Sam's Chicken Biryani

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1. 1Step 1: Clean and wash the chicken. Marinate the chicken with yogurt, salt, turmeric, and chili powder for 2 hours.
2. 2Step 2: In a pot, add vegetable oil and fry the onions until they are soft and golden. Add garlic and ginger paste and the whole spices. Fry and continuously stir for 5 minutes.
3. 3Step 3: Add green chilies and tomatoes and fry for another 5 minutes.
4. 4Step 4: Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pot.
5. 5Step 5: When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the marinated chicken pieces and potatoes and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture.
6. 6Step 6: Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender—approximately 35 to 45 minutes. There should be only a little very thick gravy left when the chicken is finished cooking. If necessary, cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the amount of gravy.
7. 7Step 7: Wash rice well and soak it for 30 minutes.
8. 8Step 8: Put plenty of water in another pot, add salt, and boil the water. Once the water starts to boil, drain the soaked rice and put it in the boiling water. Boil it again at a high temperature for 5–7 minutes.
9. 9Step 9: “Par cook” the rice (meaning 3/4 cooked, while the rest will just get cooked later). Do not boil the rice too much.
10. 10Step 10: Put cilantro leaves on top of the cooked chicken, stir them in, then add mint on top. Drain and add the “par-cooked” rice on top of this mixture.
11. 11Step 11: Cover the pot tightly, turn heat to very low, and steam for 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid or stir while cooking.
12. 12Step 12: Spoon the biryani onto a serving dish and garnish with halved boiled eggs.