Chicken Bryani

This recipe serves 4 to 5 persons

Chicken gravy
1 whole chicken (or 4 chicken legs chopped into 12 pieces)
1½ medium-sized onions
2 medium-sized tomatoes
1 tspn ginger/garlic paste
1 tspn salt
½ tspn turmeric powder
1 tspn garam masala (preferably home-made)
3 tbs oil

Heat oil and saute one onion chopped finely. Keep covered on low to medium flame till slightly brown. Chop the other half onion and the tomatoes and grind into smooth paste. Wash chicken and marinade with ginger/garlic paste, salt and 1/2 tspn garam masala.
Add the onion/tomato paste into the onion which should now be slightly brown. Mix till the oil comes on top. Add the chicken pieces into the gravy and keep mixing for about 8 minutes until the gravy is brown. Add 2 cups water and keep on low flame for about 15 minutes till cooked. Once again the chicken is cooked when you see some oil on top. You may remove this excess oil now if desired.


Bryani Rice
2 cups basmati (Indian) rice
½ tspn turmeric powder
8 pcs chopped cashew nuts and 2 tbs raisins soaked in water for few minutes
¼ tspn tandoori colour (powder form available at Indian stores)
2 tbs oil
3½ cups water
Chopped coriander, 1/2 lemon sliced and ½ onion sliced lengthwise for garnishing.

Dry spices:
2 pcs cloves
5 pcs cardamoms (small green)
10 pcs black peppercorn
1” cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

Wash rice and add water, salt, turmeric, cashew nuts and raisins and mix well. Heat two teaspons oil and add the dry spices for just a few seconds and quickly add to the rice and keep to cook. When the rice is cooked, mix the tandoori colour in 2 tbs of water and sprinkle gently onto the rice while fluffing it. This will give the rice a lovely two-toned colour of red and yellow.

In a serving dish spread layers of bryani rice alternating with a few pieces of the cooked chicken leaving the gravy aside. Garnish with the slices of raw onion and lemon and chopped coriander. Serve with the chicken gravy. Excellent with raita.