Feel The Fire - A Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Recipe

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani is an Indian dish created mainly with rice and chicken, though other meats can be used.  Though the recipe is usually time consuming, the dish is fairly easy to make. It involves a lot of spices, so be warned. Usually the dish is hot, but you can add as many or as few chilies as you want to adjust the heat. Typically, Indian food is spicy, but of course those with weaker stomachs may not be able to handle the heat.

First, marinade the chicken in the following mixture for at least two hours"

-    Raw chicken tenders about 1 pound
-    ½ bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
-    ½ bunch mint, roughly chopped
-    1 cinnamon stick
-    2 cloves
-    3 green cardamoms (these may be difficult to find in your store, so about a tablespoon of cinnamon and a tablespoon of nutmeg or ginger will substitute nicely)
-    1 bay leaf
-    1 teaspon of cumin powder
-    ½ teaspoon coriander powder
-    1 tablespoon ginger paste
-    1 tablespoon garlic paste
-    1 green chilli (To make the dish spicier add more)
-    ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder (To make the dish spicier add more)
-    1 tablespoon garam masala
-    1 tablespoon javeri mace
-    1 tablespoon lemon juice
-    1 cup fried onions (These you can by or simply chop a raw onion and fry in a bit of oil)
-    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
-    3 pepper corns
-    ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
-    1 cup yogurt
-    Salt to taste

Then, start on the rice.

For this part, you will need:

-    1-2 cups of rice (traditionally Basmati but white will work just fine)
-    3 cups of water
-    half a bunch of mint leaves
-    a tablespoon of coriander
-    ¾ cup of fried onions (like before, you can buy these in a jar or fry them yourself in oil)

Soak the rice for a bout 30 minutes. Then, in a large pot, bring the rice to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Drain the rice, and add the marinated chicken to the pot. Add a few mint leaves, about a tablespoon of coriander, and another ¾ cup of fried onions. Cook on medium for about 20 minutes. Then bring down the heat and allow the mixture to sit for about five minutes. Finally, ration it out and enjoy the delicious Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani.