Boneless chicken 1 kg [you can use chicken on bones too]
Yogurt thick 1/4 cup
Homemade Tikka spice mix 3-4 tbspas per liking
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Red food color 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Boiled Rice
3cupslong grain basmati rice
Black Peppercorns 10-12
Cinnamon 1 big
Star anise 2
Cloves5-6
Bay Leaf 2-3
Green Cardamom 4
Black Cardamom 2
Biryani Masala/Gravy
Onions very big size 2-3 chopped
Oil 1/4 cup
Cinnamon sticks 2 medium sized
Bay leaf 2
Green Cardamoms 4
Cloves6
Ginger paste 1 tbsp
Garlic paste 1 tbsp
Tomatoes 3-4 bigchopped
Dried prunes/plums 6-7
Tikka spice mix 1-2 tsp or to taste
Yogurt 1.5 cups
Salt to taste
Red chili powderoptional and as needed
Biryani Layers
Potatoes 2-3cut into big chunks and fried
Fresh Mint leaves chopped
Green Chilies chopped
Gingerjulienned
Lemon slices
Potato wedges
Yellow food color
Instructions
Tikka Spice mix: Dry roast all the whole spices on a low flame until fragrant. Allow to cool and them grind into fine powder. Now add turmeric, Kashmiri red chili and mango powder. Mix well. After using, store the leftover spice mix in an air tight container.
Rice: Soak the rice for half an hour. Boil them with whole spices until 90% cooked. Strain.
Chicken: Cut the chicken into big chunks and marinate with thick yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, tikka spice mix and red food color. Mix, cover and allow to marinate for 30 minutes. If using chicken with bones, make sure to marinate overnight.
Heat 4-5 tbsp oil in a pot and add the chicken pieces. Sear both sides of chicken pieces on high heat to seal the juices inside (about 4-5 minutes). Now turn the flame off and smoke the chicken with a live charcoal.
Gravy: Heat 1/4 cup oil and add chopped onions, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cloves and green cardamoms and fry until the onions are golden brown.
Add ginger paste and garlic paste and fry until raw smell is gone.
Add prunes, chopped tomatoes, yogurt, 1-2 tsp tikka spice mix, salt (and red chili powder, optional). Mix, cover and allow to cook until the gravy is ready and the oil separates from the gravy.
Add the chicken to the gravy, cover and allow to cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.
Layers: Take a large pan and start layering. Put the rice into it, followed by chicken gravy. Sprinkle some yellow food color drops. Top with lemon slices, green chilies, mint leaves, julienned ginger and potato wedges.
Cover the pot tightly and steam (put on dum) for 10 minutes.