Kollam Biryani

Yet another mouth-watering Biryani, unique with flavour from the South of Kerala.

Total time is not inclusive of  30 minutes Marination. This biryani can be made with mutton or chicken.

Please read through the entire recipe before you begin. Do not let the number of ingredients deter you. They are mostly spices and ingredients are repeated in the different sections of List of Ingredients.

The Recipe Intro has more info and Video in Malayalam language. Check it out.

Ingredients:

Chicken or Mutton medium sized pieces, cleaned and drained		1 kg
Onions for thin slicing ( to be fried )		4
red onions		2
shallots		1 cup
Coconut oil for frying the onions and garnish ( 1 1/2 cups ) and some for the masala		4 Tbsp
Fennel seeds		1 tsp
Small hot green chillies ( left whole)		15- 20
Curry leaves		2 Tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste		4 Tbsp
Turmeric powder		1/2 tsp
black pepper powder		3/4 tsp
Coriander powder		2 tsp
Kerala Garam Masala ( see notes for my recipe)		1 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes, chopped		2
Grated carrot		1 1/2 cups
Grated cabbage		1 1/2 cupS
Diced fresh pineapple		1 1/2 cups
Kismis / sultanas		25 gms
Cashew nuts		65 gms
Fresh Coriander/Cilantro ( divided)		2 handfuls
Fresh Mint ( divided)		2 small handfuls
Ghee(Clarified butter)		4 Tbsp
Pineapple essence		1/4 tsp
Rose water		1 1/2 Tbsp
Salt (1 - 1/4 tsp)		To taste:

For Rice:

Basmati rice ( 1 cup=240 mls)		3 1/2 cups
Litres water		3
Salt ( since we are draining the rice when 3/4th cooked we need more salt)		3 Tbsp
Cloves		1/2 tsp
Green cardamom		1 tsp
Cinnamon		3-4 sticks
Star anise		A small piece of
Ghee (clarified butter)		2 Tbsp

For Marinating:

Thick and sour Yoghurt (or use greek style yoghurt)		3 Tbsp
Chopped Mint leaves		2 Tbsp
Turmeric powder		1/2 tsp
Salt		1 tsp

Method:

