Chicken Drumstick Biriyani – 600th Post

    My excitement can’t be contained any longer. I kept counting all my posts till this day. Friends, Yummy O Yummy is sharing with you our 600th POST today! Yes, now there are 600 wonderful recipes on this blog, a result of our adventure into the world of foodie goodness. 🙂 It was simply an amazing journey so far, and I am equally glad that you are all a part of this too. Without you readers, this simple blog would not have been such a success. Your support, tips, recipes, and guidance got me going! 🙂

   The blog will also be celebrating its 5th Anniversary on 20th Jan, 2015.

Let me share with you an interesting fact about the recipes so far. I now have close to 350 Kerala recipes, 100 International recipes, 250 vegetarian recipes and 65 chicken recipes. Check it yourself!

   Today’s special post is a very simple biriyani that do not taste simple. It tastes wonderful with its elegant flavor. Biriyani is my favorite dish. This time I have used Jeerakashala rice and I am very happy with the results. Does anyone remember that Yummy O Yummy’s first post was the very delicious Kerala Chicken Biriyani? Yes it was!

   I have posted around 3 types of chicken biriyani. They are all very yummy and prepared in different ways. This is yet another type of preparation where the chicken is pressure-cooked first and drained. The rice is then cooked in chicken stock making it very flavorful and tasty. To make it easier, I have used chicken drumsticks here. It’s perfect for a small family. We were mostly on a vegetarian and fish diet after coming back from Kerala. I soo craved for a biriyani last week and this recipe is the outcome. We both liked it a lot –  it’s easy to make than the traditional biriyani, and it tastes awesome too. Hope you guys like it!

Ingredients (Serves 3)

1. Biriyani rice / Kaima rice/ jeerakashala ari – 1.5 cup (Wash biriyani rice and set aside to drain well in a colander. You can use basmati rice instead.)

2. Chicken drumsticks – 6

3. Turmeric powder  1/2 tsp

    Ginger-garlic paste – 1.5 tsp

    Kashmiri chilly powder – 1 – 1.5 tsp

    Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

    Salt – As required to taste

4. Water – 3/4 cup

To cook rice

5. Ghee – 1 tbsp

6. Whole spices – cardamom – 2, cloves – 5, cinnamon stick – 1/2 inch, whole pepper corns – 1/2 tsp

7. Onion –1/4 cup, thinly sliced

8. Mint leaves – 1/4 cup torn

    Cilantro – 1/4 cup, roughly chopped

9. Lemon juice – 1 tsp

    Salt – To taste

For the gravy

10. Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp

11. Onion – 2 cups, thinly sliced

12. Ginger – 1/2 inch, roughly chopped

       Garlic – 4 cloves, chopped

       Green chilies –  4 – 5, halved

13. Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

      Kashmiri chilly powder – 3/4 tsp

      Coriander powder – 1.5 tsp

      Garam masala powder – 1/2- 3/4 tsp

14. Tomato – 1.5 small, finely chopped

15. Coconut milk, medium-thick – 1/4 cup (optional)

       Water – 1/4 cup

16. Salt – To taste

17. Cilantro – 2 tsp, finely chopped

       Mint leaves – 2 tsp, finely chopped 

18. Ghee – 1 tsp

Method

1. Remove the skin from chicken drumsticks and make deep slits on the fleshy parts. Marinate them with ingredients numbered 3. Keep in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hrs.

2. In a pressure cooker, place the marinated chicken drumsticks and around 3/4 cups of water. Pressure-cook for 1 – 2 whistles or until done. When the pressure releases, open and transfer the chicken drumsticks into a plate using a slotted spoon. Now measure the stock inside the pressure-cooker. There will be around 1 cup of stock. You need 21/4 cups of water for 1.5 cup of kaima rice. Add remaining quantity of water to make 21/4 cups. (I had 1 cup of stock inside the pressure cooker, so I added 11/4 cup of hot water). Add salt, to taste. The stock should be slightly salty.

3. To cook rice – Heat 1 -1.5 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add whole spices (ingredients numbered 6) and stir until fragrant. Add 1/4 cup sliced onion and stir until transparent. Add the drained kaima rice and mix well. Next add 1/4 cup cilantro and mint leaves. Stir for 30 seconds and add this mixture to the chicken stock in pressure cooker. Add 1 tsp lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Taste-check for salt. Close with the pressure-cooker lid and cook until steam starts coming out profusely. Bring down the heat to low. Place the pressure cooker weight and cook at low heat for 2 mts. Switch off. Open the cooker after 10 mts. Rice will be perfectly done. Fluff rice slightly with a fork and set aside.

4. For the chicken gravy – Heat 1.5 tbsp coconut oil in the same pan that you used previously. Add sliced onions and little salt. Saute until onion turns transparent. Add ginger-garlic and green chilly paste. Saute until onion turns golden and raw smell is gone. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Saute until their raw smell is gone. Next add finely chopped tomatoes and saute until they get mashed up. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup hot water. Mix well. Next add cooked chicken drumsticks. Mix everything well. Cover and cook for 5 – 6 minutes. Open the lid and cook until water is almost evaporated and chicken drumsticks are coated with the onion masala. Add 1 tp ghee, 2 – 3 tsp each of cilantro and mint leaves chopped. Mix well.

 

5. For layering – Remove 3 chicken drumsticks into a plate and set aside. Top the chicken drumsticks in the pan with 2 tbsp each of chopped cilantro and mint. (You can add a tspof ghee,if you want). Top it with half of the cooked rice. Next add the remaining 3 chicken drumsticks. Top them with chopped mint, cilantro and the remaining cooked rice. Cover with lid. Place this pan on a griddle/large tawa and cook for 5 – 6 minutes at medium-low heat. Switch off. (You can bake it instead in an oven-proof dish at 350 F for 20 – 25 mts). Serve hot with pickle, raita and pappadam.