Kacchi Chicken Dum Biryani

Traditional Kacchi Chicken Dum Biryani recipe is perfect blend of spice, aroma, taste and flavour. In this recipe, chicken is marinated for 6-8 hours or overnight with spice powders and masalas. Then cooked on dum by layering with semi cooked rice, fried onions, coriander leaves, lemon juice and saffron milk. Try this Hyderabadi Kacchi Dum Biryani for Eid or Iftar or for Weekend Party.

Salma Aunty’s Kachche Murgh ki Dum Biryani

I learnt to make this kachi chicken biryani from Salma aunty. Salma aunty is my mom’s neighbor and very wonderful human with a heart of gold. Allhumdulliah she is blessed with 5 beautiful daughters (of which two are married and have got children too) and an adorable son. Though she has never been to school, she assists her husband in running a small ice factory.  

Apart from working at ice factory, cooking is her only passion.  With house full of children, I see aunty mostly in her kitchen. Every alternate week some or other ceremony or function keeps aunty super busy all the time. I must tell you, she always grinds the masalas fresh just before starting to cook. I really wonder from where on earth she gets the energy. Upon asking she always smiles and says…..’You never get tired of doing what you love and I love cooking so I never get tired of it’….How beautiful right?

Whatever she cooks, she always shares with us, even it is a simple sabzi or chutney. She believes in sharing and eating. One day I told her, I love her kacche murgh ki biryani (chicken biryani) and she generously gave me this recipe. She even called me when she was making this recipe so that I can learn the recipe easily. How wonderful right?

Which type of rice is best for biryani?

Long grain basmati is much preferred rice variety to make biryani. But I love making biryani with ‘sona masoori’ (bangaru teegalu). The sole reason is, I make biryani at least once in two weeks and to my notion, biryani tastes best the next day it is made. Biryani made with basmati rice, will be heavy on single serving and I cannot have more…greedy me…..isn’t it?? I do make biryani with basmati rice, but only on special occasions like Eid or Parties…

Is Sona Masoori rice good for biryani?

Yes, sona masoori is good for making biryani. Sona masoori is ideal for daily cooking and in Andhra it is called Bangaru Teegalu. Use fine quality ‘Sona Masoori’ to get best and perfect grained biryani. I bet you will love this more than the biryani made with basmati rice.

Now coming to the recipe. This is a long recipe, so please read it completely before you start making it. Check if you have all ingredients at home before you start to make. Follow my tips carefully to make a delicious and 

Hyderabad Style Kacchi Chicken Dum Biryani

INGREDIENTS:

PREPARATION:

FOR MARINATION:

• 1 kg. Chicken, cleaned, washed and drained
• 2 tbsp. Red chili powder
• ½ tbsp. Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. Garam Masala
• ½ cup Birista, deep fried Onions
• 2 tbsp. Ginger-Garlic paste
• 3 tbsp. Hara Masala
• ¾ cup Curd, beaten
• 2 tbsp. Salt

FOR HARA MASALA:

• 2 medium Onions, sliced
• ½ cup Coriander leaves
• 5 Green chilies

FOR RICE:

• 1 kg. Sona Masoori, wash and soak for ½ hr
• 1½ tbsp. Ginger-Garlic paste
• 5 Cardamoms, 5 Cloves and 2 1” inch pieces of Cinnamon
• 1 Badi Elaichi | Black Cardamom, 1 Star Anise and 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tbsp. Salt

TO SOAK:

• ½ tbsp. Saffron/Orange food color
• 3 tbsp. lukewarm Milk

FOR GARNISH:

• 3 tbsp. minced Coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp. minced Mint leaves

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• ¾ cup Ghee or you can use ½ cup Oil + ¼ cup Ghee
• 4 Onions, finely sliced
• 4 tbsp. fresh Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. Garam Masala

How to make Kacchi Chicken Dum Biryani (Step by Step Recipe)

HARA MASALA:

• Grind the ingredients listed under ‘Hara Masala’ to coarse paste.

MARINATION:

• Marinate the chicken pieces with the ingredients listed under ‘For Marination’ and leave it in fridge for 6-7 hours or overnight by covering with a plastic foil or tight lid.

THE NEXT DAY OR AFTER 6-7 HOURS:

• Take out the chicken from the fridge and leave it on the kitchen counter to bring it down to room temperature.
• In a heavy bottom cooking vessel, add ghee and drop in cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon. When the spices start to leave their aroma, add in finely sliced onions.

• Fry till crisp and nice brown. (Be careful, fry on low flame, stirring frequently). Now carefully using a slotted spatula separate fried onion slices from ghee and take out on to a kitchen tissue. Set aside. Collect ghee in a cup and set aside.
• Add 2 tbsp. of hot oil to the marinated chicken and mix well.

COOKING RICE:

• In a heavy bottom cooking vessel (used for cooking rice) add 12-15 cups of water (if more also no problem, as we will drain off the water), salt, ginger-garlic paste, 3 cardamom’s, 3 cloves, 2 sticks of cinnamon, black cardamom, star anise and bay leaf. Bring water to boil. When the water starts to boil add soaked rice and cook till rice is just done.
• After adding rice, don’t go anywhere, stand near the stove and keep an eye on rice. As we are using sona masoori, the rice will take less time to cook and we need just done rice not completely cooked rice.
• When you hold the rice in between your thumb and index finger, the rice grain should be soft not mushy (cooked 3/4^th). At this point, turn off the flame.
• Drain and collect the water using a sieve in a cooking vessel. Drain well and start working soon.

LAYERING:

• Now in the same vessel add little ghee (the one which we fried onions) and spread it over the bottom. Sprinkle some fried onions and spread over the marinated chicken pieces. Sprinkle half of garam masala, little deep fried onions, 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, fresh coriander and mint leaves.

• Cover it up with cooked rice. On it add remaining ghee (the one which we fried onions), kesar, fried onions, garam masala, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh coriander and mint leaves.

• Transfer the vessel on to the stove and cook by covering with a lid. Keep the strained water on top of the lid or seal with foil or dough.

FOR DOUGH:

• In traditional way, biryani pot is sealed with whole wheat flour dough, which is made mixing 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 tbsp. salt, 2 tbsp. of ghee and enough water to make firm dough. Seal the cooking vessel and lid with the dough thoroughly. This process helps in retaining the steam and aroma of the recipe.

FINAL STEP:

• Cook for nearly 40-45 minutes on low flame.
• Turn off the flame and leave the vessel on the stove for another half an hour.

SERVING:

• When you are ready to serve, mix in the biryani slowly and gently. Serve hot garnishing with fresh coriander and mint leaves. If you want you can add fried cashews or half sliced hard boiled eggs before serving.

TIP:

• Add ½ tbsp. of sugar while frying onions. This gives nice color and caramelisation to the onions.
• Always remember to fry onions on low flame. Avoid burning onion slices as it will impart bitter taste to the biryani. Fried onions are called ‘Birista’.

• Keeping strained water vessel on top of the lid provides weight and helps in locking the aroma.
• As we are using salt in marinating chicken and cooking rice, so adjust accordingly.

Other very famous biryani recipes on ‘Yummy Food are,

• Aloo Dum Biryani
• Kofta Biryani
• Chicken Dum Biryani
• Prawns Biryani