Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani (Queen of Biryanis)

Wonderfully fragrant and delicious, Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani... Beautifully cooked Basmati rice with A delectable Chicken Masala, laced with green chilies that spread its oomph through the yummy biryani -
Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani - A royal affair with food. This dish deserves its reputation for Being the Queen amongst Biryanis. The Nizams were connoisseurs of food and Hyderabad food is a unique fusion combining the tastiest foods of the South with the rich, delicious recipes Mughal cuisine.  So here, we take a look at a delicious recipe for Hyderabad Chicken Biryani.  Traditionally this Biryani is cooked in copper pots for its heat conducting properties on a slow charcoal fire.  Raw Papaya paste is used to tenderize the meat and gorgeous fried onions are used in the marinade.The aroma that fills the air, while the Biryani cooks... Now that's enough reason to cook this when you want to impress your guests. The Biryani cooking involves the 'Dum' method of cooking, where the biryani pot is sealed with raw dough so that absolutely no steam escapes on a slow ember fire, with hot coals below and on top of the pot. This causes the delicate essence of the spices to penetrate all through the dish and when finally the time comes to crack the seal open, the intense aroma is quite intoxicating.Authentically, the lamb or chicken is marinated with yogurt, spices, herbs and fried onion for a long period of time and it becomes very tender. Raw papaya paste is the tenderizer and flavor enhancer used here. The uncooked, marinated lamb or chicken is then placed on the bottom of the pot with the rice on top. The Biryani-pot is then sealed either with the dough of cloth and cooked on coals, with live coals on top of the pot as well. In this 'dum' or 'Dumphukt' method - the meat is cooked and the aroma permeated through the partially cooked rice, while also steaming it through to fluffy perfection. Since cooking raw meat along with the rice does take some level of practice, I am sharing the method, where the meat is mostly cooked before sealing the pot for 'dum'. Do try this Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani, it is excellent.
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