Wash chicken properly and drain out water completely. Spread chicken in a heavy bottomed vessel in which you are going to prepare the biryani.
Crush Shahijeera, dalchini, cloves, 1/2 of the mace , nutmeg and elaichi with the skin with a mortar and pestle. Add ¾th of this crushed garam masala to chicken and keep the rest ¼th aside. Grind half of coriander and half of mint leaves to make paste of it.
Taking chicken from step2, add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, green chilli paste, coriander and mint paste, red chilli powder, salt required for chicken, lemon juice, and curd to it. Mix all these ingredients very well with chicken and marinate the chicken. Ideally it is marinated for 3 – 4 hrs. If in hurry minimum 1 hour marination is required.
Heat oil in a kadai on medium heat, when its hot, deep fry onions in small quantities till they turn golden brown. Fry onions in batches, else they will not be crisp. Separate the fried onions in a plate. Do not fry the onions on very high heat, it will give a bitter taste. Keep fried oil aside.
Wash basmati rice and soak for 30 mins. For 2 cups rice add 8 cups of water in another vessel, add salt required for rice, star anise, Marathi mogga, black elaichi, biryani leaves, remaining mace, 1 teaspoon oil to it. Heat water with spices until it is boiling.
While water is boiling, drain soaked rice and add to it. When rice is half cooked, take few cups of rice water from it and keep aside, drain remaining water from half cooked rice using a strainer/ mesh / lid.
Now add the remaining ¼ crushed garam masala to the rice and mix gently. Keep this rice aside.
Take oil in which onions were fried, add 2 table spoons of oil all around and in between the marinated chicken, add 6- 8 tablespoon rice water same way as oil. Allow the oil and rice water to seep to the bottom of the vessel by moving the chicken with the help of a spoon.
Spread out chicken evenly in the vessel, spread some of the fried onions, half of chopped coriander and mint leaves evenly on top of it. Add 2 – 3 slit green chilies on top.
Add rice evenly on chicken in the form of a layer, add onion fried 1 tablespoon oil, 2- 4 tablespoon rice water, saffron milk, rose water, kewra water all around the rice. Spread remaining fried onions, chopped coriander and mint leaves on rice. If required one can add 2 tea spoons of Ghee too for good taste.
Cover vessel with an aluminum foil completely so that no air escapes from the vessel.
Place a lid on this and keep heavy weight on the lid, like a marble motor pestle, or a bowl full of water.
Place rice and chicken vessel on the flame. Cook on medium to high heat for around 4 – 5 mins, then reduce the flame to medium heat and cook for 10 mins, again reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more mins. Take off the flame and keep it aside for 15 mins to let it cook on dum. Once done remove lid and foil, mix cooked rice and chicken well gently.
Biryani is ready, serve it with mirchi ka salan or bagara baingan or capsicum masala curry and onion raita.
Note: 1. Instead of aluminum foil you can give dum using wheat flour dough. Roll the dough and stick it to edges of the biryani vessel. Place lid on top of dough and seal the lid with the help of dough so that no air escapes. 2. You can cook this biryani even if rose water, marathi mogga, staranise , japathri and saffron etc are not available. Adding these things gives extra flavor. 3. You can use fresh olive oil, instead of onions fried oil.
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