Beriani or biryani is one of the classic Indian dishes that will generally be served at wedding ceremonies and other important celebrations. However, most Indians are also accustomed to serving nasi beriani as a daily food menu. Interested in making it? Although the process is quite complicated, rest assured that all your efforts will pay off after tasting the delicious combination of chicken, spices, and rice that is very rich in taste!
- Total prep time: 5 hours (active prep time: 30 minutes)
- Cooking time: 60 minutes
- Total time required: 6 hours
Ingredients
Fried Onions
- 2 medium-sized onions, chopped or sliced
- 120 ml of oil for frying onions (please use sunflower oil, canola oil or regular vegetable oil)
Chicken Seasoning
- 1 kg boned chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces, each large enough
- 2 tbsp. garlic and ginger paste
- 1 tbsp. red chili powder
- Salt, to taste (about 1 tsp.)
- 250 ml yogurt
- 1 tsp. salt masala powder
- 1 tsp. green cardamom powder
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 250 grams of fried brown onions
- 4 tbsp. melted ghee
- 60 grams chopped coriander leaves
- 10-15 min leaves without stems
- 2-4 green chilies, sliced or split into several pieces
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Rice
- 500 grams of basmati rice
- 2 liters of water
- 2 cinnamon sticks, each measuring 2.5 cm
- 5-6 whole peppercorns, to taste
- 5 grains of green cardamom
- 2 grains of black cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 piece flower
- 1 tsp. ghee
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Chapati Dough
- 500 grams of chapati flour made from whole wheat
- 250 ml water
Saffron Solution
- 1/4 tsp. saffron
- 2 tbsp. milk
Other Ingredients
- 5-7 tbsp. ghee (to be poured over bold before cooking in a pressure cooker)
- Handful of cashews (optional)
- Handful of golden raisins (optional)
- Rose water (optional)
Step
Part 1 of 4: Frying Onions
Step 1. Heat the oil in a frying pan
First, turn on the stove over high heat to heat the oil in the pan more quickly. Ideally, the pan will make a hissing sound when the onions are added.
The onions are ready to fry when the oil looks a little smoky
Step 2. Put the onions in the pan
Since onions are easier to fry in small portions, you can gradually fry the sliced 2 onions, going through three or more frying processes.
Step 3. Reduce the heat of the stove
Fry the onions over medium heat until they turn golden brown, about 10-20 minutes.
- While frying, always stir the onion gently so that the entire surface is exposed to the oil and cooks evenly.
- If the temperature is too high, the surface of the onion will burn even though the inside is still raw and runny.
Step 4. Drain the onions
Use a slotted spoon to drain the onions once they are all golden brown on the surface. The function of the hole in the spoon is to reduce the excess oil content in the onion.
Place the onions on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Remember, using kitchen towels is very important to absorb excess oil on onions and make them crispier when eaten. Set the onion aside until it's time to use it
Part 2 of 4: Seasoning the Chicken
Step 1. Place the chicken in a bowl or saucepan
Make sure the container you use is large enough so you don't have to worry about mixing the chicken with the marinade. In addition, the large size of the container also ensures that the entire surface of the chicken will be well coated with spices.
Cut the chicken into large enough pieces and don't throw away the bones. Remember, the chicken bones will transform into a rich, flavorful broth when cooked for a long time. As a result, your bold taste will be even more delicious
Step 2. Season the chicken with the various ingredients you have prepared
Add the following ingredients to the bowl with the chicken:
- 2 tbsp. garlic and ginger paste
- 1 tbsp. red chili powder
- Salt, to taste (about 1 tsp.)
- 250 ml yogurt
- 1 tsp. salt masala powder
- 1 tsp. green cardamom powder
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 250 grams of fried onions
- 4 tbsp. ghee
- 60 grams chopped coriander leaves
- 10-15 min leaves without stems
- 2-4 green chilies, sliced or split into several pieces
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Step 3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl
Make sure all the chicken pieces are well coated with the marinade mixture. After that, let the chicken sit until the spices seep into each fiber.
The actual soaking time of chicken varies greatly. If you're not in a hurry, you can soak the chicken overnight to allow the flavors to penetrate better. On the other hand, if you have limited time, you can also marinate the chicken for a shorter time. However, in general, it's best to let the chicken sit for at least 4 hours so that it still tastes good when cooked
Step 4. Put the chicken in the refrigerator
After soaking in the spices, cover the bowl with the chicken and place it in the refrigerator. While waiting for the spices to infuse, move on to the next method.
Part 3 of 4: Cooking Rice
Step 1. Soak the rice
First of all, wash the rice under cold running water to remove the flour layer on the surface. Then, soak the rice in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
To make beriani, you should use basmati rice so that the taste can be maximized
Step 2. Bring 2 liters of water to a boil
Since you will be using it to cook rice, make sure it is completely boiling before adding the rice.
