Chicken Biryani is one of India's favourite non-veg dishes. There are a lot of ways to prepare it out of which I know some. This recipe is one of the basic ones my mom taught.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 lb
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Onion (small) - 1
Tomato (small) - 2
Green chillies - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 2
Cloves - 2
Bay leaves - 2
Cilantro (chopped) - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt







Direction:

1. Cut chicken into small pieces, wash and keep aside. Wash basmati rice and soak in water for half an hour. Chop onion and tomato finely.

2. In a pressure cooker, heat ghee and add cinnamon, cardomom, cloves and bay leaves. After a few seconds, add chopped onion and fry till golden brown.

3. Then add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw flavour has left.

4. Add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and fry till tomatoes are soft.

5. Add mint leaves and chopped cilantro and mix up well.

6. Dry chicken pieces well and keep in the pan and mix up well. When the colour of chicken pieces change a little bit into pale colour (takes 5-6 minutes), pour 1.5 cups of water and cover the cooker lid and keep the flame in high.

7. After 3-4 whistles, switch off the flame and do not open the lid until all the pressure is off.

8. Then open the lid and add dried rice (without water) and cover and cook just for five minutes in medium flame.

9. Chicken biryani can be served with onion raitha or cucumber raitha.

Chicken Biryani is my entry to the event "Harvest: The Festival of Rice" hosted by Sudeshna.