Chicken Goli Biryani ( Chicken balls cooked with rice and spices)

Chicken Goli Biryani
 

  Chicken Goli Biryani is a biryani made with chicken balls cooked with rice a and spices. Here we use chicken mince to make balls and the rice is cooked in chicken stock .

Ingredients

Chicken mince  500 gms
Long grain /Basmati rice - 1 1/2 Cups (Soaked for 30 minutes)
Red Chili powder    - 2Tsp
Turmeric powder   - 1/2Tsp
Coriander powder  - 1Tbs
Garam masala   - 1Tbs
Ginger garlic paste  - 1Tbs
Onions Medium    - 2 Sliced
Yogurt      -  1 1/2 Cup
Green chilies  - 2-3 slit into half and 1 chili finely chopped
ginger finely chopped   - 1"
Salt               - To taste
Shahi jeera /Cumin seeds  -1 teaspoon
 Black Cardamom - 2
 Mace  2 blades
 Green cardamoms -  6
 Cloves - 6-8
Cinnamon Stick  - 2
Bay leaves     - 2
Ghee - 4Tbs
coriander leaves - 1/4 Tbs Finely chopped
 Fresh mint leaves -  1/4 Tbs Finely chopped
A pinch of Saffron soaked in warm milk/water
Chicken bones (for stock) 1 kilogram


Directions

• First will prepare the chicken stock, for that wash and boil chicken bones in one and a half litres of water with 1Tsp of salt for 15-20 minutes. Strain and discard the bones.
• You can also use chicken bullions in case of short of time. Add 3-4 bullions in same amount of water mentioned above.
•  Drain the soaked rice and boil in chicken stock with bay leaves , 1/2Tsp shahi jeera until 3/4 done. Drain excess stock and set the rice aside.
• Take half a cup of yogurt in a bowl, add two tablespoons each of fresh coriander and fresh mint,red chilli powder .
• Mix the chicken mince with salt, two tablespoons of coriander leaves, half the green chillies and chopped ginger. Mix well and refrigerate the mixture for thirty minutes.
• Take out he chicken mixture from the refrigerator and make walnut-sized balls of chicken mixture. In a frying pan heat two tablespoons of ghee and lightly cook balls in it only to sear the edges. 

•  Dissolve saffron in hot milk and keep aside.
• In a pan heat the remaining ghee ,add shahi jeera/ cumin seedsand let it splutter. 
• Now add mace, green cardamoms and cloves ,cinnamon, black cardamom and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
•  Add onions and sauté till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and the remaining slit green chillies.
• Add turmeric powder and coriander powder and stir fry for 30 sec.
• Stir in the yogurt with red chilli powder . Add chicken balls and one cup of stock and salt to taste. Cook till gravy is reduced.
• Now in a heavy bottomed deep utensil or degchi or clay pot form the layers of half the chicken ball with gravy followed by a layer of half cooked rice and sprinkle a little yogurt coriander mint leaves mixture. Sprinkle a little garam masala and saffron water . Continue with maki layers with the remaining chicken ball gray and rice along with garam masala and saffron milk.
• Now seal the pot with a lid and close the lid with dough by sticking it on sides of the lid OR cover with a moist cloth and seal the pot with lid and cook in dum in a very slow flame until done.
• The dum can also be done in an oven. Preheat oven to 180 °C.  Cook in the preheated oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.
• Serve hot with raita of your choice.
• Enjoy!!!!

 

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani

Hyderabadi Mutton Dum Biryani

   As in my earlier post about biryanis ,I  had mentioned the types of biryanis. Though there are many versions of biryanis depending on the regions and history behind them, Hyderabadi  dum biryani is the most famous or can we say "the king of biryanis ".
  I am totally obsessed with the biryanis, and for that matter my husband also shares the same thought. Nothing can beat the aroma of a perfectly cooked biryani with every rice grain separated and the meat cooked succulent and tender. We take biryanis very seriously ,our obsession for biryanis is so much that whichever city we move or visit, we make sure to dig out the restaurant  with best serving biryanis. Though I make biryanis at home quite often but still the craving for a restaurant style biryani remains.
     The biryani for me is where the rice and meat is cooked in dum. So many restaurants having biryanis in their menu just disappoint us when we see the dish coming out of the kitchen being not biryani but the pulao. While preparing pulao all the  ingredients including meat ,masala and rice are cooked all together until the rice and meat are cooked ,where as for preparing an authentic biryani the rice MUST be cooked separately until 3/4rth done and then drained out from water and is then layered along with marinated meat (cooked or uncooked) continued with cooking it on "Dum"  traditionally done by cooking over coals below and above the utensils used.

     The hyderabadi dum biryanis is cooked using "Dum Pukht" method. Dum  means to ‘breathe in’ and pukht to 'cook' . Dum pukht is technique of  cooking  in which food to be prepared is tightly sealed usually with dough in a heavy claypot or handi and cooked over a slow fire which allows the food to cook in its own juices and steam thus retaining all the aromas of the herbs and spices used giving the maximum flavor to the dish. Hyderabadi biryanis is usually served with mirch ka salan and raita.

photo resource:Flikr