STEP BY STEP CHICKEN DUM BIRYANI RECIPE TUTORIAL| HOMEMADE CHICKEN BIRYANI HYDERABADI DUM BIRYANI

I don't know about you but I love me some chicken biryani. It was brought to India by the Persians and over time, we have made it sort of our own . It is rice cooked with spices and marinated meat and when I say spices I mean a lot of spices . Before you proceed , disclaimer : this is no cake walk  and requires patience and some preparation so don't expect to whip out a perfect biryani like a special effort dinner. This is more than that. Biryani can be considered somewhat like Brad Pitt of rice dishes , its that good! However, its not overly technical . Sure the list of ingredients is long, but it is worthed. So before I take you on a tour to biryani land , here are some technical points to remember :

1. Whether using chicken or mutton ( a grown lamb) , make sure you use it on the bone and in large chunks. Bone has a lot of flavor  and small pieces may cook to quick and turn dry or chewy. 
2. Choose the correct rice . Traditionally Basmati is used which is a long grain , fragrant variety of rice. It has less starch content making it fluffy and separated. Most short grain rice have a lot of starch and turn gluggy which is why they are perfect for dishes like risotto . 
3. Not overcooking the rice (or the meat) : Rice is par boiled then cooked in dum (steam) and considering basmati is a pretty delicate rice , you need to be careful not to overcook it. Check after 6 minutes of boiling , it should be only 70% cooked , which means it will still be resistant to crush.
4. Frying the onions : The brown onions are an integral part of this dish. They impart flavor and to get that flavor , you need to fry the onions on low heat. Do not under any circumstances crank up the heat . Onions have natural sugars in them and when they are heated , the onions become sweet. However , we need to caramelise the sugars slowly and not burn them as they will give off a bitter taste to the rice.

Recipe : Chicken Dum Biryani

Prep time : 12 hours 

Cooking time : 1.5 hours

Serves :6 

Cuisine : Indian

Course : Main

Ingredients :

1. 2 cups Basmati rice
2. 500 grams chicken with bones
3.  2/3 cup of yogurt + 1/4 cup milk
4. 1 tsp ginger paste
5. 1 tsp garlic paste
6. 1/2 tsp of each of the following :
1. Cumin powder
2. Garam Masala powder
3. Tumeric Powder
4. Red Chilli Powder
7. 1 tsp of coriander powder and chicken spice mix each
8. Salt and Pepper to taste
9. 18 green cardamoms + 15 cloves+ 5 one inch pieces of cinnamon + 4 bayleaves
10. 2+4  tbsp  of oil or ghee
11. 2 large onions , sliced 
12. A large pinch of saffron
13. 1/2 cup milk
14. 3 soft boiled eggs
15. A dough made of  1 cup of wheat flour and water

Procedure :

1. Take your chicken , add the yogurt and milk. Add salt and pepper, cumin, coriander, garam masala, chicken spice mix, tumeric, red chilli powder, ginger paste and garlic paste. Mix thoroughly . Cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
   
   

1. Next morning. Wash the rice multiple times until the water runs almost clear and then soak the rice at room temperature until the grains swell and become opaque.
   
2. Boil 8 cups of water with salt and whole spices , i.e. cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. Add the rice and boil until rice is 70% cooked. This should be at 6-8 minutes on high heat. Drain ( you may add 2 tbsp of ghee at this point and mix the rice) Reserve until needed.
3. Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the slices onions with a pinch of salt . Cook on low , ocassionally stirring until the onions are browned . Drain on a kitchen paper.
   
4. Soak the saffron in milk and let it sit.
5. In a kadai/wok, heat the remaining oil and add the chicken with all the marinade. Cook on medium until the chicken is 70% cooked and most of the moisture has vaporised and the curry is separating oil at the edges. Remove from heat.
   
6. Take a really thick , deep pot with a lid. Brush oil/ghee on the base and the sides. Place 1/rd of the rice . Place 3 pieces of chicken along with 1/2 the gravy (place the larger and tougher pieces like the thigh). Sprinkle 1/3rd of fried onions and few tbsps of the saffron infused milk. Repeat, place eggs in this layer too.  Add the final layer of rice, onions and saffron milk. 
   
