Recipe !

Biryani! My most favorite kind of rice that i miss the most while having to eat Sodexo everyday for my meal =(

Biryani was made by my mom almost every Thursday and that was what woke me up in the afternoon (Thurday and Friday were the weekend back home).

Here is the recipe so you can as well try it at home and enjoy the deadliciously delicious taste of the different spices that tend to give the rice the amazing taste it contains!

This is a two person serving recipe.

The last time I tried to make this recipe, it was a disaster :( The rice was too wet and the chicken was not properly cooked, but woories when you have a mom like mine who can make even the most ruined things taste delicious :D

• 2 cups of Long Grain White Rice 
½ tsp. Saffron Powder
1 ½ cup Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
2 tsp. Fresh Ginger (finely chopped)
1 tbsp. Butter
¼ cup Golden Raisins (optional)
1 cup Plain Yogurt 
½ tsp. Nutmeg
2 tbsp. Cream or Whole Milk
4 cloves of Garlic 
5 tbsp. of Almonds (slivered)
¾ cup Vegetable Oil
1 ½ pounds Chicken Breast & Thighs (skinned & boned)
1 tsp. Cinnamon (grounded)
1 tsp. Cloves 
1 tsp. Coriander Powder 
a dash of salt
a dash of white pepper 
1. Cover rice in large bowl with cold water and let stand minimum of 3 hours or overnight.
Mix milk or cream with saffron and let stand for 3 hours.
In blender or food processor, combine onion, garlic, ginger, 3 tablespoons almonds and 3 tablespoons water and blend until smooth paste is formed. Reserve.
Melt butter over medium heat and add remaining almonds. Cook until golden (about 4 minutes). Drain on paper towel and set aside.
Heat ¼ cup of the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Drop the raisins in the oil and remove as soon as they plump (just a few seconds). Drain on paper towel and reserve.
Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the same skillet. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Reserve.
Add remaining oil to skillet. Add the onion paste and cook until lightly browned, stirring constantly (5 minutes). If the mixture starts sticking to the pan, add a little water.
Add plain yogurt to the pan slowly and whisk vigorously to blend. Add the chicken and accumulated juices with ½ cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add the spices, salt and pepper to the chicken and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cut chicken into bite size pieces.
In a large stockpot, boil 4 quarts of water. Drain the rice and add slowly to boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes and drain immediately.
Spread 1/3 of the rice on the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with half the chicken mixture; add another layer of rice. Spread rest of chicken and top with remaining rice. Drizzle the reserved cream or milk over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle the fried raisins and almonds.