Shahi Chicken Biriyani With Burani Raita n Cashew Ginger Salad

Biriyani a very popular royal dish in India. Not only in India it gain popularity in Southeast Asia and Arab. The name Biriyani is derived from the Persian word berya(n) which means fried or roasted. Biriyani was believed to have been invented in the kitchen of the Mughal Emperors. Hyderabad, Malabar, Delhi/Agra, Kashmir, Kolkata, Lucknow and Lahore are the main centers of biriyani cuisine. Shahi Chicken Biriyani is biriyani made with chicken but I try to put all the royal falovors to make it special and with it served a delicious burani raita which help in digesting the rich food and also act as a taste enhancer with a simple royal salad.I cook this for my Mom in Mother's day she loved it and hope you all will also like the trio combo of Shahi Chicken Biriyani and Burani raita and cashew ginger salad.

Preparation time   2 hours
Cooking time 1 ½  hour
Serves  3 to 4

Shahi Chicken Biriyani
Ingredients 
500 gms  long grain basmati rice
4 leg pieces of chicken
1 ½  tbsp biriyani masala
1 big tomato paste
1 big tomato thick round slices
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp onion paste
1 tbsp  ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilly powder
¼  tsp turmeric powder
½  cup ghee 
4 drops of meetha attar
½  tsp rosewater
 6 drops kewra water
few strands of saffron
½  cup milk
¼ tsp sugar
salt to taste
1 lemon juice 
3 tej patta/ bay leaves
3 green cardamom
1 inch cinnamon
1 javitri/ mace
4 cloves
1 star anise
6 whole black pepper
¼ tsp jaiphal/ nutmeg
2 to 3 whole dry red chilly
½ tsp whole cumin
¼ tsp chopped ginger

Ingredients for Burani Raita
1 cup sour yogurt 
hand full of mint leaves 
few coriander leaves
1 tsp dry roasted masala powder ( ¼ tsp cumin, coriander each 4 to 6 black pepper)
1/4 tsp ajwain
1 green chilly
½ inch ginger
½ tsp black salt 
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Ingredients for  Cashew Ginger Salad
½ tsp butter
1tsp cut ginger into thin strips
1 cucumber seeded and cut into thin strips
1 tomato seeded and cut into thin strips
2 chopped green chilly
hand full of cashew
1 tsp chopped fresh coriander
salt to taste

Methods of Cooking
Marinate the chicken pieces for 30 minutes with little salt and 2 tbsp of lemon juice and ½ tbsp Biriyani masala. Soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes then drain it. To cook the rice we will prepare a water called akhni water. To make this water in a muslin cloth take whole black pepper, cumin, clove, cinnamon  cardamom, nutmeg, mace, star anise , ginger, whole red chilly in the cloth and tie it well. Now take 2 liter of water and place this spice bag in it. Let in boil to half that is one liter of water and the color may change to little reddish remove the spice bag. Then add the presoaked basmati rice and cook till half done.Squeeze one whole lemon and put off the flame. Drain the starch and leave it in an open in a wide mouth vessel so that rice grain doesn't stick to one another. Now take a pan 2 tbsp heat ghee in it add one tej patta and ginger garlic paste. Saute for few seconds then add onion paste and tomato paste, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt saute till ghee separates from the masala. Now add the marinated chicken and fry with the masala. If the gravy get too dry add little by little chicken stock or water , stir and cook for 10 minutes. Add ½ cup stock or water and cook till the chicken is a cooked and dry . Add 2 drops of meetha attar, kewra essence and rosewater. Mix well and put off the flame. Take a heavy bottom pan and spread a spoon full of ghee place thick slices of tomatoes on it. Now make a layer of semi cooked rice and then the layer of cooked chicken and again a layer of rice. Take a bowl and mix saffron and rest of meetha attar, kewra water and rose water and milk well. Sprinkle this mixture and the rest of the ghee above the last layer of rice. Now cover the pan and seal the edges with whole wheat dough. Now simmer it on a low flame for 10 to 15 minutes this method of cooking is called dum, it helps the rice to get well cooked. If you are trying your hand for first time then its better to put a tava below the pan while putting it on dum to avoid burning of rice. Put off the flame give 10 minutes standing time before serving. For the burani raita take all the raita ingredients and put them on your mixer to make a fine paste. For salad slightly toss the cashew and ginger in butter add lemon juice and salt and mix with cucumber, tomato and green chilly. Garnish with fresh coriander. Now serve the Shahi Chiken biriyani with bhurani raita and cashew ginger salad.

Happy Cooking!