Murghi no Palau | Chicken Biryani
“This is perfect for a quick weekend fix. Despite my constant ranting about how only “bone-in” meats and fish give the dish its rich flavour, I do have to stray from the path every now and then and give in to my strong and sincere belief! So, here’s one for all you boneless fans to savour. I am going to share a recipe that I make in the oven, but you can use the stovetop just as easily. You will need a wider pan to make it work well. The rice is cooked “raw,” so that means one fewer pot to wash. Make it your own. Add your favourite spices to it if you feel like it. Just enjoy what you cook.” — The Route to Parsi Cooking. From Pars to India and Beyond by Niloufer Mavalvala, Self-Published
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Murghi no Palau | Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 tsp crushed ginger
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 green chilli finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- ¾ tsp coriander powder
- ¾ tsp garam masalo
- 500 g (1.1 lb) chicken thighs—skinless boneless, cubed
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup crushed fried onion
- 500 g (1.1 lb) potatoes peeled and cubed
Combine
- 1 cup yoghurt that has been lightly seasoned with salt and sugar
- 1/8 tsp crushed saffron bloomed in 1 tablespoon warm water
- 2 cups rice washed and rinsed
- 4 cups of boiling water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf dried
- 2 whole green cardamom pods
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c | 400 F
- Heat the oil and add the spices. Stir and cook for a minute until aromatic. Add the chicken and brown it all over for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, onions, and potatoes. Stir well and cover the lid to steam for seven minutes. This step will heat everything through and “start” the cooking process. The potatoes must be almost done if you want them to be soft.
To cook it in the oven:
- Overturn this into your prepared dish, evenly pour the yoghurt all over it, spoon the raw rice over that, and finally place the bay leaf and cardamom. Pour the boiling hot salted water into the dish and place a wet piece of parchment paper across the dish on top, touching the water. To seal the dish, place 5 pieces of foil one at a time, overlapping each other to ensure no steam can escape.
- Place your dish in a hot water bath in the oven and cook for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave it for another 20 minutes. Serve.
To cook it on the stovetop:
- Continue by adding the yoghurt, rice, cardamom, and bay leaf. Pour the hot salted water into the pan, bring it to a boil, and keep cooking until you can see the top of the rice and the water has almost evaporated. Place a piece of wet parchment on top, pushing it down to touch the rice. Cover the pan tightly to make sure no steam escapes. Lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes. Turn the stove off. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then serve.
Notes
Wash the rice until the water runs clear. If necessary, repeat it ten times. This washes away the starch, allowing your rice to be khullo dano (each grain is separate).
This recipe is improved by salting the rice and chicken separately.
To ensure even cooking, the chicken and potatoes should be roughly the same size.
