Thalassery Chicken Dum Biryani

Ingredients for Thalassery Chicken Dum Biryani:

1. Jeerakasala rice – 1.5 kg

2. Chicken – 2 kg

3. Onion – 1 kg

4. Green chillies – 100 gm

5. Ginger – 75 gm

6. Garlic – 75 gm

7. Tomato – 250 gm

8. Coriander leaves – A handful

9. Garam masala powder – 2 big spoons

10. Lemon juice – 3 big spoons

11. Rose water – 2 small spoons

12. Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise – As required

13. Salt – For taste

14. Saffron – 2 pinch

15. Coconut milk/Milk – 4big spoons

16. Cashews – 50 gm

17. Raisins – 50 gm

18. Ghee – 5 big spoons

19. Oil – 50 gm

20. Mint leaves – 10 nos.

How to prepare Thalassery Chicken Dum Biryani?

To fry:

1. Fry two sliced onions in ghee.

2. In the remaining ghee, fry raisins and cashews separately.

To prepare masala:

3. In a big thick-bottomed pan, heat oil and sauté remaining onions.

4. When raw smell goes out, add crushed green chillies, ginger and garlic.

5. Fry them till golden brown colour.

6. Add chopped tomatoes and a little coriander leaves.

7. Keep sauting till tomato pieces cook well, and smashes.

8. Add chicken pieces and salt for masala.

9. Add lemon juice and mix it well with chicken pieces.

10. Close the lid and cook chicken for a few minutes.

11. Add garam masala powder, and cook chicken in low flame till it’s done.

To prepare rice:

12. For 1 cup rice, 1.5 cups of water is needed. 1.5 kg rice is approximate 8 cups. Hence 12 glasses of water needed. First take water in a cooking vessel.

13. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and star anise, 5 big spoons of ghee and enough salt to water.

14. Bring water to boil and then add rice. Stir the contents.

15. Occasionally stir rice to avoid lumps & sticking to bottom of the vessel.

16. Cook for next 15-20 minutes till water content is fully absorbed and rice is well-cooked.

To dum the biryani:

17. On the top of prepared chicken masala, put rice, fried onions, mint leaves, coriander leaves, cashews and raisins in layers. Also pour rose water and saffron soaked in a little milk.

18. Cover the biryani with a soaked cloth & seal it.

19. Dum the biryani for next 10-15 minutes in low flame.

20. Put off the flame & wait for another 10 minutes, before you open the lid.

Courtesy: Vanitha Magazine March 15-31, 2010  

Read a few more Biryani recipes. Click on the images in the gallery to read.