When I was in India I was visiting my dear friend R in Bangalore his wife M made Hyderabad mutton biryani for lunch. I was awed to see her cook the biryani so delicately from start to finish. She used the dum method of cooking where the layered biryani is put in a pot whose lid is sealed with wheat flour dough to avoid the steam from escaping the vessel. She then keeps the pot on the tava or cast iron griddle and cooks on very low flame for 1 1/2 hours. This method retains most of the flavor and juices of the meat and makes it very tender. We have coil instead of gas in US so another option would be cook the biryani in a pressure cooker (with the weight/whistle on) on 2 or 3 range out of 9 (highest) range. I have tried this and it works great.
There is a lot of difference between the Hyderabadi biryani and the Lucknow biryani style of cooking. The Lucknow style advises that the meat and rice be half cooked before the layering process. My mom cooks the Lucknow version and formerly I also followed the same method. The Hyderabadi style of cooking leaves the meat more juicy and softer than the Lucknow style. It also reduces the cooking time I love that too :). Hyderabadi biryani is called kuchi (raw) biryani and Lucknow biryani is called pukki (cooked biryani). The spices used also vary a bit. Tamarind is used instead of tomato to impart sourness. Ground raw papaya can also added while marination to make the meat softer.
Biryani is a layered dish and fried onions, rice and marinated meat are used to create layers for the biryani. Traditionally ghee is added to make the biryani and oil while marinating the meat but I use as less oil as possible to make the biryani. Also check my Vegetable Biryani Recipe.
Marination:
2 pound chicken or mutton cut into pieces (If you have frozen meat then de-freeze it before marinating)
2 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 teaspoon salt
2-4 slit green chillies
1 teaspoon red chili powder or as per taste
2 tablespoon paste of green papaya (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoon garam masala powder or as per taste (check recipe here)
1 handful of chopped fresh mint leaves (approx 1 cup) I also use 1 cup of dried mint leaves if I don't have fresh ones on hand
1 handful/cup chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk cream (If you increase the richness of the biryani; I usually avoid it :))
1/2 teaspoon concentrated tamarind paste or as per taste
1 1/2 teaspoon salt or as per taste
Wash the chicken well and make slits if the pieces are large. Mix the rest of the ingredients for the marinate. Add the chicken pieces and coat the chicken well with the marinate. Keep it aside for 2 hours or leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
For the Onions:
Slice 4-6 red onions finely and fry them in 2 tablespoon oil till they are caramelized or light brown in color.
For the Rice:
2 cups basmati rice (washed well an hour before using it)
3 cardamoms
1 stick cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
2-3 pieces of mace
1 teaspoon jeera or cumin
2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Boil the water in a large pan with all the ingredients except rice and lemon juice/vinegar. When the water comes to a boil, add the rice and the lemon juice/vinegar. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir it well. Drain the water in a colander.
Method to layer the biryani:
Wheat dough prepared from 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
marinated meat
prepared rice
fried onions
1 cup milk (i use fat free milk)
6-8 strands of saffron
2-3 chopped green chillies (optional/as per taste)
3 tablespoon oil (optional)
fried cashew nuts and raisins (optional)
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1) Warm the milk and add the saffron strands. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Line the pressure cooker or the vessel with a thin layer of oil.
2) Add 8-10 strands of fried onions at the bottom. Usually rice is added first but I find that the onions impart more flavor if added first.
3) Add half of the rice.
4) Add the marinated meat. If you are creating more number of layers add the larger meat pieces at the bottom layer.
5) Add half of the fried onions.
6) Add the rest of the rice.
7) Add the other half of the fried onions and green chillies.
8) Pour milk, oil and lemon juice evenly over the top layer.
Seal the vessel or pressure cooker or the vessel with wheat dough. If a stainless steel or aluminum vessel is being used then keep it over a tava or cast iron griddle. If the biryani is made in a pressure cooker, put the weight (or the whistle as it is called in India ) on the cooker. Cook on a very low flame for 1 hour to 90 minutes or till the meat is well cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves, cashew nuts and raisins. Serve with curd raita.
