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Love is in my Tummy

Plant-based flavor

December 3, 2013 By Tina Dawson 6 Comments

Cooking with Kalyan – Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biriyani

Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani

The reason why I haven’t been cooking and blogging here for so long, is that I recently moved to the US – I now live in Bensalem, PA. It’s a small, quiet suburb, so quiet, and I love it!  It’s been a month since I came here, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some very nice people.

I must mention Revathi and her small, but beautiful family. They were nice enough to let me stay with them for a week, while I was waiting for my new apartment to be ready. And they, along with a few others, have soon become the family I have here, so far away from home.

And the best part about meeting so many new people, is that one of them turns out to be as crazy about cooking as me – Meet Kalyan a.k.a. Kalyan. He is an amazing cook and a super fun person to hang out with. And it is to him that I owe this brilliant Dum biriyani recipe. I am now his apprentice and he’s going to teach me how to make all these exotic Indian recipes. And I will, of course, share them with you.

So what was originally an invitation to watch this masterpiece being made turned into a hands-on workshop when Kala slit his hand with an over-sharp knife. Thanks to that accident, I got to actually make this myself, under the careful supervision of the master, of course. Kalyan says this particular recipe has been coined from 5 different recipes, taking the best of each and turning it into one big pot of awesomeness! He has even won awards for this Biriyani, and I can personally vouch for it. It was nothing short of amazing!

Oh and thanks Revathi and Varma, for letting us use your Kitchen. No one bests you at making guests feel at home. We went through your entire pantry and played real life ‘Kitchen’.  And Varma, I promise that when we make a video log of this recipe, you can host the show 😉

You start off by marinating the chicken in a flavourful and fragrant marinade for an hour. At the same time, the rice soaks in water.

Cook the rice in spices al dente. Remember to keep an eye and remove from heat before it cooks fully. This is absolutely essential.

See how the rice has a slight curve to it???

Assemble the layers, alternating rice and chicken. There’s added flavour in the form of crispy fried onions, lemon juice and coriander. There’s also a sprinkling of color, to give it that trademark orange bits of rice.

All that’s left is to cook it in ‘Dum’. Traditionally, the vessel is sealed shut with dough, a small flame lit underneath and hot coals are dropped on top of the lid. Considering that it’s a little harder to replicate easily in a domestic kitchen, try this method instead for the same results.

Cook the assembled biriyani over a high flame for about 2-3 minutes, then reduce the flame to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes. Then reduce the flame to the lowest level, and cook for 30 minutes.

Serve hot! And I cannot believe I am saying this, but this dish does not need an accompaniment. It tastes great just by itself. The onion raitha we made as a safety net remained untouched till the end of the meal. To our surprise, we did not need it at all!

Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani

Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani

Created by Tina Dawson on September 12, 2016

  • Prep Time:1h 30m
  • Cook Time:1h
  • Total Time:2h 30m
  • Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the Marinade

  • 1 kg Chicken
  • 2 handfuls of crispy fried onion
  • 2 tsp. ginger garlic paste
  • 1 -2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 6 green chillies, chopped finely
  • A handful of mint leaves
  • A handful of green coriander, chopped
  • 1 tsp. garam masala
  • 3 -4 tsp thick, fresh yogurt
  • Juice of a whole large lemon ( or 2 Indian limes )
  • 1/2 tsp. Black Jeera (Kaala Jeera)

For the Rice

  • 4 c Basmati rice
  • 10 c water
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 4 -6 cloves
  • 3 -4 green cardamom pods
  • 1/2 tsp. Black Cumin (Kaala Jeera)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. ghee
  • Salt, to taste

For the final assembling

  • 2 -3 pinches of orange-red food colour, dissolved in milk
  • A handful of chopped coriander
  • 2 -3 handfuls of fried onion
  • Juice of a lemon (or 2 Indian limes)

Instructions

Prepping

  1. Marinate the chicken with red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt for about 15 minutes. Then stir in the remaining ingredients for the marinade. Set aside for an hour.
  2. Soak the Basmati rice in water for an hour.

Cooking the rice

  1. Boil about 10 cups of water and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, kala jeera, bay leaves, ghee and salt. The water must taste slightly saltier than you want the rice to be.
  2. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the soaked rice, and cook till it is al dente, i,e., not completely cooked, but almost done. You'll know it's done when the rice strands begin to curl inwards slightly.
  3. Drain and set aside. Spread the rice on a large plate to cool slightly.

Assembling

  1. In a heavy bottomed pan, spread the marinated chicken (plus marinade) till the base is covered. Reserve a few pieces to intersperse the second layer with.
  2. Spoon over some of the rice on top of the chicken layer. Scatter the remaining chicken on top of the rice. Sprinkle with a handful of fried onions. Drizzle some lime juice.
  3. Top with the remaining rice. Then pour over the 'coloured' milk. Sprinkle some more fried onions and the remaining lime juice. Finally top with chopped coriander leaves.

Setting the 'Dum'

  1. Cover the pan with a clean, damp towel, and then seal the shut with a heavy large lid.
  2. Cook the assembled biriyani over a high flame for about 2-3 minutes, then reduce the flame to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes. Then reduce the flame to the lowest level, and cook for 30 minutes.
  3. Fluff up the rice to combine all the layers and serve hot!
  • Print

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cuisines, Indian, Lunch/Dinner Tagged With: Chicken, Indian, Rice

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. whitepearl says

    November 11, 2018 at 5:00 am

    I have been reading out many of your articles and i can claim pretty nice stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your blog.

    Reply
  2. marria sharma says

    October 21, 2016 at 7:32 am

    Really nice blog with amazing recipes pictures….

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      October 21, 2016 at 10:46 am

      Thanks Maria! I hope you come back for more! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Asha Vijay says

    January 5, 2014 at 4:15 am

    Hi, your blog is very nice!!! The biriyani looks yum..will definitely try it 🙂

    Reply
  4. Neets says

    December 8, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    Firstly, I love the name of ure blog!! Absolutely love ure space, in fact, I have posted a chicken biriyani recipe in my blog too. Do chk it out and the other recipes and let me know ure thoughts. Happy to be a follower!

    Neets!
    neetustastytreats.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Shvetha says

    December 4, 2013 at 7:52 am

    Should've checked this out before typing out my response! Have a good time at the new place!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Tina - the human behind all the content you see on this blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I create flavorful and unique plant-based recipes.

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