I always wanted to find some method to keep dum and make biryani and find the difference in taste. I was experimenting different methods to keep dum as we don’t get burning charcoal from the traditional wooden stove. That was why I did not try to give the recipe though many of my loving readers wanted it. Now I have found out a sure and easy method. I have heard many complaining that their biryani won’t turn out the same every day. This is a sure method. It won’t get burnt or overcooked. But you should have a good kadai and a dosa pan to make dum biryani.If you don’t have it then try the same recipe using pressure cooker sauce pan without lid or any big vessel. Mint leaf is a must item in the ingredients which makes much difference to the taste
Ingredients
Chicken medium size pieces (1/2 kg)
Big onion chopped-2
Tomato-1
Green chillies-2
Biryani rice or jeeraga samba rice-2 cups
Coconut milk-2 cups (milk taken out of ½ coconut (medium size)) +2 cups water
For marination
Red chili powder-1 table spoon
Coriander powder-1 ½ table spoon
Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste-1 teaspoon
Salt-1 table spoon
Thick curd-1/4 cup (50 ml)
For seasoning
Mint leaf-2 handfuls
Clove-2
Cardamom-2
Cinnamon-2 pieces
Bay leaf-2 small pieces
Fennel seeds-1 teaspoon
Method
The main things to be done
1. Marinate the chicken pieces
2. Get the coconut milk ready
3. Soak the rice for 10 minutes and fry it

Cut the chicken pieces to the required size. Wash well, drain out the water and marinate with the items given in’ for marination’. Let it get marinated for 30 minutes. Mean time keep the coconut milk ready. Wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. Then drain the water completely. In a kadai in a teaspoon of butter or ghee fry the rice till it does not stick to the kadai in medium fire.
Now keep the kadai or the vessel in which you cook the biryani in the stove. Pour 1 table spoon ghee and 1 table spoon cooking oil and season with the items given in ‘to season’. Now add the onion, chilies and tomato pieces. Sauté for a while and then add the marinated chicken pieces. Sauté everything well in medium fire for 2 minutes. Now reduce the flame and close the vessel with a lid (If using cooker vessel, close it with a plate) and let the chicken get cooked for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes open the kadai and check whether there is excess water, if so increase the flame and stir for a minute. Now add the 2 cups of coconut milk along with two cups of water. Let the mixture come to a boil. Now add the salt needed for the rice along with the rice kept ready. Mix everything well. In this stage reduce the flame, close the kadai and cook for 7 to 8 minutes(cook till all the water gets absorbed)checking in between so that it doesn’t get burnt. In the next stove heat the dosa pan in medium fire. Open the lid after 7 minutes and mix everything well. Let the fire be very low now. Now close the kadai with the hot dosa tawa so that the top portion gets cooked by the heat of the tawa.The heat of the tawa will be there for 5 minutes. If you have another tawa, that can be used next heating side by side. If you don’t have one don’t worry, Heat this tawa itself and put on top one more time. By the second time the biryani will be rightly cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve along with raitha.
Thos who don’t have the tawa to put on top can keep the vessel on top of the tawa in low flame in that stage.If you cant do that even then add 1/2 cup more water in the beginning and cook.After the water gets absorbed cook for 5 minutes more in low fire stirring in between