Quick Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani©

When you want to make a delicious Biryani – MINUS all the fuss.

Whip out that pressure cooker and let’s get cooking! It’s simple, and tasty too! With this RECIPE, Biryani can be a quick meal on any day of the week!

This is a quick version of Malabar Style Biryani, made in the pressure cooker.

The Recipe Intro↓ has , more information as well as Recipe Video. Don’t forget to check it out.

This is a RAS™ Original  © Recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces ( boneless chicken pieces )		550 gms
Yogurt		2 Tbsp
Salt (1/2 tsp salt and 1 3/4 tsp - divided)		As needed
Basmati Rice or Kaima Rice		2 cups
Ghee		2 heaped Tbsp
Coconut oil		5 Tbsp
Fennel Seeds		1/4 tsp
Sticks cinnamon		2 small
Green Cardamom		2
Cloves		2
Curry leaves		1 sprig
Onions, sliced		2
Ginger-garlic paste		2 large Tbsp
Tomatoes		2
Biryani Masala Powder(See my recipe)		1 tsp
Turmeric powder		1/4 tsp
Black pepper powder		1/4 tsp
Fresh mint leaves		1 sprig
Fresh coriander leaves		1 handful
White poppy seeds (kasakasa), roasted and powdered (optional)		1/2 tsp
Yoghurt , divided		4 Tbsp
'Hot' boiled water		3 1/4 cup
Small hot green chillies, left whole or slit down the middle		4-6
Lime juice		1/2 tsp

Fried Garnish:

Cashewnuts ( about 3 Tbsp)		As needed
Golden Sultanas( about 3 Tbsp)		As needed
Shallots or Onions, thinly sliced		As needed

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into chunks. Add 2 Tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp chilli powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Marinate this for a while as you prepare all other ingredients.
2. Take one of the tomatoes and add to a saucepan with water. Boil   till soft. Allow to cool off and then peel the cooked tomatoes.
3. Blend this to a puree without adding any water. Set aside. Chop the other tomato and set aside also.
4. Rinse the Rice well, till the water runs clear. Soak this rice for precisely 10 minutes. Then drain using a colander and set aside in the colander to remove all water. The drained rice should dry out before using.
5. Heat the ghee in a wide non-stick pan. To the melted ghee, add the thoroughly drained rice.
6. Fry this rice lightly in the oil. Stir fry till you really get a good fragrance of the rice being fried. Set this aside.
7. Now add the coconut oil to a pressure cooker. Once the oil is hot, add the fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves.
8. Once the spices pop and are fragrant, add the curry leaves.
9. Add sliced onions, ginger garlic paste and stir well. Saute till onions are softened and the ginger garlic paste loses its raw smell.
10. Add the marinated chicken and fry on high heat with tossing. You want the chicken pieces to change color uniformly from pink to opaque.
11. Once all the chicken pieces have turned white and fried a bit on high heat, add the chopped tomato  and stir. Cook till just getting soft.
12. Add the biryani masala powder. Also, add the turmeric and pepper powder.
13. When the spices are fragrant, add the prepared tomato puree. Mix well
14. Add the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Allow wilting slightly.
15. Add the roasted kasa kasa powder now. Whip the remaining yogurt (2 Tbsp) and add to the chicken.
16. Immediately after adding the yogurt is added stir briskly on high heat till blended through. Do this quickly without reducing heat to prevent any curdling.
17. Once the yogurt has blended into the ingredients add the pre-measured hot boiled water, whole green chillies, lime juice, and salt.
18. As the liquid returns to a simmer, add the drained fried Biryani rice and give it a stir once more.
19. Close the pressure cooker on medium heat. Place the pressure regulator and cook on this medium flame for 2 steam whistles.
20. After the second steam whistle. Turn off the flame and wait 10 minutes. Then manually release a little bit of the steam. Wait a minute and release a little bit of steam again. Continue lifting briefly after an interval of 1 minute, till all built up steam is released.
21. Open the cooker. It will look quite wet at this stage. This is normal. Gently fold over the rice with a wide spatula from the bottom of of the cooker, this is just to loosen the compressed rice and allow all the trapped steam to escape. Leave this for only 1 minute for some trapped heat to escape. The basmati rice will still have a tiny ‘bite’ left to it at this stage. Cover the pressure cooker tightly again and leave to rest 10-15 minutes. The rice will continue to cook in the residual heat and be perfect when it comes time to serve.
22. Serve with a simple Raita or Biryani chutney.

Quick Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani

Notes:

• Video for this recipe in Malayalam on Intro Page.
• Thalassery Biryani Masala Powder Recipe Video.
• The rice must be drained and somewhat dry before frying it in ghee.
• The tomato must only be added after frying the chicken on high for a bit. Add tomato to the chicken before it cooks, causes the chicken to become hard quickly.
• The herbs used (curry leaves, mint, and coriander, must be fresh).
• Never over stir the Biryani rice as soon as you open the dum pot or in this case the pressure cooker. Always toss gently and wait for excess steam to escape first.

Key Ingredients: Chicken, Rice, Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Tomato, Green Chilli, Yoghurt, Spices (whole and powdered), Mint, Coriander, Ghee, Oil, Salt.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried –  Quick Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani

Mail me your pics and testimonials 🙂 – recipesaresimple@gmail.com