Ingredients (Grocery catalogue / translation with images)
Chicken - 1/2 kg
Rice (Basmathi preferable) - 1/2 kg
Ghee - 2 table spoon
Coconut milk - 2 cups
Bay Leaf - 1
Star Anise - 1
Mace - 1
Onion (lengthly sliced) - 3 to 4 nos
Shallots (mashed small onions) - 5nos
Tomatoes (lengthly sliced) - 3 nos
Green Chilies (do not slit, use as whole) - 7 to 8 nos
Coriander Leaves - few
Mint Leaves - few
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry Coriander Seed Powder / Biriyani Powder - 1/2 tsp ( if available or required)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Ground Masala:
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 7 medium sized pods
Cardamom - 2 nos
Cinnamon - small piece
Clove - 2 nos
Take pressure cooker, add ghee and heat. Add bay leaves, star anise, mace to the hot ghee and stir. Now add the ground masala and saute for 2 minutes. Let the sliced onions and shallots be added to it and continue sauting for 3 more minutes. After this add green chilies (unsliced) tomatoes, coriander and mint leaves, for 2 minutes saute them and add the cleaned chicken pieces. Now add the red chili powder ( if available Biriyani masala can be added), add required salt to the whole mixture. Stir and sprinkle 1/2 cup of water, simmer the flame and cook for about 5 minutes keeping the vessel covered with a lid or plate. Later open the lid, add coconut milk, required water and turmeric powder, bring the flame to high and cover it with the lid (do not use the pressure cooker's lid now).When the water boils add the cleaned rice (not necessarily Basmathy, here I have used Karnataka Ponni, any Ponni rice can be used) stir and cover it with the lid. Watch for the water to disappear but not dry, and must be able to stir the mixture with the moist, at this point there will be a little amount of water. Now take off the lid, simmer the flame, cover with the pressure cooker's lid, place the weight and let it cook for 7 to 10 minutes (flame at simmer).
Serve with Onion Raitha, Chicken Curry, Mutton Curry or Brinjal Thokku. Potato chips can be a good side dish too.
