Chicken biryani
Serves 4-6
You will need:
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 300g basmati rice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 25g butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped root ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 x 5cm piece of cinnamon stick
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 75g raisins
• 800ml chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
• 4 tablespoons flaked almonds
1 To extract the cardamom seeds from the pods, place the pods on a chopping board. Put the flat side of a large knife over the pods and press down to lightly crush them. Remove the seeds and discard the pods. Lightly crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar.
2 Put the basmati rice in a heatproof bowl, season it with salt and cover it with boiling water.
3 Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat and, when it is foaming, add the finely sliced onion, the finely chopped garlic, the finely chopped ginger, the ground turmeric, the ground cumin, the ground coriander, the cayenne pepper, the bay leaf, the cinnamon stick and the crushed cardamom seeds. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the onion is softened and slightly browned.
4 Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry for three minutes, or until the chicken is
opaque and cooked through.
5 Drain the basmati rice and rinse it under cold running water, then stir it into the saucepan, along with the raisins. Pour in the chicken stock, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir all the ingredients together. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer the biryani for 8-10 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
6 Remove the saucepan from the heat, taste for seasoning, adding more salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary, then stir in the chopped fresh coriander and the flaked almonds. Divide between warmed bowls to serve.