Step 3. Put the rice in a pot of boiling water
In addition to rice, add other ingredients to enhance the taste of the rice and prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan:
- 5 grains of green cardamom
- 2 grains of black cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 piece flower
- 1 tsp. ghee
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Step 4. Stir all the additional ingredients that have been added
Make sure all the spices are well mixed on the surface of the water before covering the pot. Then, cook the rice for 8-10 minutes or until 1/2 to 3/4 of it is cooked. After that, you can remove all the additional ingredients or spices
Step 5. Check the consistency of the rice
Since the rice should be 1/2 or 3/4 cooked when removed from the stove, the grain should be soft on the outside, but still firm on the inside.
- Make sure the rice is only cooked until 1/2 or 3/4 done because the cooking process will be followed by the dum process (when rice is cooked with chicken over very low heat, then wrapped in chapati dough to trap the hot steam that builds up inside).
- To check the level of doneness, you can take one grain of rice and press it with your fingers. Ideally, the rice will split easily, but still have a firm texture inside. If the texture of the rice is too soft and crumbles when pressed, it means it is overcooked.
Step 6. Turn off the stove
After the rice is 1/2 or 3/4 cooked, turn off the stove and let the rice sit for a while. Supposedly, the rice cooking process will continue without the risk of overcooking the rice afterwards.
Step 7. Prepare the saffron milk
Mix 1/4 tsp. saffron with 2 tbsp. warm milk, then let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes. The saffron solution will later be poured onto the surface of the rice and enrich the taste before the rice goes through the final cooking process.
Step 8. Prepare the chapati dough to wrap the rice
Put 500 grams of chapati flour in a bowl, then pour about 60 grams of warm water over it. Stir until the two ingredients are well mixed and form a soft dough.
- If the texture of the dough is too dry and difficult to mix, you can add about 1-2 tbsp. water.
- Knead the dough. Press the surface of the dough with your knuckles and palms that have been previously moistened with water so that the dough doesn't end up sticking to your skin. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
Part 4 of 4: Courageous Cooking
Step 1. Place the chicken in the bottom of a thick saucepan
If you follow the traditional method, beriani must be cooked using a typical Indian pot called biryani handi. However, you most likely don't have one, right? Therefore, you can also cook boldly using any pot with a thick base. If possible, use a nonstick pan for best results.
Arrange the chicken so that it covers the entire bottom and/or sides of the pan evenly. Do this so that each piece of chicken is well cooked to the bone
Step 2. Put the rice that has been cooked until 1/2 or 3/4 cooked to the pot
In general, you can pour half the rice over the chicken pieces that have been laid out in the bottom of the pan.
- With the help of a slotted spoon, press the surface of the rice so that it has a denser texture. Don't worry if you see a little water coming out of the rice. The steam that comes out will help to cook the rice as it cooks one last time.
- On the surface of the rice, sprinkle about 2 tbsp. fried onions) and 8-10 min. If you want, you can also sprinkle some cashews or golden raisins.
Step 3. Pour the rest of the rice over it
This is the second and last layer of rice that you will add. Once the rice is well and evenly distributed, pour in the remaining fried onions (about 1 tbsp.), about 1/2 tbsp. cilantro, 3-5 mint leaves, saffron solution, and about 6 tbsp. ghee on it.
Additional complementary materials that may or may not be used are rose water. If you want to use rosewater, just pour 1/2 full spoonful over the surface of your rice
Step 4. Place the lid on the pot upside down
Then, roll out the dough until it's long enough, and stick it on the edge of the lid you're using. That way, when the lid is turned over and the pan is covered, the chapati batter can help "lock in" the pan and trap the hot steam that escapes as the chicken and rice cook.
- Then, flip the lid over and press the edges firmly so that the pan can be properly covered while cooking.
- If necessary, you can place an object that is heavy enough on top of the lid to make it more stable. However, the dough that locks the edges of the pot lid should have worked quite effectively to keep it stable.
Step 5. Cook boldly
For 5-10 minutes, cook lightly over high heat. Then, remove the pot from the stove and place the heatproof plate on the stove. After that, put the pot back on the plate and continue the cooking process.
- This is the safest method of cooking daring, especially since it doesn't risk scorching from direct exposure to the stove flame.
- After about 35 minutes, turn off the heat but don't rush to open the lid. Instead, let it sit for 10 minutes first.
Step 6. Slowly, open the lid of the pot
The chapati dough should look slightly overcooked, hardened, and cracked. Open the lid of the pot to check the condition of the guts inside.
- Be careful as the hot steam escaping can burn your hands!
- Slowly add a large spoon to the ribs, then remove the rice and chicken from the bottom of the pot. Each piece of chicken should be golden brown.
Step 7. Enjoy your delicious treats
Usually, beriani is eaten by hand and served with raita, a yogurt sauce that tastes fresh and delicious.
Tips
- If necessary, you can replace the cumin seeds with black cumin seeds.
- If the pan you are using does not have a special lid, try covering the surface with aluminum foil.
- If you want, you can pour a little ketchup on the surface of the cooked rice.
