Chicken Gravy

You will need the following to prepare this chicken gravy:

Chicken (with bone) - 1/2 kg (1 lb)
salt - to taste / 2 tsp
water - 2 cups
oil - 2 tbsp
Fennel seed (sombu) - 1 tsp

To chop separately:
Red onion - 2
Roma tomato / vine tomato - 100 gms
curry leaves - 1 brig
cilantro - 1 handful
mint leaves - 1 handful

Masala 1:
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
Shallot onion - 5
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Masala 2:
Ginger - 2 inch
garlic - 4 pearls

curry masala powder:
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
cardamom - 2
cloves - 2
cinnamon - 1 inch
Black pepper - 1 tsp



Powders :
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
coriander powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:
Wash and clean the chicken pieces in running water.Apply some turmeric powder and keep aside.Dry grind the items given in curry masala powder.
Grind shredded coconut , cumin seeds, onion and keep aside.
Grind ginger garlic paste and keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a deep pan and add 1 tsp fennel seeds (sombu).
After it turns red , add the chopped onion and fry till it becomes golden brown.
(If you are using yellow onion , then fry till it becomes tender ,as it can never get a good color.)
Add the ginger garlic paste and stir it well for 30 seconds.
Then add the chopped tomato, green chilli, cilantro , mint leaves, curry leaves and cook till they becomes mushy.
Now introduce the chicken pieces and stir it for 2 minutes along with the powders and dry masala.
Add some salt and a cup of water and close the lid for 5 minutes.
Then cook the chicken till it becomes tender (simply in a tightly closed vessel).
After it gets cooked , add the coconut masala and cook till the raw smell changes.
Check for salt and the tenderness of chicken and put off fire.
The gravy should not be too thick or too liquid .

Serving suggestions:
Serve hot as side dish with Naan , paratha ,chapathi ,steamed rice or white bread.
Serves 6 people.

Chicken Biriyani (Dum biriyani).

This is the very first dish I learned from my mom. Dedicating this recipe and the whole blog for my mom. Mom, please bless us, guide us and be with us always!

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice / Jeeraga samba raw rice - 3 cups
Chicken with bones - 2 lbs
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red onion - 2 (medium size)
Tomato - 2
cilantro- 1 handful.
mint leaf -1 handful.
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Fennel - 1 tsp
bay leaves - 2
star aniseed - 1,
cinnamom stick - 2 inch
cardamom - 2
cloves - 4
curd -1 cup,
ghee - 2 tbsp
olive oil - 3 tbsp
chilli powder - 2 tsp ,
green chillis - 5 (uncut).
Lemon - 1
cashew nuts -10
raisins- 10.
salt.
saffron color- 2 drops
rose essence-2 drops
milk - 2 tbsp

Note:
The meat in the biryani always tastes plain . So if we want to make them more juicy and tasty we should marinate the chicken or any meat the day before preparing the biryani (but not earlier than that).
Then place the marinated meat tightly packed inside the refrigerator (not freezer).

Marination:
wash and clean the chicken pieces.
Cut it in to big portions. Apply 1/4 tsp turmeric over it.
Marinate the chicken with 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garam masal powder, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, 1 cup curd,
2 tsp salt and juice from 1/2 a lemon.
Keep it inside a Ziploc cover and place it inside a closed container . Keep it refrigerated .

Biryani gravy preparation:
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a broad bottom vessel.
Add fennel ,star aniseed , cinnamon stick,cardamom ,cloves, bay leaf .
Then goes the chopped onion .
Fry it till golden brown and take half of it aside.
Now add the chopped tomato and cook till the oil oozes out of it.
Then add the remaining ginger garlic paste and stir well till the raw smell goes.
Now add the marinated chicken pieces and stir well. cook it completely. we will see a chicken gravy now.

step 2:
wash the rice and soak it for 1/2 an hour.
Water for briyani = (number of cups of rice x 2 )- 1
Pour the rice to the chicken gravy, bring it to a boil.
Add the juice of half a lemon and 2 tsp salt. check salt taste. It should taste lil salty now.
Then add the soaked rice and cook till it absorbs water (but not fully cooked).

For garnishing:
Roast the cashews and raisins in 1 tbsp ghee. keep aside.
Chop cilantro and mint leaves. Add over briyani

In oven:
Take an aluminium foil baking tray. Place the briyani.
spread the chopped mint leaf, cilantro, uncut green chillies, fried onions, cashews and raisins.
sprinkle 1 tbsp ghee over that.
Now cover the tray with an aluminium foil.
Preheat the oven to 250 deg C and cook the biryani for 1 hour (or) more, till the rice is cooked completely. My biryani got ready in 90 minutes.

Mom's method:
Making biryani without oven:
Place the briyani in a thick bottom vessel.
cover it tightly with a lid . seal the edges with a chapathi dough or aluminum foil. Heat a dosa tawa and place the vessel over the tawa. Reduce the heat to minimum.
Boil 2 liters of water and keep that vessel at top of sealed briyani vessel as dhum.
Hot charcoal can also be placed to get a good dum briyani.
Cook it in slow fire for 90 minutes or till the biryani flavor fills the house:)
Dum style Chicken biryani is ready.

Serving suggestions:
Serve chicken biryani hot with onion raitha and chicken gravy.
Serves 5 people.