Sindhi Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:

• 1kg chicken cut into large cubes
• 250g basmati rice
• 100g natural yoghurt
• 3 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges 
• Refined oil
• 3 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 10 cloves
• 5-6 green cardamom pods plus 8 to cook rice
• 4-5 cinnamon quills
• 1 tablespoon dried red chilli powder
• ½ tbsp turmeric
• ½ tbsp paprika
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 heaped tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• 8 -10 black peppercorns, ground
• 2-3 black cardamom pods
• 3 long green chillies, whole, plus 1 finely sliced
• 1 bunch coriander, chopped
• 1 bunch mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp saffron, soaked briefly in milk
• 25gms each of almonds,Cashew nuts and Raisins

Preparation:

• Fry onions in a little refined oil until golden brown and translucent.
• Add chicken and stir for a few minutes.
• Add ginger and garlic.
• Add yoghurt and all dried spices except saffron, mixing well to combine.
• Add 1 cup water, green chillies and salt.
• Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Soak rice for half an hour, drain and cook in boiling water with extra green cardamom pods. Drain when cooked and split into two lots.
• Add saffron to one half of the rice and stir through to distribute saffron evenly.
• Combine tomatoes, mint, coriander, and sliced green chilli.
• Add 1/3 of the tomato mixture to the chicken mixture.
• Cover and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
• On a large serving platter, spoon out ½ the plain rice and top with the chicken curry.
• Spoon over ½ the saffron rice and sprinkle with half the remaining mint and green chilli mixture.
• Add a layer of the plain rice, saffron rice.
• Top with remaining tomato, mint and green chilli mixture, then sprinkle over almonds, cashews and raisins.

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