Lucknowi Chicken Biryani

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Lucknowi Biryani – Awadhi dum biryani / Pakka Biryani

Lucknowi Biryani is authentically known to be a more floral scented Biryani. It is lighter on the Masala powders and incorporates Meeta attar/Itr, saffron, sandal and kewra and rose water. The use of Yellow chilli powder is also predominant and not many people have access to these ingredients.

Lucknowi Biryani is considered a clean rice biryani, that is free of chillies and fresh herbs(coriander/mint) throughout the rice. Sauteed onion masala is also usually not found. Instead, the onions are fried till golden to perfection and the exotic scent of kewra, saffron, rose and sandalwood oil takes over the job of making this a non-spicy- clean floral-scented Biryani.

This is RAS’ version of Lucknowi Biryani, although I have skipped the hard to find ingredients in the video, you can use them, if you have them. They are all mentioned here in the recipe. I have also added some non-traditional items to cater to my taste. Read more on the Intro page.

The Recipe Intro↓ has more info on the authentic Lucknowi Biryani as well as Recipe Video. If you’d like to check it out.

♦Prep time: 30 min ♦Cook time: 45 min ♦Soaking&Resting: 35 min ♦Serves: 7

You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients:

Fresh chicken (skinless, bone-in pieces), cut into medium-large size pieces		1 kg
Basmati Rice		3 1/2 cups
Saffron		1 Tbsp
Hot milk		3 Tbsp
Red onions		3 large
Ghee plus a little for greasing the 'Dum' pot.		2 Tbsp
Vegetable shortening or Dalda		2 Tbsp
Oil		2 Tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste		1 Tbsp
Kashmiri chilli powder(see notes)		3 tsp
Turmeric powder		1/4 tsp
Bay leaves		3
Thick Yoghurt, whipped		4 Tbsp
Tomatoes, chopped, (the large tomato sliced -for layering)		2 small plus 1 large
Thick coconut cream (See notes)		2 Tbsp
Thick pouring cream (Dairy cream)		4 Tbsp
Fresh lime/lemon juice		2 tsp
Fresh chopped coriander leaves, divided (not used traditionally - See notes)		1/2 cup - plus a handful
Hot green chillies, left whole (not used traditionally - See notes)		8-10 small
Plain flour (kneaded with water to prepare the dough to seal the pot -Dum-Phukt method)		1 1/2 cup

Spice Mixture:

Desiccated coconut (dry)		2 Tbsp
Green Cardamom pods		5
Cloves		8
Cinnamon		A small stick
Whole black peppercorns		6-8
Cumin seeds		1 tsp
Cashew nuts (or white poppyseeds/kaskas if available)		3

To par-cook the rice

Water( & 3Tbsp Salt)		3 litres
Cloves		5
Cinnamon		2 small sticks

*Traditional Additions

Kewra water		1 tsp
Rosewater		1 tsp
Sandlewood oil (food-grade)		1/2 tsp
Yellow chilli powder mixed with 1 Tbsp milk		1 tsp

Traditional additions are ingredients that are typically used for authentic flavour and scent – but not available for everyone( use them if you are able to get them):

Method:

