Ratna aunty's biryani- guest post

In the month of April, I had put up a post about the World Cup Final.I had also put up few pictures of the biryani my aunt had made that day.I did not put up the recipe(I wanted to try it out myself first),after few months I moved back to India from Bahrain, and I never got the chance to try out Ratna aunty's biryani.Everyone in  my house loves my mom's biryani ,I did not have the nerve to try something new, I knew I would have to hear the comparison.

I have to tell you that I have not tried out this recipe, I was just a spectator when Ratna Aunty was making this delicious biryani and I wrote down the whole recipe then and there. I would have waited for months  to try this recipe and post it,but one of my viewers Sunita wanted to make this biryani. This one is for Sunita :)

I would like to thank Ratna aunty for sharing this recipe, I have learnt so much from her, she is like a mother to me and also an amazing friend.I miss you Ratna aunty:)

ingredients
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• 1 kg chicken
• 3 medium onion (sliced)
• 7 tbsp oil
• 4 tbsp yogurt
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt to taste
• 5 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
• 1/4 cup water add few strands of saffron
• 1/4 cup water add pinch of red color (optional)

for masala

• 1 cardamom
• 4 cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon
• 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 pinch methi seeds/fenugreek
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 1/2 tsp saunf
• 8 long chillies (kashmiri)

for rice

• 4tbsp ghee
• 2 onion finely sliced
• 4 green chillies
• whole spices- 2 cardamom, 4 peppercorn, 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves,1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cups basmati rice (washed,soaked and drained)
• 5 1/2 cup water
• salt to taste

method

1. Grind all the ingredients under masala into a fine powder. Keep this aside.
2. In a pan add 4 tbsp oil ,when hot fry 3 sliced onion till they turn crisp and golden brown,Drain and keep aside.
3. To the same oil add chicken and salt and cook for 10 minutes.Transfer the chicken to a vessel and add 4 tbsp yogurt, turmeric powder and 1/2 of the fried onions.Keep this aside.
4. Add 3 tbsp oil into the pan (the same pan the chicken was cooked in ) , when oil is hot add chopped tomatoes and ginger garlic paste, fry for 3 minutes.Now add the ground masala powder and lemon juice.Add few tablespoons of water if its dry.Fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add chicken(mixed with yogurt, turmeric and fried onions).Cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
5. The chicken masala for biryani is ready.
6. Prepare rice--- In a thick bottom pan or rice cooker melt ghee and add sliced onion, when onion turns slight golden brown add whole spice.Fry for few seconds.Add basmati rice and fry till moisture evaporates now add 5 1/2 cups of water and add salt. Cover and cook on very low flame for about 11 to 12 minutes, or till the rice is cooked and water dried out.

How to assemble

1. Divide rice to 3 parts, to one part of rice sprinkle the saffron water (don't use the whole1/4 cup, just enough to get desired color)
2. To the other part of rice sprinkle red color. and leave the 3 rd part rice plain.
3. In a big vessel layer the rice , chicken, fried onion and coriander leaves.
4. Serve with raita.