Chicken Dum Biriyani Recipe - Malabar Style

Malabar style chicken dum biriyani is popular in the Muslim community of North Kerala. A korma is made with chicken and spices and that is layered with flavoured cooked rice and baked to perfection. This is slightly different from Hyderabadi dum biriyani and if you are living in Kerala you must have tasted this biriyani atleast once.

This recipe is actually from a very close friend of my amma's and she has been making this for some 40 plus years and this is the biriyani I grew up on and amma only makes this biriyani. The cheat she does is when making the korma, she grinds some cashewnuts, raisins etc with green chilies, shallots (cheriya ulli), and coriander leaves; which can also be ground separately. But since she has been making this biriyani from many many years, amma just made the whole biriyani process easy and simple; which you can understand when you watch my video. Do not get put off by the long ingredient list; its because of the whole spices used in korma and rice.

I am sure, you will enjoy this biriyani and this recipe will always be a keeper.

How to make chicken dum biriyani video tutorial

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 4 cups/1 kg
Chicken: 1 kg
Oil: 4 tbsp
Ghee: 3 tbsp
Onion: 4
Tomato: 3
Coriander leaves: 1 small bunch
Mint leaves: 4 sprigs
Shallots: 12
Ginger: 2 large piece
Garlic: 3 pods
Green chilies: 12
Cashewnuts: 2 + 1 tbsp
Raisins: 2+1 tbsp
White Khushus: 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: 2 tsp
Curd: 4 tbsp
Cardamon: 6
Cinnamon: 4 
Cloves: 7
Mace: 1/2
Star anise: 1
Saunf: 1/2 tsp
Salt as needed
Water as needed
Ghee as needed
Saffron: 2 fat pich and 4 tbsp warm milk

Method:
Soak rice for 15 mins
Add the cashewnuts, raisins, khus khus into the blender and blend.
Then add in coriander leaves, mint leaves, shallots, ginger, garlic, and green chilies; grind them coarsely.
Boil water in a large pot filled with water Add in cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, mace, star anise, saunf, and salt. Add in the cleaned and rinsed rice and once it is 3/4 cooked, strain the rice. Squeese in some lemon juice and toss the pot.
Into a bowl add in the chicken, curd, salt and mix well and keep this aside. (more tips in the video).
Heat a large kadai; add in oil and ghee and fry cashewnuts, raisins, and onions; fry them and remove them to a plate.
Add in the sliced onion and fry until light golden brown and add in the green masala and fry on low flame for 2-3 mins. Add in the chopped tomatoes; mix well and cover and cook. Add in the Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, and garam masala. Mix well and saute it till oil comes out. Add in the marinated chicken pieces and mix well and cover and cook.
Once the chicken is cooked lets layer the dum biriyani.
Take a large heavy bottomed pan and spread a layer of the chicken korma, sprinkle coriander leaves, fried onions, raisins, and cashewnuts. Top it with a layer of cooked rice, sprinkle ghee, saffron milk, fried onions, raisins, and cashewnuts, and chopped coriander leaves. Next, layer with chicken and repeat the same until rice is on top.
Cover with a tight lid and place it on top of a tawa and cook for 15 to 20 mins.
Serve hot with pappadams and raita.

Pressure cooker chicken biriyani recipe.