1. First off, add the saffron strands(1Tbsp)  to a bowl and pour the hot milk(3Tbsp). Set this aside, to infuse well to make concentrated saffron milk.
2. Clean the chicken pieces thoroughly and keep drained. Make sure all water is removed.
3. Rinse the Basmati time 3-4 times, till the water runs clear of starch. Then, cover with fresh water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain using a colander, and set aside.
4. Slice the onions(3Nos), as thinly as possible. Use of a mandoline slicer is recommended here.
5. Add all the ingredients, listed under ‘ Spice Mixture’ to a dry non-stick pan.  Dry roast, continuously stirring 1-2 minutes on medium heat, till lightly toasted. Remove to a spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder. Set this spice mixture aside.
6. Place a wide and deep non-stick pan/wok on the burner and heat it for a couple of minutes.  Add the ghee(2Tbsp), vegetable shortening(2Tbsp)  and oil(2Tbsp)  and allow to come up to heat.
7. Add the sliced red onions and fry them, with constant stirring. You will see they eventually start turning golden brown.
8. As the onions, begin to become slightly crisp and a lovely golden brown,  quickly remove the golden crispy onions from the oil using a strainer. They should not turn black, or you will have to start over.
9. To the oil left in the pan add the ginger-garlic paste(1Tbsp) and saute till it no longer smells raw.
10. Add the prepared spice mixture now, along with Kashmiri chilli powder(2tsp), turmeric powder(1/4tsp) and Bay leaves(3Nos).
11. Stir briefly, on low-medium flame, till the spices are nice and aromatic. Careful not to burn the spices.
12. Add water(1/2cup) and bring to a boil. Add salt(1tsp). Simmer this till the oil separates, and is visible on the top.
13. Raise the heat, and add the drained chicken pieces. Fry in this spice mixture till chicken pieces are no longer pink, turning the pieces till the spice mixture creates a coating on all sides and the pieces develop a slight crust from the frying. Fry like this for about 3 minutes.
14. Next, add the whipped yoghurt(4Tbsp) and chopped tomatoes(2Nos). Stir briskly(to prevent curdling)  on a higher heat, till the yoghurt is incorporated evenly.
15. Once the yoghurt has been mixed through, add half a cup of the fried onion. Reserve rest for garnishing.
16. Also, add coconut cream(2Tbsp). Stir through.
17. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. (Separately, start step #19 now).
18. After 10 minutes of cooking the chicken, make sure the chicken is cooked tender but not falling off the bone. Add the fresh dairy cream(4Tbsp). At this point, I like to add freshly chopped coriander leaves(1/2 cup). This is not used in authentic Lucknowi Biryani, but I prefer this to suit my taste. Mint leaves are not required. Remove from heat.
19. While chicken is being cooked – start to boil the water for the rice – on a separate burner: Boil 3-litre water and salt(3Tbsp) in a large pot. Add the whole spices ( 5cloves,2 sticks cinnamon). Bring to a rolling boil and add the drained rice. Stir once.
20. Cover and cook on HIGH till the water bubbles to the top and touches the lid, this should happen in 1 minute.
21. Remove the lid immediately, lower heat and simmer for exactly 5 minutes. Drain quickly into a ready colander. The rice should be only 3/4th cooked at this stage. You know it’s done when you take a grain of rice between your fingers it should break into 3 pieces.
22. Next, we will transfer the chicken masala to the same pot just used for cooking the rice, this is because we need the larger pot to fit both the layers of masala and rice together. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pot with ghee, before adding the masala. In the video, I have used a 10-litre pressure cooker which also works well as a ‘dum phukt’ vessel. (See notes).
23. As the pot heats up again with the masala in it, add a layer on top of sliced tomatoes(1Nos) coriander leaves (1handful) and whole green chillies(8-10) – optional – (See notes). Do not mix this green masala. It is to act as a barrier between the masala below and the rice that is going to be added over the top.
24. Once the green masala is added,  add the 3/4 th cooked rice, fluffing up as you add it to break any lumps that may have developed as it rested. Pat it gently, smooth the top surface. Don’t compress too much.
25. Pour over the prepared saffron milk now along with the lime juice(2tsp).
26. *At this stage please mix and add the ‘Traditional additions’ ingredients over the top of the rice also, if you have them. I have omitted these in the video. Biryani will still be awesome, and these additional ingredients, just give a more authentic Lucknowi Biryani scent for the Biryani.
27. Prepare the dough for the ‘Dum phukt’ method by mixing flour and water and knead into a rope. Use this to help seal the lid of the Biryani pot, as well as any steam vents. (Method shown in Video).
28. Place an old pan/tawa on the burner on high heat to preheat it. Then place the sealed Dum-pot on top. Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes only. This allows steam to develop and flavours of the masala to permeate through the cooked rice and it also finished cooking the rice to make it nice and soft and fluffy.
29. After 10 minutes, TURN OFF THE HEAT. But do not open. Let it rest fo 15-20 minutes more for all the flavours and scents to intensify.
30. Break open the seal or gently open the pressure cooker.
31. Now mix chicken masala gently from the bottom,  folding it over a couple of times. Just mix the masala through the rice.  No over mixing. Once the masala is uniformly mixed through. Cover and allow the moisture to dry out a little bit, then your Biryani will be perfect and ready to serve.
32. Garnish with the fried onions and cashew nuts.
33. Serve with any salad or yoghurt.

Lucknowi Chicken Biryani

 

Notes:

• Read more on the Intro page⇑, for the details on the authentic Lucknowi style Biryani.
• Additional Spice: 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp mace and 1 black cardamom pod may be added to the spice mix.
• Ginger and garlic paste is made by grinding an equal proportion of fresh ginger and garlic, with little or no water to a smooth paste. See how to make and store homemade Ginger Garlic Paste. Watch video.
• Coconut cream is optional but I highly recommend this. You could also use fresh ground coconut paste instead.
• Pressure cooker dum phukt method: I used a large (10litre) pressure cooker to dum cook the biryani in the video. It has ample space for steam to build up and also removes the need for sealing the lid with dough for the ‘dum’ as is traditionally done. Place the weight on the cooker. In 10 minutes, since the pressure cooker is so large, we will not hear any steam whistles. So no steam escapes while cooking. If you don’t have a large cooker, just continue with a large pot in the traditional method, please. Do not attempt in a regular household 5-litre cooker.
• Fresh coriander and green chillies: Lucknowi Biryani is considered a clean rice biryani, that is free of chillies and fresh herbs(coriander/mint) throughout the rice. Sauteed onion masala is also usually not found. Instead, the onions are fried till golden to perfection and the exotic scent of kewra, saffron, rose and saffron takes over the job of making this a non-spicy- clean floral-scented Biryani. That being said, this recipe is catered to my taste and I prefer the scent of fresh coriander and the burst of hot chillies in this milder flavoured Biryani.
• Use yellow chilli powder instead of the Kashmiri chilli powder if you have it.
• *Meetha Attar/Itr, Sandal oil, Kewra water, Rosewater and Yellow chilli powder are traditionally used. Use whichever ingredients you are able to get ahold of. I have made this Biryani without these and it’s still awesome and tastes like the Lucknowi Biryanis I have tasted from popular restaurants.
• My pressure cooker is a 10 litre one, which is why I have placed the pressure regulator on it.
• You can use your pressure cooker, (without using the pressure cooking function/ regulator ) for this recipe, IN PLACE of Heavy based pot (with lid), for cooking the dish.

Key Ingredients: Chicken, Rice, Spices, Onions, Garlic, Ginger, Saffron, Tomato, Yoghurt, Cream, Coconut, Oil, Ghee, Vegetable Shortening, Lime, Salt, Optioal herbs, Flavour enhancing waters and oils.

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