Sofiyani Biryani Recipe – White Hyderabadi Biryani with Saffron

Instructions

For the rice

1. Wash the rice and soak it for 15 mins.
2. In a wide mouthed vessel, bring 5 cups of water to a boil.
3. Add the whole spices and the rice.
4. Add 2 tsp of salt and let it cook for 10 mins. The basmati (Royal Basmati) I use takes about that time till it gets half cooked. The rice should be cooked half.
5. Drain the water and spread the rice on a big plate so that it stops cooking from the residual heat.
6. Soak the saffron in the warm milk for at least 15 mins.

For the Vegetable Oil

1. In a pan, heat the vegetable oil.
2. Add the thinly sliced onion and fry over a medium heat, till they get browned for 15 mins. Turn the flame to high and fry for 5 mins to crisp it up. Keep monitoring the onion so that it does not burn. Remove and keep aside on a paper towel.
3. In another pan, take 4 tbsp of the vegetable oil in which you fried the onions and 2 tbsp of ghee.
4. Add bay leaves, shah jeera, cinnamon stick, green and black cardamom and let it get fragrant. This takes about a minute.
5. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté it over a medium flame. Keep in mind that the onion should not get browned.
6. Add the remaining ginger and garlic paste and keep sautéing for 3-4 mins. Again, cook on a medium flame.
7. Now add the chicken and 2 tsp of salt and give a good stir. Let it cook for 5-8 mins over a medium flame. Keep it covered and every 2 mins remove the lid and give a stir. Throw in the green chilies and white pepper powder.
8. Before you start cooking the chicken, soak about 20 almonds in hot water. After 20 mins, the skin should come off easily. Make a paste of the blanched almonds.
9. Now in a blender, pulse the heavy cream, khoya and 2 tbsp of almond paste that you made earlier together. It will come together as a thick paste. Add 2 tbsp of water to it and add to the chicken.
10. Keep stirring and keep the pan covered so that the chicken gets cooked in it’s own juices. Always cook this chicken over medium flame.
11. After 5-6 mins of this phase, you will see that the chicken is almost cooked but not falling from the bones. If the chicken is still hard, add 1/4 cup of hot water and let it cook for another 2-3 mins. The sauce should be pretty thick.
12. Grind the mace and nutmeg in a mortar and pestle and add 1 tsp of the powder to the gravy. Check the seasoning for salt again and adjust if necessary.
13. Add ½ tsp kewra essence and set aside.

For the Layering

1. In a big pan, add the two tsp of ghee.
2. On top of that add 1/3 the rice.
3. Spread ½ the chicken. Spoon some sauce but make sure it is not too much. We do not want the biryani to be wet.
4. Add the fried onions or the birista. Add some thinly sliced almonds.
5. Now spread 1/3 of the rice again on the chicken.
6. Pour in the remaining chicken and spread evenly.
7. Add the last layer of rice on top.
8. Add a layer of the birista, some thinly sliced green chilies (optional), finely chopped mint leaves and thinly sliced almonds.
9. Add a tsp of rose water on top and the saffron soaked in milk. Now as I said, a traditional Sofiyani biryani does not include the saffron. But I loved how it enhanced the flavor of this dish.
10. Close the lid and use some bread dough to seal the edge of the pan.
11. Place a tawa on the stove over low heat.
12. Now place the firmly sealed pan with the rice and meat on top. Cook for at least 20 mins.
13. Remove from stove and let it stand for 10 mins before removing the lid.
14. Garnish with boiled eggs and serve alongside a raita or yogurt. I also had some pickled onions, a spicy mutton curry and some chutney.