Chicken Dum Biryani- Kolkata style

The rich heritage of Kolkata Biryani started differently “when Awadh’s last Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was exiled in 1856 to the Kolkata suburb of Metiabruz. Shah brought his personal chef with him. The poorer households of Kolkata, which could not afford meat, used potatoes instead, which went on to become a specialty of the Calcutta biryani. Now meat is also served along with it. The Calcutta biryani is much lighter on spices. It primarily uses nutmeg, cinnamon, mace along with cloves and cardamom in the yoghurt based marinade for the meat which is cooked separately from rice. This combination of spices gives it a distinct flavor as compared to other styles of biryani.” text source

Being a typical Kolkatan, I grown up eating, liking and loving this specific style of Biryani. My experience with Biryani went vivid when I moved to North India after my marriage, here I experienced Tawa Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani and Lucknowi Biryani, but my love affair with Kolkata style Biryani remains same. This recipe is our take on Kolkata style Chicken Biryani, tried and tasted several times at home, and every time it turned out finger licking good. 🙂

Chicken Dum Biryani
Chicken Dum Biryani

Chicken Dum Biryani

Serves: 4-5 People

Ingredients for chicken

  • Chicken- 1 kg (biryani cut)
  • Medium sized onions- 3 (thinly sliced)
  • Green chilies 4-5 (halved)
  • Meetha Attar
  • Mustard oil- ¼ cup
  • Salt

For marination

  • Kashmiri mirch powder- 1 tsp
  • Cumin powder- 1 tbsp
  • Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
  • Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
  • Curd or Yogurt- 300g
  • Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tbsp
  • Rose water- A few drops
  • Keora water- A few drops

For tempering

  • Dry red chilies- 2 (halved)
  • Green cardamom- 3 (roughly crushed)
  • Whole black peppercorns- 8-9 (roughly crushed)
  • Cinnamon sticks 4-5- 1″ pieces
  • Cloves- 4
  • Bay leaf- 2

Method

Marinate the freshly washed chicken pieces with all the ingredients mentioned for marination. Keep aside for 3-4 hours. Heat oil in a kadai/deep frying pan, temper with the all the ingredients mentioned for tempering. Add sliced onions, fry over medium heat until light brown in color. Now add the marinated chicken with green chilies. Mix well, cover and cook over low heat, keep stirring in-between. We cook the chicken without water. If you see that the chicken is drying up too much during the cooking, add some hot water to adjust the gravy. Add salt when the chicken is half cooked. Mix well and cook until done, add a few drops of meetha attar towards the end, remove from the heat, and keep aside.

Ingredients for rice

  • Basmati rice- 750g
  • Green cardamom- 3 (roughly crushed)
  • Bay leaf / Tej pata- 2
  • Star anise- 2

Method

Wash the rice under running water for 4-5 times, keep aside.

Boil enough water in a deep bottom pan. Add the washed rice along with star anise, bay leaves and green cardamoms, and salt. After the rice gets cooked, drain, and keep aside uncovered. Care needs to be taken so the rice doesn’t get overcooked.

For layering the Biryani

  • Potato- 4 medium-sized (boiled)
  • Boiled egg- 4 (cut into halves lengthwise)
  • Mace (javitri) Powder- ¼ tsp
  • Nutmeg (jaiphal) powder- ¼ tsp
  • Ghee/Clarified butter – ½ cup
  • Saffron- 1 fat pinch
  • Warm milk- ½ cup
  • Rose water
  • Keora water
  • Meetha Attar
  • Salt to taste
  • Garam masala powder- ½ tsp
  • Green chilies- 3-4 slitted (optional)
  • Birista / Crispy fried onions- 4 tbsp
  • Whole black peppercorns- ½ tsp (roughly crushed)
  • Mustard oil- 2 tbsp
  • Turmeric powder- A pinch
  • Salt to taste

Method

Soak saffron in warm milk, and keep aside.

Peel the boiled potatoes and cut into halves horizontally. Heat oil in a kadai/deep frying pan, fry the potatoes with turmeric powder and salt over medium heat until they turn golden. Remove them from the kadai, and keep aside.

Grease a deep bottomed pan with ghee. Add rice in the first layer. Now add a layer of Chicken pieces along with the gravy. Add gravy carefully, in small quantity at a time. Otherwise, the biryani might turn like ‘Chicken and rice curry’. Place the fried potatoes in-between. Sprinkle some ghee, along with few drops of rose water, keora water, mace and nutmeg powder, 1-2 green chilies, and a pinch of crushed black peppercorn along with splashes of saffron milk. Repeat this process of layering rice and chicken one more time. Finish the layering with a final layer of rice.Place the boiled eggs on top, yolk side down, and sprinkle a generous amount of ghee on the top.

Garnish with birista, a few drops of meetha attar and garam masala powder.

Seal the top of the pan with aluminium foil. Heat an iron tawa over high heat for 2 minutes, lower the heat and place the Biryani pot over it. Keep the Biryani on dum for the next 25 minutes, all the flavours will come together beautifully within this time.

Turn off the heat. Your delicious Chicken Dum Biryani is ready to serve. Pair this with Raita, and other condiments, enjoy!

Notes:

Add the Keora water carefully to the Biryani, a little over the quantity might make the Biryani bitter.

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10 Comments

  1. Badhakopi die macher muro r recipe Jodi post korte khub valo photo.. I am a big fan of all your recipes..you cook awesome food..

     
  2. Hi,
    I am just in love with your recipes, and the Chiken Biriyani is just awesome,
    I have tried several recipes of yours , how ever Chiken Biriyani has been rated 10/10 by my family members.
    Thank u for sharing such awesome recipes.
    Love u.

     

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