Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani (Dum)

My mouth starts watering at the mere thought of Hyderabadi biryani. This is one dish I am ready for any time of day or night. The slow cooked and time consuming process of making this utterly delicious biryani is well worth the wait. You will be rewarded with a steaming, aromatic, flavorful melt in you mouth mixture of rice and meat. You can do this with lamb (most preferred) or chicken. My first try was a disaster but then I didn't realize that making Hyderabadi biryani was down to a science and I didn't have a teacher. Sanjay Thumma the host of http://www.vahrehvah.com/ and his video demos gave me the courage to attempt this recipe again. I can now triumphantly say that I have mastered the technique and  can flawlessly executed Dum biryanis every time.

Ingredients
2 pounds chicken thighs and/or legs pieces with bones
3 cups of basmati rice
1 cup fried onions
handful of mint leaves
handful of cilantro
1 teaspoon of your favorite biryani masala (homemade or store bought)
1 pinch of saffron soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk
For the Marinade
1 cup Yogurt
2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2  tsp Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin powder
10 small Chilies split into two
handful of mint leaves
handful of cilantro
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 lime - juiced
Salt to taste
Cinnamon 1", Cloves 7, Cardamom 7 – powdered
2 Bay leaves
2 Black Cardamom
Cinnamon 1", Cloves 4, Cardamom 7 – whole
Star anise – 1
Oil 3 tablespoon
Method
Mix all the items in the For the Marinade list with the chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours before ready to cook Biryani. Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes and boil the rice until half done in salted water. Drain rice and spread on a large plate.
Place a thick bottom sauce pot, specifically one with a tight lid, on medium high heat and dump the chicken with all the marinade into the pot.[Note: the pot should be big enough to cook the chicken and rice together]. Cook for 4 minutes while stirring the chicken couple of times. Level the chicken at the bottom of the pot and put 1/3 of the rice and level it nicely to cover the chicken. Sprinkle 1/3 of fried onion, 1/3 chopped mint leaves and 1/3 of cilantro. Repeat this layer 2 more times. On the final layer sprinkle the teaspoon of biryani and saffron milk evenly over the rice and cover the pot with its lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 35 minutes. Switch off the stove and let the rice cook in its own steam for 10 more minutes before you open the lid. Gently mix the chicken and rice. Serve hot with Mirch ka salan or Bagara Baigan.

[Note: If the lid is loose, place a wet towel over the pot to completely cover it and place the lid on top. This will provide a tighter cover which is key to the cooking process. It is trick I learned from Sanjay Thumma]