Chicken Biryani
A few weeks after first making the chana masala, I watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen entitled A Passage to India. They presented a recipe for chicken biryani, one of Caroline's favorite dishes. And so, I figured that since the chana masala went so well, I would make the biryani for Caroline's birthday!
10 cardamom pods , preferably green, smashed with chef's knife
1 cinnamon stick
2 inch piece fresh ginger , cut into 1/2-inch-thick coins and smashed with chef's knife
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
3 quarts water
table salt
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat and patted dry with paper towels
ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions , sliced thin (about 4 cups)
2 medium jalapeño chiles , one seeded and chopped fine, the other chopped fine with seeds
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads , lightly crumbled
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1. Wrap cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, ginger, and cumin seed in small piece of cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine. In 3 ½- to 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan about 8 inches in diameter, bring water, spice bundle, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt to boil over medium-high heat; reduce to medium and simmer, partially covered, until spices have infused water, at least 15 minutes (but no longer than 30 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, season both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides; add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and dark brown about edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Add jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to bowl, season lightly with salt, and set aside. Wipe out skillet with paper towels, return heat to medium-high, and place chicken thighs skin-side down in skillet; cook, without moving chicken, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and brown second side, 4 to 5 minutes longer; transfer chicken to plate and remove and discard skin. Tent with foil to keep warm.
3. If necessary, return spice-infused water to boil over high heat; stir in rice and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain rice through fine-mesh strainer, reserving ¾ cup cooking liquid; discard spice bundle. Transfer rice to medium bowl; stir in saffron and currants (rice will turn splotchy yellow). Spread half of rice evenly in bottom of now-empty saucepan using rubber spatula. Scatter half of onion mixture over rice, then place chicken thighs, skinned-side up, on top of onions; add any accumulated chicken juices. Evenly sprinkle with cilantro and mint, scatter remaining onions over herbs, then cover with remaining rice; pour reserved cooking liquid evenly over rice.
4. Cover saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes (if large amount of steam is escaping from pot, reduce heat to low). Run heatproof rubber spatula around inside rim of saucepan to loosen any affixed rice; using large serving spoon, spoon biryani into individual bowls, scooping from bottom of pot and serving 1 chicken thigh per person.
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My notes:
I couldn't find any cheesecloth to make my spice pouch for the rice water, but in the ATK episode, Chris showed how you can use No.2 coffee filters instead. I wasn't able to fit all of the stuff in just one, so I used 2 coffee filters, tied them up with string, and simmered away!
The fist time I made the recipe, the rice in the bottom of the pan burnt. We probably lost a full cup of rice/currants because of this. The next time around, I greatly overcompensated, adding more rice (just in case it burnt again), adding more of the reserve water (to try to keep it from drying out), and lowering the temperature of the stove. I did get a little bit of browned rice at the bottom, but nothing like the burning from last time around. This made me happy. I also used a different pan (the 6-quart pan from my pressure cooker, rather than the 4-quart one), but I don't know if that had any effect.
So, my conclusions --
1) More rice is good, we like rice & wanted more to eat and adding more didn't affect the dish.
2) Add a bit more of the reserve water if you're cooking more rice.
3) My stove seems like the flame goes from low to high with only the slightest turn of the knob. Because of this, I erred on the side of lower temperatures to try to prevent the rice from burning. Everything was still cooked through and the chicken was done & tender, so I'd say that low is the way to go.
10 cardamom pods , preferably green, smashed with chef's knife
1 cinnamon stick
2 inch piece fresh ginger , cut into 1/2-inch-thick coins and smashed with chef's knife
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
3 quarts water
table salt
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat and patted dry with paper towels
ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions , sliced thin (about 4 cups)
2 medium jalapeño chiles , one seeded and chopped fine, the other chopped fine with seeds
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads , lightly crumbled
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1. Wrap cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, ginger, and cumin seed in small piece of cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine. In 3 ½- to 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan about 8 inches in diameter, bring water, spice bundle, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt to boil over medium-high heat; reduce to medium and simmer, partially covered, until spices have infused water, at least 15 minutes (but no longer than 30 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, season both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides; add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and dark brown about edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Add jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to bowl, season lightly with salt, and set aside. Wipe out skillet with paper towels, return heat to medium-high, and place chicken thighs skin-side down in skillet; cook, without moving chicken, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and brown second side, 4 to 5 minutes longer; transfer chicken to plate and remove and discard skin. Tent with foil to keep warm.
3. If necessary, return spice-infused water to boil over high heat; stir in rice and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain rice through fine-mesh strainer, reserving ¾ cup cooking liquid; discard spice bundle. Transfer rice to medium bowl; stir in saffron and currants (rice will turn splotchy yellow). Spread half of rice evenly in bottom of now-empty saucepan using rubber spatula. Scatter half of onion mixture over rice, then place chicken thighs, skinned-side up, on top of onions; add any accumulated chicken juices. Evenly sprinkle with cilantro and mint, scatter remaining onions over herbs, then cover with remaining rice; pour reserved cooking liquid evenly over rice.
4. Cover saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes (if large amount of steam is escaping from pot, reduce heat to low). Run heatproof rubber spatula around inside rim of saucepan to loosen any affixed rice; using large serving spoon, spoon biryani into individual bowls, scooping from bottom of pot and serving 1 chicken thigh per person.
--------
My notes:
I couldn't find any cheesecloth to make my spice pouch for the rice water, but in the ATK episode, Chris showed how you can use No.2 coffee filters instead. I wasn't able to fit all of the stuff in just one, so I used 2 coffee filters, tied them up with string, and simmered away!
The fist time I made the recipe, the rice in the bottom of the pan burnt. We probably lost a full cup of rice/currants because of this. The next time around, I greatly overcompensated, adding more rice (just in case it burnt again), adding more of the reserve water (to try to keep it from drying out), and lowering the temperature of the stove. I did get a little bit of browned rice at the bottom, but nothing like the burning from last time around. This made me happy. I also used a different pan (the 6-quart pan from my pressure cooker, rather than the 4-quart one), but I don't know if that had any effect.
So, my conclusions --
1) More rice is good, we like rice & wanted more to eat and adding more didn't affect the dish.
2) Add a bit more of the reserve water if you're cooking more rice.
3) My stove seems like the flame goes from low to high with only the slightest turn of the knob. Because of this, I erred on the side of lower temperatures to try to prevent the rice from burning. Everything was still cooked through and the chicken was done & tender, so I'd say that low is the way to go.