.

Add 3 cups of hot water and salt to taste. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium heat for 12 – 15 minutes or until done / water dries up / rice cooked well.

For chicken masala:

1 tablespoon ghee

1 onion, finely sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

Masala paste

Marinated chicken pieces

Extra salt to taste

Method

In a non stick pan, heat ghee on a medium heat. Add sliced onions and fry until golden color.

Add tomato pieces and fry for 3 – 4 minutes.

Add masala paste and stir well for 3 – 4 minutes until the raw smell goes.

Add marinated chicken pieces and adjust salt to taste. Do not add water when cooking. Cover with a tight lid and cook on a medium to low heat for 30 – 35 minutes until done / chicken pieces softened / gravy thickens (you may get ½ cup gravy).

Final dum preparation:

Maida dough for sealing (depends upon the size of the vessel)

1 tablespoon chopped mint and coriander leaves

Shallow fried onions, cashew nut splits and raisins

Extra 1 tablespoon ghee

Wet towel (or clean and wet Kerala thorth)

Method

In a heavy - bottomed vessel or biryani pot, spread a layer of chicken masala (including gravy) and half portion of cooked rice. Make 2 layers with cooked rice and chicken masala. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon ghee, chopped mint and coriander leaves, shallow fried onions,raisins and cashew nuts.

Gently put a wet towel over it.

Cover with a tight lid. Seal with maida dough on the edges of the lid. Heat a heavy - bottomed iron kadai. Keep biryani pot over it. Cook on a low heat for 35 - 40 minutes. You can find a color change on the maida seal. Open the seal carefully. Decorate with chopped coriander and mint leaves. Serve with hot with Raita and pickle / pappadam / boiled egg.