Awadhi Biryani

 “It had been agreed between them that lighted candles at wayside inns, in strange countries amid mountain scenery, gave the evening meal a peculiar poetry.”

― Henry James

The next one on my Biryani Adventures is the Awadhi Biryani. All my life, I have only eaten the south Indian varieties and have been content with my choices. My Maami makes a really cool North Indian style Biryani but that is my only experience with Biryanis away from the Southern part of India. 

I have never been to Lucknow. So, whatever attempts I have made are from the information I see on the Internet. That is all the guidance I had. Now, on the Biryani trail, there is so much I have learnt. To be honest, it was this Biryani that I spent the most time researching. And I must say, I am looking forward to see Lucknow. 

What is not to like when the city is decorated with palaces and minarets, the food is passed down generations from the Nawabs and Royal families and the enticing language serenades you with Ghazals. Urdu is a language I love to listen to. In my opinion, it is the only language  I can spend evenings listening to, without understanding a word of it. I think Lucknow and I would get along fine. 

Now, let us step back in time to the kingdom of Awadh. Lucknow, was known for its composite culture and was the cultural capital of Northern India. The Nawabs gave the gift of subtle and aromatic food, along with many other things. When I say food, let us put the kebabs on pause and look at the Biryani. The traditional version (as it always is) is the mutton Biryani, and the meat is slow cooked to tender perfection using the Dum method. The Awadhi biryani is rich in flavor and has warm floral notes, and it stands out from the spice laden South Indian versions. This Biryani is also distinct in the way that, you do not bite into the spices, but just feel the flavor. It seems the Nawabs did not like biting into the spices while relishing the Biryani. They also had a unique vessel and they introduced this Dum method of cooking. And no Mint or coriander leaves here. The Nawabs sure had a way of doing things. 

Now, I tried out this Biryani couple of times before and it was outright rejected by my son as he found it too bland. The Mallu in me springs out at the most unassuming moments. I just could not think of a Biryani without mint leaves and tomatoes. So, it was difficult for me to stick to the version that I found on the Internet. I have taken the masalas and methods from different recipes and put it all together and still managed to keep it as authentic as you can possibly expect me to. Cashew is not typically used, but I liked the idea ( Thank you, Ranveer Brar) so have used it in my version. Also, the fresh masalas are not roasted but ground directly. Something that I usually do not do but yeah, well!! I was doing my best to stay true to the authentic version. 

But then I tried again and spent the weekends reading and researching about it. I also had The Lucknow Cookbook which helped me picturize the city that I have never seen but liked instantly. After endless videos, reading articles and versions of  the Lucknowi Biryani, I tried again. I still remained closer to the authentic versions, and made it a little spicier than the recipe suggested. The result was rewarding, and I am glad I took my time with it.

 

Let us first make the Biryani Masala and the Cardamom- Mace powder.  If you do not feel like making the Biryani Masala, you can skip and use your Garam Masala instead. But do not skip the Cardamom- Mace powder. This is the specialty of the Awadhi Biryani.  

For the Biryani Masala powder 

Ingredients : 

Cinnamon -1 stick

Cloves - 8-10

Pepper Corns - 1 tsp

Mace - 2-3 

Brown Cardamom - 3

Green Cardamom - 4 

Nutmeg - 1/4 of a big one. 

Grind the above spices in a spice grinder and keep aside. Do not dry roast the masalas before grinding. Keep ready to use. 

Let us make the Cardamom- Mace powder. 

Cardamom - Mace Powder :

Cardamom - 2 tsp.

Mace slivers - 1 tsp. 

Grind the above and keep aside. 

Note : In many of the recipes, they had used equal quantities of Cardamom and Mace. But the Mace we get here has a very strong flavor, so I had modified the measurement as above. 

Now, we have the masala powders ready. 

Chicken Marination :

Chicken - 3 pounds. 

Curd - 1 Cup

Red Chilli Powder - 1.5 Tbsp. ( For Spice) 

Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 2 Tbsp.  ( For color)

Cashew Paste - 3 Tsp. 

Salt - 1.5 tsp. 

Biryani Masala Powder - 1 tsp. ( The masala is very strong, so I used less of it. You can add more while cooking the chicken if you feel the need for more. )

Marinate the chicken with the above and keep aside. I recommend overnight. 

Ingredients for the Biryani

Onion - 2 Large - sliced thin

Ginger Paste - 2 Tbsp.

Garlic - 3 Tbsp. ( Grind to a watery paste. Add a little water while grinding. )

Cardamoms - 2 

Cloves - 3 

Cinnamon - 2

Nutmeg - 1/4 piece of the whole.

Milk - 3/4 Cup ( See notes)

Kewra water - 1.5 Tbsp. 

Rose Water - 1.5 Tbsp. 

15 strands of Saffron soaked in  1/2 Cup. warm milk. 

Oil - 1/2 Cup 

Method :

1. Heat Oil in a pan and add the onions. Fry the onions till they turn a deep brown. 

2. Add the ginger paste and the garlic paste. Sauté well till the raw smell dissipates. 

3. Add the marinated chicken to the pan and let it cook. 

4. Add the whole spices to the chicken and give it a quick stir. 

5. Let the chicken cook on medium flame. If you want it to be spicy, then you can add more red chilli powder here. 

6. Add the Kewra water to the chicken. 

7. Turn off the flame and move the pan away from heat. Now, add the milk and give it a quick stir.

8. Add 2 Tbsp. of Saffron milk to the chicken if using. 

9. Remove the chicken pieces to another plate/bowl. 

10. Strain the gravy and keep this aside. This is called Jhol. When the Jhol settles, remove a few spoons of the oil floating on top and keep aside. We will use this flavored oil while layering the rice. 

11. Now add a  big generous pinch of the Cardamom- Mace Powder, Kewra Essence and a 1 Tbsp. Saffron milk. Keep ready while we prepare the rice. 

Rice Preparation :

Basmati Rice - 1 Kg - Long grain rice - Washed and soaked in water for 30 mins - 1 hour

Green Chillies - 3 

Cardamom - 3

Cloves - 3-4

Bay Leaf - 1 

Oil - 1 Tbsp. 

Water for cooking the rice - 3-4 liters approximately

Salt - 3 tsp. 

Method : 

1. Heat a deep pan with enough water. We will drain the water so take approximately enough water to cook 1 kg of rice. 

2. Add the whole spices and the green chillies. Add oil and salt. 

3. Let the water come to a boil. 

4. Add the drained rice to the water.

5. Remove all the whole spices from the water and let the rice cook.

6. Stay close. The rice cooks soon ( max of 7-8 minutes in medium high flame), so do not leave it unattended. Also, we will only cook the rice to 70%, the rest of the cooking will happen under Dum.

7. While the rice is cooking, take another large oven proof pan . Add the chicken pieces to the pan and add the Jhol to it. Check for salt and adjust if needed.  ( See Notes)

8.  Strain the cooked rice to a wide plate and keep ready. Preheat the Oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

9. Now, add the 70% cooked rice to the chicken in the oven proof pan. Sprinkle the saffron infused milk on top of the rice. Also sprinkle the flavored oil on top of the rice. 

10. Double line the dish with a foil and leave it in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

11. Alternately, you can do the Dum on the stove top too. 

12. Serve warm with raita. 

Notes : 

1. When you add milk, decide the quantity based on how much gravy you already have. The water content in the chicken will differ based on the type and variety, so a word of caution there.

2. Let's say you end up with a little more gravy than you should, then cook the rice only 50% before draining it off. The rice will soak up the gravy when you layer it for the Dum Process and the remnant 50% of the cooking will be done. 

Recipe Source : From here and here.