Cheater's Hyderabadi chicken biryani

If you have a rice cooker and no personal integrity, I think this is good enough that you can pass it off as restaurant chicken biryani. Works fine for rice cooked on the stovetop as well, just not as lazy that way.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, or 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs cut into small pieces
• 1/2 c plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 fresh jalapeño chiles
• 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• 4 tbsp chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp canola oil

• Biryani masala
• Jeera rice
• Dahi chutney (optional, for serving)

Directions

Prepare biryani masala according to recipe.

Chop the raw chicken into 1-1/2 inch chunks. If you’re using bone-in chicken, you can leave pieces on the bone or not according to your preference. Mix the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, jalapenos, mint, cilantro, lime juice, salt and biryani masala to form a marinade. Combine the chicken chunks with the marinade and mix well. Marinate in a sealed container or plastic bag for 4 to 24 hours. I like to use a gallon size Ziploc bag to make it easy to move the chicken pieces around occasionally.

While the chicken is marinating, you can make the dahi chutney for later. Begin preparing the jeera rice according to recipe about 90 minutes before mealtime.

About 20 minutes before the rice is done, slice the onion and fry it in the mixture of ghee and soybean oil, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, until the strands are dark golden brown and caramelized. Remove the fried onion to a separate container but keep the oil in the pan. Pour the marinated chicken into the hot pan. Fry the chicken at medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over, then cook at medium-low heat, covered, until done (6-10 minutes).

When the rice is done, fold the cooked chicken and fried onions into the cooked rice. Top with dahi chutney to serve.

Biryani masala

A middle-of-the-road blend of spices for marinating meat or vegetables for inclusion in a biryani.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
• 2 tsp whole coriander
• 1/2 tsp powdered turmeric
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 10 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds, removed from pods
• 1/2 tsp kala jeera (black cumin, not nigella seeds)
• 1 inch Ceylon cinnamon stick

Directions

Grind all listed ingredients together in a spice grinder.

Default quantity given here is sufficient for seasoning 1 1/2 pounds of chicken or 2 pounds of vegetables. This masala is typically combined with other ingredients to form a marinade for meat or vegetables. See, for example Cheater's Hyderabadi chicken biryani.

Jeera rice

Indian-spiced rice recipe for the electric rice cooker. The name just means rice with cumin, and 2 kinds of cumin are the stars of the show here.

I use this as a base for my faux biryani like Cheater's Hyderabadi chicken biryani, but I also often spice up rice this way in the rice cooker as an accompaniment for curries — usually leaving out the saffron threads.

Nigella seeds (Nigella sativa) are often sold as "black cumin" in English-speaking countries, but they're not the same thing as kala jeera or shahi jeera (Bunium persicum), which looks like small, darker, thinner cumin seeds. If kala jeera/shahi jeera isn't available in your local Desi shop, just replace it with more ordinary cumin.

Ingredients

• 4 180mL rice cups dry basmati rice (3 U.S. cups)
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 6 whole green cardamom pods
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 whole allspice berries
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Cassia cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seed
• 1/2 tsp whole kala jeera seed
• 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

Directions

Soak saffron threads in 1/4 cup warm water for 15 minutes. Add basmati rice to rice cooker, layering with saffron water (include the saffron threads). Fill rice cooker with water to the appropriate line and add remaining ingredients. Cook on normal cycle -- do not use quick or pressure cooking modes, if they are available. When rice is done cooking, whole spices should have risen to the top. Remove and discard them, then fluff rice. I often like to mix in a small amount of ghee or oil before serving.

Dahi chutney

A simple condiment of strained yogurt with mint, onions and spices. Goes well with biryani, and almost anywhere else that toning down fiery spice is welcome.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plain yogurt (can substitute coconut or almond yogurt to make this vegan)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seed
• 1/2 tsp whole black mustard seed
• 1 tbsp cilantro (coriander) leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp minced yellow onion, or 1 tsp dried minced onion re-hydrated in 1 tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 plum tomato, diced

Directions

Roast cumin and mustard seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat until the seeds begin to crack and the cumin becomes fragrant, 2-3 minutes. If using dairy yogurt, beat it gently with a spoon until smooth (or strain it) and gradually add oil and water, stirring. Add all remaining ingredients and store in refrigerator until ready to use.