MUNTA BIRYANI

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken 500 grams

Rice 1 cup

Oil 4 tbsps 

Onions 3 medium

Ginger 2 inch piece

Garlic cloves 6-8 

Black peppercorns 1/2 teaspoon

Black cardamoms 3 

Fennel seeds (saunf) 1 teaspoonMace 2 blade

Cinnamon 2 inch stick

Salt to taste

Bay leaf 1 

Green cardamoms 6 

Caraway seeds (shahi jeera) 1/2 teaspoon

Cloves 6 

Saffron (kesar) a few strands

Milk 1 tablespoon

Pistachios 15-20 

Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon

Nutmeg powder 1/4 teaspoon

Cloves 5 

Green cardamoms 6 

Black cardamoms 2

MATKA/POT

METHOD:

STEP1:-Clean, wash and cut chicken into one and half inch sized cubes. Wash rice twice and soak in two cups of water for fifteen minutes. 

STEP2:- Heat sufficient oil in a pan and deep-fry the onions till golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside. 

STEP3:- Peel, wash and chop onions, ginger and garlic. Tie up some chopped onion, chopped ginger, chopped garlic with peppercorns, black cardamoms, fennel seeds, mace, cinnamon in a muslin cloth. Put this bundle with chicken, salt and three cups of water and let it cook till three-fourths done.

STEP4:-Take out the chicken pieces and retain the stock to cook the rice.

STEP5:- For the masala grind the remaining onions, ginger and garlic with cumin seeds, nutmeg, cloves, green cardamoms and black cardamoms.

STEP6:- Heat oil in a Matka/pot and sauté the ground masala till fat begins to separate.

STEP7:-Add semi cooked chicken pieces and salt and sauté for a while.  

STEP8:-In another pan heat oil, add bay leaf, green cardamoms, caraway seeds and cloves. Sauté and then add the rice and sauté for a while.

STEP9:-Add double the quantity of reserved chicken stock and salt. When the rice is 3/4 cooked, drain the excess water and add it to the matka/pot. on the rim of the matka paste aata(wheat dough) then put on the lid and cook on low heat

STEP10:-Add saffron dissolved in milk and mix lightly. garnish with pistachios and silver warq and serve hot.