Bombay Biryani

Bombay chicken biryani is a famous and incredible biryani from Mumbai. I tasted the Bombay chicken biryani first time in one of my friends house. It was delicious and words cannot describe the taste. I was delighted because the biryani was spicy, sour and even sweet because of plums (alu bhukhara). It tasted very delicious and was entirely different from our usual biryani as it has potato, chicken and alu bhukara (dry plums). But my another friend who is also from Mumbai said she does not add potatoes nor alu bhukara (dry plums) in the Bombay chicken biryani. Every one has their own family recipe. This Bombay chicken biryani is very famous in Pakistani restuarants and is prepared with spices, potato, kewra or rose water and alu bhukara (dry plums). I have prepared this Bombay chicken biryani according to my taste.

Ingredients

Chicken Marination

• Curd – 1 cup
• Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tbsp
• Alu bhukara (dry plums) – 10
• Chilli powder – 2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 3 tsp
• Cumin powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Mace and nutmeg powder – 2 pinches
• Salt – as per taste
• Lemon juice – 2 tbsp

Frying onion

• Oil – for frying
• Onion – 350 gms or 1 1/2 (big)

For gravy

• Onion – 350 gms or 1 1/2 (big)
• Oil – 1/3 cup
• Tomatoes (medium) – 2
• Green chillies – 4
• Potato (big) – 1

For rice

• Basmati rice – 300 gms
• Water – 1500 ml
• Cloves – 5
• Green cardamom – 5
• Cinnamon sticks (1 inch pieces) – 2
• Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
• Black pepper corns – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Bay leaves (big) – 2
• Mint leaves – 5

Additional ingredients/layering

• Mint – 3/4 cup
• Coriander leaves – 3/4 cup
• Milk – 1/3 cup
• Yellow colour – a pinch
• Rose water – 3 tbsp

Step by Steps

1. Wash 1 kg chicken, marinate with 1 cup yogurt, 1 ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste.

2. Add 1 tbsp chili powder, 2 tbsp coriander powder.

3. Add juice of 2 lemon, 1 bunch of mint leaves, 6 green chilies, 1 cup plum and salt to taste for 30 minutes.

4. Heat 1 cup oil in pan, add 4 chopped onion and fry till golden brown

5. Remove half of the fried onion and spread on a paper. Now add the marinated meat to pan.

6. Fry well till water dries.

7. Boil potatoes in steam, cut each into 4 pieces and fry in oil.

8. Also cut tomatoes in four pieces each.

9. Fry tomato pieces and add with fried potatoes to the chicken mixture.

10. Boil 1 kg basmati rice with mint leaves, 6 green chilies, 6 black pepper.

11. Add 4 cloves, salt to taste and water as required till half done.

12. Now drain out water and keep aside.

13. Grease another pan and make a layer of boiled rice.

14. Top with chicken mixture, again top with remaining boiled rice.

15. Sprinkle the leftover fried onion.

16. Dissolve ¼ tsp yellow color in 1 cup hot milk.

17. Pour on top of boiled rice. Also pour juice of 2 lemons and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

TIPS

• To make a simple biryani in less than an hour, first, we need to wash the chicken and start chopping the onion.
• While the onion is getting fried, you can wash and soak the rice.
• At the same time keep the water for boiling for rice.
• You can skip the marination part and straight away add the chicken pieces to the onion tomato gravy.
• While the chicken gravy is getting ready, simultaneously cook the rice. This way both gravy and rice are ready at the same time.