Dum Biryani

Ingredients
500 grams chicken,
½ cup curd(yoghurt),
1 cup basmati rice(long grain),
1 tablespoon milk,
3 cups water,
1 inch cinnamon,
2 bay leaves,
2 cloves,
2 green cardamoms,
2 black cardamoms,
½ teaspoon black pepper corns,
½ teaspoon cumin seeds,
½ tablespoon chopped ginger,
½ tablespoon chopped garlic,
1 blade mace,
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg,
½ cup mix of tightly packed coriander and mint leaves,
4 tablespoons poppy seeds,
1 tomato,
1 onion,
1 teaspoon saffron dissolved in a tablespoon warm milk,
3 potatoes halved,
boiled and deep fried,
2 large onions cut into roundels,
2 tablespoons ghee(clarified butter),
salt to taste.

Preparation time
30 minutes

Serves
2

HOW TO PREPARE
Finely chop the onion, tomato each separately and set it aside. Now take a frying pan and pour 1 teaspoon ghee and fry half the onion roundels till dark brown. In a blender put the fried onion roundels, ginger, garlic, mace, nutmeg, green chillies, coriander-mint leaves, poppy seeds, tomato, onion and half of the cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms black and green, black pepper corns and bay leaves and make a paste of all these ingredients. Now cut the chicken into medium sized pieces and place it in a big bowl. Make slits on each side of every piece and then add the curd, red chilly powder, garam masala, turmeric and the paste with some salt. Now mix it all up and met it marinate for two hours at least. In a pot pour the water, milk and bring to heat. Add the rice, remaining spices except the cumin seeds, salt to taste and mix it all up. Now cook till the rice is half cooked. Drain the extra water and spread out the rice on a big platter. Let it cool for a while. Heat the ghee in a pan and when the oil is hot add the cumin seeds. Sauté till its golden brown. Put in the chicken with the marinade and fry for five minutes or till the chicken turns a light brown. Add the potato halves and mix it up. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes or till the chicken is done. Now smear melted ghee on the inside of the pan and lay the chicken and then a layer of rice. Make alternate layers like this till you have put in all the rice and chicken. Now cover with a silver foil and then put a tight lid so that the pot must become air tight. Then put a tava on the stove and this pot over it and cook for ten to twelve minutes till the rice is done or cook in a pre heated oven. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins and serve. When serving ensure you put the spoon right inside so that you get the rice out in layers