Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani with Saffron Basmati, Fried Onion and Mint

Marinate the chicken: mix the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, biryani masala, turmeric, chili powder, lime juice, half the fried onions, chopped herbs and salt. Cover and marinate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients

• For the chicken marinade (serves 5-6):
• 1kg bone-in chicken pieces
• 250g thick yogurt
• 3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tbsp biryani masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp red chili powder (Kashmiri for colour)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Large handful chopped mint and coriander
• Salt
• For the rice:
• 500g good aged basmati rice
• 4 green cardamom pods, 1 black cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp salt
• To layer and finish:
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced and deep-fried to golden (birista)
• A big pinch of saffron soaked in 4 tbsp warm milk
• 3 tbsp ghee, 2 tbsp warm milk
• Extra mint and coriander
• To serve: raita and mirchi ka salan

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken: mix the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, biryani masala, turmeric, chili powder, lime juice, half the fried onions, chopped herbs and salt. Cover and marinate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight in the fridge.
2. Soak the basmati rice in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain. Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the whole spices and salt. Add the rice and parboil for just 4-5 minutes, until the grains are about 70% cooked (still firm in the centre). Drain immediately.
3. Spread the marinated chicken with all its marinade in a heavy-bottomed pot or handi in an even layer. Layer the parboiled rice over the top.
4. Scatter over the remaining fried onions, extra mint and coriander, and drizzle with the saffron milk, ghee and warm milk so the rice will steam into gold and white streaks.
5. Seal the pot for 'dum': cover with a tight lid (traditionally sealed with a rope of dough, or use foil under the lid). Cook on high for 3-4 minutes to build steam, then set the pot on a tawa or heat-diffuser over the lowest possible heat and steam undisturbed for 25-30 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and let the biryani rest, still sealed, for 10 minutes — do not rush this, the steam finishes cooking the rice and chicken.
7. Open the pot and gently lift and fold from the bottom with a flat spoon so the spiced chicken comes up through the layers of saffron rice — never stir, or the grains break.
8. Serve onto warm plates, making sure everyone gets chicken, golden onions and both the white and saffron rice, with cooling raita and fiery mirchi ka salan alongside.
9. Hyderabadi dum biryani is the crown jewel of the kitchens of the old Nizams of Hyderabad, where Mughal and Persian court cooking met the spices of the Deccan plateau. The kachchi ('raw') method — sealing marinated raw chicken and parboiled rice together and steaming them slowly under a pastry lid — is the most difficult and most prized of all biryani techniques, demanding perfect judgement of heat and timing. For four centuries it has been the centrepiece of Hyderabadi weddings and festivals, ladled from huge copper deghs and eaten with mirchi ka salan and raita. To open a sealed pot of dum biryani and release that first cloud of saffron-and-spice steam is one of the great theatrical moments of Indian cooking.