   
7. Roll a long log from the dough and attach it along the circumference of the pot. Place the lid. Cook the biryani on the lowest setting of the gas for about 30 minutes. Turn off the gas and let it sit on the burner for another 30 mins. 
8. Serve immediate with raita and papad.

Optional : If you prefer , you can use a few drops of rose water or kewda water. I don't prefer the aroma so I left it out.

What do you  think of this recipe ??? Please rate and it would be even nicer if you left a comment and shared this recipe on your social media. 

Salted Creme Caramel

With my intense addiction to desserts in general, I try to make every thing at home, preferably from scratch (I would even grow my own produce if I had the means) . This serves two purposes : 1.It tastes much better and quality is under my control. 2. I don't have to dine at fancy restaurants and burn a hole in my pocket.  Creme Caramel is a French Classic dessert, it basically Creme Bruleé, without the caramelised top which is so satisfying to break into. Caramel custard is also a variation , where the sugar is caramelised and is in liquid form as a sauce over the set custard. Its famous in Mexican cuisine and is called Flan. These basically have the same base. Creme = Cream and Caramel=Cooked Sugar to a point before burnt. This is a fairly easy dessert, takes no more than 20 minutes of active time, can be prepared the day/night before,  keeps in the fridge for a good 3 days (although I guarantee it won't stay that long). Here are some foot notes :

1. Texture. There is a prefernce when it comes to the texture of a custard. I like mine creamy and just set, but like it to hold its shape when I spoon it. Something like the picture above. This is primarily achieved with egg yolks, the more egg yolks , firmer the texture. But whatyou want to strike is the balance between firm and custardy, with the cream. Most recipes use milk as a thinner , because an all cream base would be too rich, even for me and also it could burn easily.
2. Do not Burn the Caramel. Caramelising anything is pretty technical. You need to cook the sugars on the verge of burn but save it from burning and apart from being extremely risky to handle (caramel can give you 3rd degree burns, so be careful), it goes from caramel to burnt , bitter, inedible mess in literally seconds.If you do burn it, discard and start again. There is no known way to save burnt caramel.
3. Texture development with chilling. This is no good warm or cold . This has to chill for at least 6 hours before you even think of digging into. You need that time for the texture and flavor to develop and the residual eggyness to go away.

Recipe : Salted Creme Caramel

Prep time : 6.5 hours 

Active time: 30 mins

Serves : 2

Cuisine : French

Course  : Dessert

Ingredients : 

1. 1/4 cup sugar
2. 1/2 cup of cream 
3. 1/4 cup milk
4. 3 large egg yolks
5. 1 tsp of vanilla extract
6. pinch of salt.

Procedure :

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, place your sugar on medium heat. Swirl the pan around. Do not stir. Just don't OK. Keep swirling until all the sugar is melted and you  have a dark caramel.
2. Add the cream and stir. Turn the heat to low.There will be bubbles and steam , so be careful. Whisk. It will look like you have messed up because the caramel will solidify. Its ok, thats how it is supposed to look like. Continue whisking. 
3. Add the milk and  continue to cook on low.
4. In a bowl with three large egg yolks, pour your caramel mixture in a thin, steady stream , whisking continuously. This has to be done this way only because you want to shock the yolks with heat and temper them but you don't want scrambled eggs , so whisk to distribute the heat instantly.
5. Place the contents back to your pan and whisk again for about 30 seconds.
6. Place the pan back to the lowest mark on your stove and whisk continuosly until the mixture reaches the creme anglaise consistency, meaning , it will coat the back of your spoon or the bottom of your pan.
7. Pour your caramel mixture into oven proof pudding moulds or ramekins. Remove air bubbles by first tapping, then running a toothpick along the liquid and then with a spoon (you may find this being nit-picky, which it is, I am low key OCD)
8. Place on a baking dish, fill half of the dish with boiling water and place it in a preheated 160℃ oven for about 40 mins(this will depend on your oven), until the custard is set. It will no longer jiggle when you shake it.
9. Cool to room temperature, cover will cling and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.
10. Serve chilled. 

              

What do you  think of this recipe ??? Please rate and it would be even nicer if you left a comment and shared this recipe on your social media.