Malabar Biryani

Ingredients:
To marinate
Chicken – ½ kg
Yogurt – 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves – 25gms, ground
Mint leaves – 25gms, ground
Curry leaves – 10 gm
Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander seed powder – 1 tsp
fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
Green chillies – 25gms, chopped
Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Ginger – 2 tsp, chopped
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Lime juice – 4 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Make a mixture of yogurt, ground coriander leaves, ground mint leaves, curry leaves, cumin seed powder, coriander seed powder, fennel powder, green chillies, garlic, ginger, turmeric powder, salt and lime juice. Marinate the chicken pieces in this mixture and keep it aside for half an hour.
To prepare chicken:
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Cinnamon – 5 to 6 pieces
Bay leaf – 1
Cloves – 4 to 5
Cardamom seeds – 4 to 5
Nutmeg – 1 tsp
Onions – 2 thinly chopped
Tomato – 2, medium sized and cut into 4 pieces

Put ghee in a pan and heat it. Add to it, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom seeds, nutmeg and cloves. Next, add onions and sauté till they turn brown. Then add the tomatoes and sauté them too. Now add the marinated chicken. Cover the pan and cook over a medium flame for at least 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook it for 10 min more over a low flame. Allow the gravy to thicken.

To prepare the rice:
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Cinnamon – 5 pieces
Bay leaf – 1
Cardamom – 4
Cloves – 4 to 5
Onion – 1, chopped
Rice – 250gms
Boiling water – 1/2 litre
Salt – 1 tsp
Put ghee in a pan and heat it. Add to this cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom seeds and cloves. Next, add onions and sauté till they turn translucent.
Add the washed and drained rice to the above mixture along with the salt and cook till it turns translucent. Add water to the rice and let it boil. Once the water starts boiling, lower the flame and cover the vessel with a lid. Cook the rice for the next 15 minutes, over a low flame.

For garnishing and Serving:
Boiled eggs – 2
Cashews and raisins – roasted in ghee
Onion – 1
Pineapple essence – 1 tsp (mix in 1 tbsp of water)
Food colour – few drops
Ghee – 1tbsp

Take a pan, put onion and cashew and fry until it turns golden brown, then add raisins and fry a bit. Now take a pan, grease and put chicken masala layer, then rice, then food colour and pineapple mixture, then again chicken, then remaining rice, then on the top sprinkle fried onion, cashew and raisins. Then put on dum for 30 minutes and serve with boil eggs.