1. Clean the chicken or mutton well and drain thoroughly. Add all ingredients ‘For Marinating’ and rub well into the chicken pieces. The marinade should make a thick coating and not be runny. Marinate 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare all other ingredients in the order given below.
2. Take the 4 onions ( to be fried). Cut in half and use a mandoline slicer to slice as thinly as possible. This gives best results for the ‘fried garnish’ onions, helping them to become crisp.
3. Rinse the sliced onion under running water in a colander. Later spread out the rinsed onion in the colander and leave to dry out a bit under a fan or near a window. This step helps to keep the fried onion from becoming too oil, and they stay nice and crisp.
4. Chop 2 additional onions along with the shallots and set aside. This is for the masala.
5. Rinse the Rice for the Biryani. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt, scrub gently and continue rinsing till the water runs clear. Pour fresh water over the rice and leave soak for 15 minutes only. Drain and keep in the colander till ready to cook.
6. Heat the coconut oil in a small wok for frying the cashew, kismis and thinly sliced onion.
7. Fry the garnish ingredients: Fry cashew nuts in the coconut oil till golden. Strain from oil and set aside.
8. Add the kismis and stir quickly. Remove as soon as they puff up from the oil and set aside along with the fried cashew nuts.
9. Next, fry the mandoline sliced, onion in batches till golden. See notes. Set aside.
10. Once the fried onion is removed, add half the chopped fresh mint and coriander. Fry till it starts to look crisp and bright green. Remove from oil and set this aside with all the other fried ingredients as well.
11. Cook the rice: Boil 3-litre water and 3 Tbsp salt in a large pot. Add the whole spices ( cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise – ‘for the rice’ along with 2 Tbsp ghee). Bring to a rolling boil and add the drained rice.
12. Cover and cook on high till the water bubbles up to the lid, this should happen in 1 minute.
13. Remove the lid, lower heat and simmer for exactly 5 minutes. Drain quickly.  (Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid). The rice should be only 3/4th cooked at this stage.
14. Cook the Masala: To the same pot used for cooking the rice ( wiped clean ) , add 4 Tbsp coconut oil and heat.
15. Add 1 tsp fennel seeds and when they pop add the whole green chillies. When they turn bright green and you can smell the chilli, add the chopped onion and shallots. Also add curry leaves. Saute for 2 minutes on medium heat till soft and golden in colour.
16. Now add the marinated chicken and toss well on high heat. Fry the chicken pieces, until they are no longer pink and develop a brown colour from the fried onions (About 2 minutes).
17. Next add the ginger garlic paste and continue tossing till the chicken is coated nicely and the raw smell of ginger and garlic is gone.
18. We can now add all the spice powders ( 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 3/4 tsp black pepper powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 1/2 tsp Kerala garam masala). Sprinkle water so that the spices do not stick to the pot.
19. If you are using country fowl, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook covered for 10 minutes. Broiler chicken requires only 1/2 cup, really.. Chicken should be 90% cooked with 10% cooking time left. Remember the chicken will cook further in the ‘dum’ process. If cooking mutton, add more water and cook covered in the same way.
20. Scatter the chopped tomato and the remaining chopped fresh, mint and coriander over this masala. Do not stir. Also add half the quantity of the following (pineapple cubes, grated cabbage, grated carrot, fried onion, the fried mint and coriander as well as half the fried cashew and kismis). Scatter everything evenly over the masala.
21. Add 3/4 of the drained rice over the top. Spread it evenly and just pat lightly.
22. Add the remaining (pineapple cubes, grated cabbage, grated carrot, the fried mint and coriander ) Also add some more fried onion, cashew and kismis, reserving the rest for final garnish.
23. Add remaining drained rice over the top. Spread it evenly and just pat lightly.
24. Mix the 4 Tbsp ghee in the reserved liquid from boiling the rice(1/4 cup).  Add the pineapple essence and rose water to this and stir well.  Sprinkle this all over the top of the rice.
25. Place the lid on top with either of these methods, to prevent steam from escaping. (1. Use a   soft, pliable dough made with flour, water and a tiny bit of ghee to make a thick rope all around the lid. Press to seal the lid to the mouth of the pot. 2 Use a double sheet of aluminium foil to cover the pot and then cover tightly with the lid. 3 Use a thick, damp cloth just a little larger than the mouth of the pot to cover, before shutting with the lid.)
26. Once sealed, cook on lowest heat for 20 minutes. Allow to cool down for 10 minutes, then pry open the sealed lid to be mesmerised by the sheer fragrance. Toss lightly to mix. It will look a little moist, to begin with, this moisture will be absorbed/ aired out quickly.
27. Garnish with the reserved fried ingredients and some fresh coriander.
28. Serve with a cool Raita and Pickle

Kollam Biryani

Notes:

• The Fried Onions: Using the method of rinsing the sliced onion and drying out before frying, helps to make the fried onion less oily and crisp at the same time. Heat oil or ghee for frying the finely sliced onions in a small wok. When hot, add the finely sliced onions and fry, stirring occasionally so that the slices stay separate. It may seem at first that the onions take some time to change color, but as soon as they start changing colour, they will burn quickly so keep a close watch. Strain and keep aside in a metal spider strainer. This is better than using a kitchen paper towel to keep the onions crisp. You can place the spider strainer over kitchen paper towels. (Refer Video).
• For fried garnish, always fry the cashew and kismis first and set aside – before you fry the onions. If cashews are fried in the oil after frying the onion, they will develop the flavour of the fried onion which is not desirable.
• When choosing pineapple for this recipe, use sweet but not overly ripe pineapple.  The pineapple helps to add a lot of flavour and fragrance to the rice and is unique in this style of biryani. I love it. If you hate pineapple, you can remove the chunks while serving, but i really recommend adding it in the layering.
• Copper-based pots are best for The dum process in  Biryani making.
• My Kerala Garam Masala Recipe.

Key Ingredients: Chicken/ Mutton, Biryani Rice, Onions, Ginger, garlic, Green Chilli, Tomato, Herbs, Spices, Ghee, Coconut Oil, Carrot, Cabbage, Pineapple, flavourings, Salt.

EAT AND TELL!!!

Let us know if you tried –  Kollam Biryani