Recipe: Hussein's Chicken Biryani Masala

Hussein's Chicken Biryani Masala
rec.food.recipees/Bill Wight (2001)
Recipe By : Hussein, cook at the Qadirpur Gas Plant Camp, Pakistan

I worked in Pakistan for 14 months. The cook, Hussein, in our construction camp made this biryani at least once a week and we all really liked it. This is his recipe. You can find most of the ingredients in a supermarket and the tamarind pulp in an Indian, Pakistani or Asian market. If you can't find the tamarind pulp, use a few dried apricots. Kashmiri saffron is by far the best, but Spanish saffron will work for this dish.

3 cups Basmati rice
4 chicken breasts**
1/2 large onion -- minced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
8 ounces plain yogurt
1 pinch saffron threads
1/4 cup milk

SPICE MIXTURE
1 teaspoon red chile powder* -- medium heat
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ginger, powdered
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/2 salt (or to taste)
6 cardamom seeds -- peeled
4 bay leaves -- dried, crushed
1 lump tamarind pulp, marble-sized
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves

* Do not use chili powder, which contains other spices. Use a pure powdered chile from cayenne or New Mexico chiles.

** skinless and boneless and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Put the milk into a cup and add the saffron and stir. Set aside at least 30 minutes before using.

Place all spice ingredients (including salt and tamarind pulp) in spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes and then drain and rinse until clear water comes off rice. Cook rice in large pan in 8 cups of water. Cook for 10-12 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat oil or ghee and saute the onion and garlic until golden. Add chicken and spice powder and stir-fry until chicken is done, about 6 minutes.

Drain rice and place back in large pan. Add the saffron-milk mixture and mix rice until uniform color. Add the chicken, onion, garlic and spice mixture and the yogurt to the pan and mix gently until well-blended with all the rice.

Place the rice into a glass baking dish and bake in a 350F oven for 40 minutes.

Serve immediately as a main course or side dish.