Weird Sindhi Biryani

Note 1: Somehow this is like an Uyghur Polo. Or Nasi Briyani Gam.

Note 2: Recipe is from youtube, KitchenwithAmma? Or CookingwithAmma. Cannot remember... Original recipe is really quite a lot. For 2-3 people, please halve this recipe.

Ingredients:

Part A - Rice

3 cups basmati long grain rice

2 pc bay leaf

4 black cardamom (I don't have)

4 star anise

6 green cardamom

6 cloves

12 black peppercorn

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coarse salt

Part B - Chicken Gravy

1-2 cups of ghee or cooking oil

1/2kg chicken parts

5 medium large red onions

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp chili powder

+ 1 tbsp paprika powder (for red colour)

1 tbsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp coarse salt 

+ 1 tbsp chicken stock powder

+ 1 tbsp sugar

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup water

1 large potato (half boiled)

3 eggs (hard boiled)

6 green chilis

2 medium tomatoes

1/4 cup coriander stalk and leaves

1/4 cup of mint

6-10 dried prunes or aloo bukhara

Past C - Garnishing

Tomato slices

Lemon slices

1 tbsp nutmeg and mace powder (I don't have)

Coriander leaves

Fried onion

Yellow and orange food colouring

Ghee

Preparation (Mise en Place)

1. Soak rice in water for 2 hours or more.

2. Half boil the potatoes. Cut into desirable stew pieces.

3. Hard boil the eggs. Peel off the skin.

4. Julienne the onion.

5. Ground garlic and ginger to make paste.

6. Slice thinly tomatoes and lemon.

7. Halve the green chilis vertically.

8. Roughly chop the coriander and mint leaves. Reserve the coriander stalk for gravy.

9. If you hate to bite on pieces of spices, I recommend to put the spices for rice in a bag and tie it up for infusion. This shall be our rice spice mix.

10. Combine coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt in a bowl. This shall be our briyani spice mix.

Steps:

1. Sautee the onions in enough ghee and cooking oil on top of medium flame, until onions are browned and caramelized. Save a quarter of the onion for garnishing later.

2. Add in chicken. Lightly toss the chicken to harden the skin.

3. Add in garlic and ginger paste. Sautee for a while to remove the raw bite.

4. Add in the briyani spice mix. Toss around to coat the chicken.

5. Add in water, yoghurt, potatoes, eggs, tomato slices, coriander stalks and green chilis. Adjust water to cover ingredients sufficiently. Let boil and simmer under medium heat for 15 minutes the add prune. Simmer more until the chicken are quite soft and flavours had been extracted. 

6. In the meantime, in another pot, bring water to boil together with our rice spice mix. After water has boiled, add in our rice. Wait until it is boiling again, and 5 minutes after, our rice should be done cooking about 70%-80%. Drain and remove from cooking.

7. Add the rice on top of the chicken. Chicken gravy should be quite thick at this point of time. Do not mix the biryani pot yet. Rice should stay untouched on top of the chicken. Lower the heat to smallest flame.

8. Garnish your rice with food colouring mixed with ghee first. Then slices of lemon, tomatoes, mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onion, nutmeg and mace powder. Cover the briyani and let the rice finish cooking on steam for another 15 minutes or until the rice are fully cooked.

9. Serve with cucumber raita, or coconut chutney, or mint chutney, and with papadom.