Alma Bax Lajawab Chicken Biryani is a chicken biryani recipe from Kerala, India. It is a dish prepared with a special spice mixture called Lajawab, which is very popular in Kerala. It is also known as Chicken Biryani, Malabar Chicken Biryani, Lakhnavi Chicken Biryani, and Kerala Chicken Biryani. This chicken biryani recipe has a unique flavor, which is created by the use of the Lajawab spice mixture, and the rice, which is flavored with the traditional coconut milk, coconut cream, and the masalas.
As the weather is heating up, the craving for some spicy and creamy chicken is imminent. Every city in India has a different style of chicken preparation. So, the question arises, which one is the most authentic and popular in Mumbai? For most people, the answer is Lajawab Chicken Biryani.
My family fell in love with this delectable dish a few years ago. We served it with basmati rice and naan. The recipe makes a large quantity, so you can easily serve a group of people. It is easy to make, and you can do the cooking a day in advance.
Unparalleled or amazing biryani is what Lajawab chicken biryani implies. When I eat this chicken biryani at home, just one word comes to mind: lajawab. It has an amazing flavor that is unique to my house and is extremely delicious and delectable, prepared with basic spices and simple to prepare. I’ve been eating this chicken biryani since I was a kid, and now I’m sharing it with you. Grandma used to make this chicken biryani, which she handed down to my mother, and now it’s up to me to prepare it for my family. When some special visitors come, or on a particular day or celebration, or on Eid, or whenever you want, this chicken biryani is always made. This chicken biryani is made in the pakki biryani manner. Meat is cooked first in pakki biryani, then rice is piled on top and cooked.
When preparing biryani, bear in mind that you’re adding spices to both the curry and the rice, so everything has to be in balance. I just used medium-spicy green chilies, but you may adjust the amount of green chiles to your liking. I skipped the garnishing/layering portion of the dum procedure in this chicken biryani, instead sprinkling colored rice on top.
Time to prepare: 45 minutes
Time to cook: 1 hour
Hyderabadi cuisine
5 to 6 people
Medium spiciness
Ingredients
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- 1200 gms chicken (large chunks)
- a pinch of salt (as needed)
Marinade
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- 4 tbsp to 4 1/2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Gravy
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- 1 cup oil or ghee
- 2 cups of curd
- 530 gms or 4 oz. onion (sliced) (big)
- 350 gms or 3 oz. tomatoes (roughly diced) (big)
- 10 green chillies (slit)
- 2 cups (chopped) or one large handful (40 gms) mint leaves
- large handful or 25 gms or 1 cup coriander leaves (chopped)
Spices in their natural state:
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- ten cloves
- 4 cinnamon sticks (2 inch size)
- 10 green cardamoms
- 4 to 5 bay leaves
Rice
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- 700 gms rice
- Water (as needed)
- if necessary, salt
Garnishing / layering
- a pinch of saffron color
- 3 tbsp oil / ghee
Method
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- Cut the onions into thin slices.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes or cut them into four pieces apiece.
- Mint and coriander leaves should be chopped (with its stalk).
Chicken biryani is cooked in five steps. 1. Marinate the chicken 2. Prepare the gravy with the chicken 3. Rice preparation 4. combining the gravy and the rice (Layering) 5. Stupidity
Marination
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- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder, and salt.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Making gravy from chicken
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- In a large skillet, heat the oil, then add the bay leaf and all of the entire spices, followed by the onions and cook until crispy golden brown, around 15 to 20 minutes. You may cook it with the lid closed.
- When the onions are golden brown, add the mint and coriander leaves and simmer for another 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes after adding 2 chopped tomatoes. Stir well to keep it from sticking to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes and other ingredients are well cooked.
- Add the marinated chicken and any leftover marinade, mix well, and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the onion mixture and sautéing thoroughly.
- Mix in the curd, remaining chopped tomatoes, and green chilies. Close the cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it resembles a curry. Stir slowly and carefully to avoid breaking the chicken parts. You may check on it and stir it in between. Season with salt to taste.
- When the chicken is done, season with salt, stir well, and cook for 5 minutes before continuing to simmer for another 15 minutes. At this point, you should notice oil accumulating on the top. It should not be too thin or thick. While combining, the gravy should be plenty for the rice.
preparing rice
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- Soak the rice for approximately half an hour in water.
- Add the rice and salt when the water begins to boil. Boil for just 6 to 7 minutes. The rice should be cooked to approximately 70% to 80% doneness, or 3/4 cooked only. To stop the rice from cooking any more, drain it and rinse it under cold tap water.
- If you stir the grains too much while they’re cooking, they’ll shatter. The grains will be longer after cooking, but they will still be uncooked.
(layering/dum stage) combining gravy with rice
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- When the chicken curry begins to steam (chicken is well heated), add the rice, which is 3/4 cooked. Distribute evenly over the hot chicken curry.
- Saffron color and oil are added. Instead of oil, spread a few drops of ghee evenly over the rice.
Dum
- Heat the pot in which the biryani has been stacked for 5 minutes, or until steam is emerging from the sides. Alternatively, just place your palm near the rice to see whether it is becoming hot.
- If steam is visible, continue to simmer for another 4 minutes over medium heat with the lid rapidly closed with aluminum foil (to seal the steam from escaping). Cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- When you can smell the biryani from other rooms, you know it’s cooked and ready.
- Turn it off and set it aside for 15 minutes. Because the steam within the pot will continue to cook the biryani, do not open the lid right away.
- While the biryani is done, you must be cautious when serving it. To prevent the rice grains from splitting, remove the biryani with a large spoon or a saucer gently from one side.
- With raita, serve this lajawab biryani.
Notes
- If you don’t like spicy cuisine or your chilies are extremely hot, you can cut down on the chillies.
- Rice should only be 3/4 cooked; the grain may have grown longer than normal, but it should still feel soft when pushed between your fingers. You may add a few drops of oil to the rice while it’s cooking. Wash it in cold water while draining to keep the rice grains separate.
- When you combine the rice with the gravy, there should be enough to cover the rice.
- There is no need to add water while preparing gravy. When marinated chicken is added, water evaporates, resulting in a gravy-like consistency.
- Reduce the oil if you want to save money. It’s all up to you. However, the onion must be thoroughly cooked in oil or ghee.
- Season the gravy and rice with salt. Divide the salt and place it in a bowl. It’ll be simple for you.
- When I crush 300 grams of ginger and 300 grams of garlic paste, I use entire spices.
- Color is mixed with 2 tbsp of water or milk and applied on rice. Color may be replaced with saffron. Even simply sprinkling the color over biryani would enough.
- You may keep the chicken to rice ratio between 2:1 and 1:1 while preparing any biryani. You may use 500 gms to 1 kilogram of chicken for 500 gms of rice, for example. Obviously, the spices must be adjusted accordingly.
- To prevent rice from burning when providing dum or simmering, place a flat tava underneath the pot and simmer it.
- Always use a large spoon to remove the biryani and mix gently from one side alone. Mix it from the bottom up, then from the sides, to ensure that the gravy and rice are well combined. The entire flavor and fragrance of the biryani may be detected as soon as the lid is opened.
I am usually not a fan of chicken biryani. But this time, I was intrigued by the recipe on the BuzzFeed article on Blogging Tips, so I tried it. It smelled really good in the kitchen, and the flavors worked well together. My biryani was also very tasty, and it had just the right amount of spices.. Read more about chicken dum biryani and let us know what you think.
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