Chicken Biryani on 15th Jan, 2010

I know you shd be surprised to see this 'New Post' after reading the post ' how to slim down' in which i detailed what not to eat... :)
To re-iterate, i haven't said to give up anything you like for a life time. I asked you to make it for lunch instead for dinner and on the same day, replace the dinner with fruits... well well well , i know what is goin on in your mind... am i here to know Chicken Biryani recipe or to once again take a lecture on health.. don worry. this is the last line. Lets jump to the next line with our fav topic...

How to cook Chicken Biryani (henceforth will address it as CB) in India.

{in US we have the gas ovens to prepare it which makes the life very easy unlike in India}
Ingredients:
chicken
basmati rice
turmeric
chicken biryani masala
ginger garlic pasate
red chilli powder
salt
curd
bay leaves
cardamom
cinnamom
cloves
saffron color
mint leaves
green chillies
onion
Step one: Marinade the chicken.
Clean the medium sized chicken and leg pieces with turmeric neatly.
Now, mix the chicken with ginger-garlic paste (50gms per 1kg chicken).
Next, add chicken masala or garam masala, 2tbl spns of red chilli powder, 1 tbl spn of salt and furter mix it.
Once the ingredients are mixed well, now add 6-8 table spoons of thick curd mix it nicely.
Leave this for abt an hour.

Step two: Wash the basmati rice of required quantity ( i cooked abt 500gms/2 big cups).
Put the bowl on stove and add water to it. (measurements are like for one cup of rice pour 1.5 cups water. Since i used 2 cups, i poured 3 cups of water).
Once the water gets heated, add 1 tbl spoon of oil, few bay leaves (biryani aakulu), cloves (lavanga), cardamom(yalakulu), cinnamon(dalchina chekka) and boil them in the water for a minute or two.
Then add the washed rice to the heated water. (note down a point that, after washing the rice, it shd not be soaked in water. If you do so, the rice in biryani becomes very soft and individual rice grains stick to each other.)
Do not close the lid of the bowl and keep stirring it for every 5 mins.
When the water gets evaporated, stop the flame and drain the rice.
Step Three: Grind few green chillies and few mint leaves together and keep the paste ready for next step.
Step Four: Taken a fry pan and pour 1 tbl spn of oil.
Once the oil is heated, add onions and fry them until they turn to golden color.
Now add the green chilli+mint paste to the onions. After few minutes, add the marinaded chicken and keep frying the chicken. Now add biryani masala and pour water to to make a fluid type gravy. Keep cooking until chicken is 75% cooked.
Now, stop the flame and take a big bowl and add 1 tbl spoon of ghee to it and put on the flame in sim(low) mode.
Put alternative layers of chicken and cooked basmati .
Add saffron color (biryani rangu) , curd per each layer.
Let this bowl be on stove for abt 20 mins.
Now, carefully serve the CB without tearing the pieces...
yummy yummy biryani is ready....
Happy eating.... :)

P.S. I usually do not go by measurements. First timers, it is ok, go ahead and try it. You will learn the quantities with experience...