Last time the biryani I made was on the suggestions of our maid. But today I read up in a book and found this recipe.. The biryani tastes awesome and it was quite spicy.


Ingredients
4 Chicken Leg Pieces
2 cup Rice
1 Cup Curd
4 Onions
2 Tomatoes
1/4 cup Milk
1 Potato
Handful of Cashews
5-6 Almonds
3/4 cup Ghee
2 spoon Oil
1 spoon Pudina Leaves
1 spoon Dry Coconut
2 Cardamom
2 Cloves
3 Cinnamon
1 spoon Jeera
1 spoon Corriander Seeds
1 spoon Red Chilli Powder
1/4 spoon Black Pepper Powder
1/2 spoon Poppy Seeds
1/4 spoon Saunf
1/2 Spoon Ginger Paste
1 spoon Garlic Paste
1 spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
A pinch of Safron
Salt to taste

Method

• Mix curd, turmeric powder, garam masala, 1/2 spoon garlic paste, 1/4 spoon ginger paste and salt to taste
• Marinate the chicken pieces with this mixture and store in fridge for 8 hours or more.
• Soak the rice in warm water for half an hour
• Soak the poppy seeds in 3-4 spoon of water
• Warm the milk and add the safron in it and keep aside.
• Boil the potato, let it cool down, cut it into slices and keep aside
• Cut the onions into thin and long pieces and fry them in oil till they are crispy and keep it aside
• Also fry all cashews except 5-6 and keep them aside.
• Cut remaining onions into small pieces and fry them in oil till it is golden brown. Keep aside
• Fry the 2 Cinnamons, Corriander seeds, Jeera, grated dry coconut, saunf, remaining cashews and almonds
• Add the red chilli powder, black pepper powder, poppy seeds, pudina leaves and golden brown fine pieces of onions fried earlier(not the crisp ones)
• Let the mixture cool down
• Grind it in mixer adding half tomato and little water to form fine paste
• Heat the ghee (keep aside 2 spoons of it) and add the masala paste and fry for a while.
• Mix the remaining garlic paste, ginger paste, remaining finely chopped tomatoes and salt to taste and fry for a while
• Add the marinated chicken and cook till chicken is completely cooked and gravy is dry as much as possible. Keep it aside
• There will be extra ghee separated from the chicken, separate it out and keep that also aside.
• While chicken is cooking, boil 7 cups of water, When water boils add the soaked rice without the water in which it was soaked.
• Cook the rice by putting lid on the vessel.
• When rice is almost done (not completely) strain it and keep it for cooling
• When rice cools down, heat 1/2 spoon of ghee and add remaming cardamoms, cloves, cinnamons to it. Add this to the rice and some salt to taste. Mix well
• Now in cooker apply remaining ghee all over and put a layer of potato slices to fully cover the cooker bottom.
• Add a layer of rice, then spread 1/3 of fried cashews, 1/3 of crisp onions and 1/2 of chicken with its paste.
• Add another layer of rice and then spread another 1/3 of fried cashews, 1/3 of crisp onion and remaining chicken with the masala
• Spread remaining rice. On top of it spread remaining cashews and crisp onion
• With the back side of the cooking spoon make 5-6 wholes in this layer biryani till bottom
• Spread the ghee separated out from chicken stored earlier evenly over here. Also spread the milk-safron mixture evenly.
• Close the cooker with the lid, heat tawa and put this cooker on top of it
• Cook on low flame for 15 minutes
• Serve hot with raita

Notes
This is little lengthy process, but believe me the output is quite tasty :)
Since we have spread the potato slices at the bottom, the rice doesn't get burnt while cooking.
Also since all the ingredients are already cooked before layering, there is no way that biryani will spoil because of uncooked rice or chicken.