Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani
Hyderabad-style biryani: homemade crispy fried onions crushed into the marinade, layered rice, and a dough-sealed pot that steams it all.
Method
Halve the onions and slice them with the grain into even 2 mm strips, then pat dry. Rinse the rice 4–5 times until the water runs clear and soak it for 30 minutes. Soak the saffron in the warm milk and pick the mint and coriander leaves.
Add in this stepWarm milk 3 tbspSaffron 2 pinch
Pour the frying oil into a 24 cm pan and fry the onions over medium heat in 1 batch(es), in total, stirring. They foam at first, then settle; lift them out the moment they are an even deep golden and spread on kitchen paper. They crisp as they cool: this is birista. Keep the onion oil.
Add in this stepCooking oil (for frying the onions) 150 mlOnions (for birista) 2
medium heatCrush two-thirds of the birista over the chicken with your hands, then add the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, slit green chilies, lemon juice, salt, half the mint and coriander and 1 tbsp of the onion oil. Massage it all in, cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours (overnight if you can).
Add in this stepBone-in chicken thighs (in large pieces) 500 gThick plain yogurt 120 gGinger-garlic paste 1½ tbspKashmiri chili powder 1 tspGround turmeric ¼ tspGaram masala 1 tspGreen chilies 2Lemon ½Salt (for the marinade) 1 tspMint leaves 5 gCoriander leaves 5 g
Melt half the ghee in a 20 cm heavy-based pot, add the chicken with all its marinade and cook over medium heat for . It is ready when the outside of the chicken is opaque all over and the marinade has thickened, with oil showing at the edges. It does not need to be cooked through yet.
Add in this stepGhee 1 tbsp
medium heatPut the rice water, salt, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and cumin in a large pot and boil over high heat for to infuse. Add the soaked rice and boil for , then drain when a grain pressed between your fingers is still slightly firm in the centre, about 70% cooked.
Add in this stepWater for boiling the rice 2½ LSalt (for the rice water) 1¼ tbspBay leaves 1Green cardamom pods 4Cloves 4Cinnamon sticks (5 cm) 1Star anise 1Cumin seeds (or shahi jeera) ½ tspBasmati rice 180 g
high heatSpread half the rice evenly over the chicken and scatter with the remaining birista, mint, coriander and half the saffron milk. Cover with the rest of the rice and drizzle with the remaining saffron milk and melted ghee. Knead the flour and water into a dough, roll it into a rope, press it around the rim and push the lid on to seal. Heat over medium-high heat for to build steam, then set a cast-iron pan under the pot, reduce to low heat and steam for .
Add in this stepMint leaves 5 gCoriander leaves 5 gGhee 1 tbspPlain flour 80 gWater (for the dough) 45 ml
medium-high heat→low heatTurn off the heat and leave it sealed for . Break off the dough, check the chicken is at least 75°C inside, then slide a spatula down the side of the pot to the bottom and lift out rice and chicken together, keeping the layers.
Cook's tip
Uneven onion slices burn at the thin end and turn bitter, so cut them all the same thickness. Rinse the rice until the water is clear so the grains stay long and separate. Serve by lifting out whole layers rather than stirring, so the white, saffron and masala rice show.
Cooking it at camp
Marinate the chicken with the birista at home and pack extra birista in an airtight box. Layer it in a Dutch oven, seal with a double layer of foil instead of dough, and steam for 30 minutes with 12 coals on the lid and 6 underneath. Always check the chicken temperature before serving.