Prakash K. Sivanathan, Niranjala M. Ellawala

Chicken Biryani

Name: Chicken Biryani
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 6 saffron strands, soaked in 1 tbsp warm water; 1 tsp cloves; 2 tsp black peppercorns; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 25 g (1 oz/⅔ cup) dried red chillies; 50 g (1¾ oz/¾ cup) coriander seeds; 4 green chillies, finely chopped with seeds in; 2 tsp rosewater; 600 g (1 lb 5 oz/2¾ cups) white rice (samba or basmati); ¾ tsp salt; 750 g (1 lb 10 oz) boneless chicken; 8 fresh curry leaves; 2.5 cm (1-inch) cinnamon stick, broken into two; 1 tsp caraway seeds; 1 tsp cardamom pods; 50 g (1¾ oz/⅓ cup) cashew nuts, halved; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2.5 cm (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped; 2 tbsp oil; 4 cloves; 4 cardamom pods, slightly crushed; 2 tsp ghee or butter; 50 g (1¾ oz/⅓ cup) raisins; 100 ml (3½ fl oz/7 tbsp) water; 2 tbsp biryani curry powder; 100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) plain yogurt; 1 medium onion, finely chopped

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Sri Lanka

By Prakash K. Sivanathan and Niranjala M. Ellawala

Published 2017

About

The word ‘biriyani’ originates in Persia, and this exquisite meal must have found its way to Sri Lanka through Arab traders. I had my first taste of it during my senior school days, in the Maradana district of the capital Colombo.

A whole team of us descended on a restaurant for dinner after a big cricket match. The match was memorable but the biriyani and the company of my classmates were even more so. What’s so special about biryani?

The rice and chicken are prepared separ

Ingredients

Asia
Sri Lanka
Dinner
Main course
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method