Kozhikodan Dum Biriyani

®This is a RAS signature Recipe©

Total time is not inclusive of Marination and resting

A truly mouthwatering,  and unique preparation of authentic Kozhikodan Style Biriyani (Calicut Biryani).

The Recipe Intro has more pictures and link to the Malayalam language Video. Check it out.

If you are sharing this recipe on your blog/page, kindly share the link to this page, instead of cut/copy etc.. All recipes are copyrighted material.

Ingredients:

(1 chicken )- cleaned, skinned and cut into medium sized pieces		1 kg
Long grain, aged basmati rice		4 cups
Rose water		2 tsp
Salt		1 tsp (plus extra as needed)
Coconut oil, for shallow frying the marinated chicken		3 Tbsp plus 1/4 cup, divided
Red onions sliced		1 1/2 cups/ 3 NOS
Tomatoes, chopped		2
Garlic cloves, minced		4 large
Ginger, minced		1 inch piece
Green chilli, chopped		1 mild long
Fresh ghee		1/2 Tbsp
Lime juice		2 tsp
Fresh Mint leaves		5-6
Fresh coriander to garnish		As needed
Small Hot Green chillies - (optional - ONLY IF NOT ADDED TO MARINADE BELOW)		4-5

To Marinate the Chicken:

Juice of one large Indian lime		4 tsp
Salt		1 1/2 tsp
Thick yoghurt		1 cup
Garlic		2 Tbsp
Ginger		2 Tbsp
Fresh mint- use only the leaves		Large bunch ( 50 gms )
Fresh coriander/ cilantro		Large bunch ( 50 gms )
Grated fresh coconut		2-3 tsp
Small Hot Green chillies (Optional in marinade- can add it whole later during the 'Dum')		5
Coriander powder		2 Tbsp
Chilli powder		2 tsp
Garam masala ( I use my Kerala Garam Masala - see notes)		2 tsp
Turmeric powder		2 tsp
Fennel seed powder / saunf		1 tsp

For  fried Garnish:

Red onions		3
RAW cashewnuts		1/2 cup
Golden raisins / sultanas		1/4 cup
Ghee  (RKG brand, preferred) OR OIL		1/2 cup

For Kozhikodan Biriyani Masala Powder:

Cloves		2
Green cardamom		2
Cinnamon		2 small sticks
Entire blade of mace / javaitri		HALF portion of
Caraway seeds / shahi jeera / persian cumin		1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds		1/4 tsp
Bay Leaf		1

For cooking the Rice:

ghee ( you may use leftover ghee from frying the onions or use fresh ghee)		4 Tbsp
garlic, finely minced		1 clove
cloves		10
green cardamom		6
cinnamon sticks		4-5 small
Star anise / chakraphool / thakolam		half the petals/segments of the entire spice
water		6 cups
salt		3 3/4 tsp
rose water		2 tsp
lime juice		1/2 tsp
rose essence		1/4 tsp
pineapple essence		1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Keep the cleaned chicken pieces drained. Make sure there is no liquid before marinating.
2. First, add the lime juice and salt to the chicken and rub well.  Allow sitting for 10 minutes while you grind/blend the remaining ‘marinade’ ingredients and soak the Biryani rice.
3. Prepare the marinade for the chicken: To a strong mixer/ blender add the garlic, ginger, yogurt, fresh mint, fresh coriander, grated fresh coconut, and green chili (optional). Blend till absolutely smooth.
4. Rinse the rice several times till the water runs clear. Cover the rice with fresh water to soak, so that the water is 1 inch above the rice. To this add the rose water (2 -3 tsp) and salt (1 tsp). Mix well and set aside to soak for 15 minutes. No more. Keep drained.
5. To the chicken ( marinated initially with lime and salt), add the ground green paste, along with all the spice powders (coriander powder, chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, and fennel seed powder). Rub all the ingredients into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate, covered for 30 minutes.
6. Make the Spice Powder: Add all the spices listed under the ‘Kozhikodan Biryani Masala Powder’ to a small coffee grinder/ spice grinder and grind to a powder. Set aside to add to the masala.
7. Prepare the fried Garnish: Use a mandolin slicer to finely slice the 3 onions for garnish. Heat 1/2 cup of ghee/oil and fry the sultanas and cashew nuts separately till puffed/ golden and set aside. Then fry the thinly sliced onion in batches (Don’t overcrowd). Fry till golden brown without going dark. Strain and scatter on a spider strainer. They become crisper as they cool off.
8. Prepare the Chicken Masala: Strain 3 Tbsp of the ghee used for frying the garnish items into a pressure cooker. Add 3 Tbsp of coconut oil to this.
9. Once the ghee/coconut oil is hot enough, add the 3 sliced onions and 2 chopped tomatoes together. Stir on low heat patiently till this reduces and becomes mushy and golden in color. About 10 minutes. 
10. Simultaneously par-fry the chicken on another burner while you do this: fLASH FRY the chicken pieces, lifted from the marinade, just till both sides develop a golden-brown crust. Don’t cook through. Do this in batches and reserve the marinade left in the bowl for later.
11. Once the onion-tomato mixture is softened and reduced in the pressure cooker, add the finely chopped ginger, garlic, and mild green chili. Sauce till the raw smell is gone.
12. Add the prepared spice powder now, and stir till fragrant.
13. Add the partially-fried chicken and toss well in the masala, to coat evenly. The pieces should have a nice coating of the masala.
14. Add the marinade left in the bowl to the chicken, Add one Tbsp of yogurt only if you feel the mixture needs loosening. Toss well.
15. Pressure cook for a single steam whistle on medium heat. Cool under running water and open the cooker.
16. If you find too much liquid, you need to continue cooking with the cooker open till the liquids evaporate.
17. Do a taste test and add 1- 2 tsp lime juice. Also, add 1/2 Tbsp ghee now ( fresh ghee). Stir through.
18. Add a few leaves of mint as well as HALF of the fried golden onions to this masala. Stir again and remove from heat.
19. Cook the rice:  Heat the ghee(4Tbsp) in a heavy-based pot. Add the minced clove of garlic.
20. Before the garlic changes color, add the whole spices for the rice. Allow the spices to pop.
21. Add the drained rice and toss well. Fry lightly till the grains are glossy from the ghee.
22. Add the water (6 cups) , salt, rose water, lime juice. As soon as you see signs of water bubbling up, you want to cover, reduce heat and cook till all water is absorbed. ( I do not stir frequently, just listen to the pot for sound and check if the water is absorbed a few times. This makes the grains longer and more beautiful).
23. Once the rice is cooked, slowly remove the spices that have settled over the top of the cooked rice.
24. Sprinkle the rose essence and pineapple essence over the rice and then fluff up the rice from the bottom of the pot, gently with a spatula and fork, We need to let go of extra steam, or the rice will sit in its own sweat and become mushy. Always fluff up Biryani rice as soon as it is done, and allow to cool off afterward.
25. Layer and ‘DUM’ – sealed cooking method: Now we will cook the chicken masala and the rice together in a sealed, steaming environment. You need a pot, large enough to hold both the rice and masala, and enough room for some steam to develop as well. PREHEAT OVEN TO 200 °C.
26. Very lightly grease the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken masala on the bottom, keeping the masala in the center and not touching the edges of the pot.
27. Sprinkle some fresh coriander over the top and add some more fried onion. Leave the remaining onions for garnishing, while serving.
28. (If you did not add green chili to the chicken marinade, you can add whole, hot small green chilies over the masala. Add to spice tolerance level. They will be ‘steamed’ through and add some wonderful aroma and heat to the biriyani, once done).
29. Scatter the fluffed up rice over the top, loosely. Then lightly pat the rice to level it off.
30. Add some of the fried garnish (onion-cashew-sultanas) on top, as well as some fresh coriander. Reserve rest for serving time.
31. Cover the mouth of the pot, securely with aluminum foil, and then press the lid on tightly. Make sure no steam escapes.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
32. (If cooking on the stovetop, you can seal the lid with a rope of raw dough and place the sealed pot on top of an old grill pan that has been heated well beforehand. Reduce heat and cook on this ‘indirect heat for 20 minutes.)
33. For best results, leave the pot in the oven( turned off) for 10 minutes to rest. Then gently fork up the rice from the bottom, mixing the masala and rice till nicely combined ( without over mixing). Then close and rest again for at least 20 minutes so that the flavors develop. Generally, the biryani tastes better the longer it sits, after mixing. You can pop it back in the oven for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Kozhikodan Dum Biriyani

Notes:

• My Kerala/Malabar Garam Masala Recipe

 Key Ingredients: Basmati Rice, Chicken, Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Tomato, Yoghurt, Oil, Spices, Herbs, Coconut, Ghee, Sultanas, Cashewnuts.

EAT AND TELL!!!

Let us know if you tried –  Kozhikodan Dum Biriyani

Mail me >  recipesaresimple@gmail.com