Bengali / Indian · dinner
Kolkata Biryani A fragrant layered chicken biryani from Kolkata, built on tender spiced chicken, golden potatoes, and long-grain basmati rice finished together with saffron, kewra and a gentle sweetness. The rice and chicken cook together in a sealed pot, so the flavors meld into every grain.
total 3 hr
prep 2 hr
cook 1 hr
servings 6 Keep this recipe Add a copy of Kolkata Biryani to your Saucepan library.
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Back to 6 servings Chicken marinade 700 g chicken, bone-in pieces, or boneless for convenience 1 cup plain yogurt, fresh and not too sour 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp red chili powder, Kashmiri for color if you like 0.5 tsp turmeric 1 tbsp Kolkata biryani masala, homemade or store-bought 0.5 lemon, juice only, skip if the yogurt is already sour salt, to taste Potatoes 4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved 0.5 tsp grated ginger pinch turmeric, for frying potatoes Onions 2 large onions, thinly sliced into half moons, fried into birista 2 tbsp ghee, for cooking and finishing 2 tbsp mustard oil, heated to smoking then cooled; or any neutral oil Rice 7 cups water, for boiling the rice 3 cups basmati rice, long-grain, soaked 30 minutes then drained Whole spices 2 bay leaves 4 green cardamom pods 1 inch cinnamon stick 4 cloves Finish pinch saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup warm milk 2 tbsp kewra water, use sparingly 2 drops meetha attar, optional, very strong 2 boiled eggs, optional, traditional
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1 Step 1: Marinate the chicken in yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric, biryani masala, lemon juice and salt for at least 1 hour.2 Step 2: Fry the potatoes with a pinch of turmeric and salt in oil over medium heat until golden on all sides, then set aside.3 Step 3: Fry the sliced onions on high heat in oil, stirring, until light golden and crisp to make birista; drain and keep about 1/4 cup of the oil.4 Step 4: Boil 7 cups of water with the bay leaves, whole spices and salt. Add the soaked rice and cook until just al dente, about 70% done, then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.5 Step 5: Warm the ghee and oil together in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the rest of the onions and cook them until golden. Tip in the marinated chicken, turn the heat to high, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the oil begins to separate from the masala. Put the lid on and keep cooking until the chicken is done: an instant-read thermometer should show 165°F (74°C), the juices should be clear, and the meat near the bone should have no trace of pink.6 Step 6: On low heat, add the fried potatoes to the chicken gravy. Stir in the lemon juice and a little kewra water.7 Step 7: Spread the partly cooked rice over the chicken and potatoes. Pour the saffron milk and the reserved rice water over the rice, then sprinkle the remaining kewra, a drop or two of meetha attar, the remaining birista and 2 tsp ghee over the top. Add the boiled eggs if using.8 Step 8: Seal the pot tightly with a lid, dough or foil. Cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes.9 Step 9: Rest the pot off the heat for 5 minutes, then open and gently fluff the rice, bringing up the chicken and potatoes from the bottom.getsaucepan.com/r/83fcb987-4067-5c9f-909d-a223906939af
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