Needless to say,I love making different versions of biryani's .One such Biryani I made is Pepper chicken biryani .Myself and my hubby love spicy food and what's more spicier than pepper .So,Pepper chicken biryani is a mildly spicy biryani ,one pot meal made with pepper chicken masala and Basmati rice .To balance the heat of the pepper and other spices ,I used peas ,carrots and pure maple syrup (Yes,you heard it right ..trust me it's awesome it just blends with all spices and just disappears balancing the heat of the spices without compromising the flavor in any way thereafter,infact it works like honey here but better substitute sugar content wise & that's why I called it mildly spicy and is healthy too and so I realized it's just not for the pancakes & waffles anymore,there is more to it ) .Let's just say I wanted to make a healthy quick Biryani here.The Indian spices + the vegetables +the Chicken+ little pure maple syrup = one Super food as every one of them are loaded with their own medicinal values and the result...A yummy healthy Biryani .Moreover though the typical biryanis are time consuming ones,this one is made in a pressure cooker.So,it's an instant biryani as well.What more could you ask for? Did you say ,"The recipe" ?.. Well, here it comes:
Pepper Chicken Biryani
Ingredients
For marination
Chicken - 750 gram
Pepper powder-1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
For Masala
Big red onion, sliced - 1 no.
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Medium size Tomato, sliced - 1 no.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chili powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoon
Garam Masala powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Pepper powder - 2 tablespoon
Pure maple syrup - 1 tablespoon (Optional)
Peas - 1/2 cup
Carrots , sliced matchstick size - 1/2 cup
Butter/oil - 2-3 tablespoon
Cinnamon stick - 1'
Cloves- 4 nos.
Cardamom- 4 nos.
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Water - 2 1/2 cups
Butter-1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Preparation
- Marinate the chicken with pepper powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice and salt and refrigerate it for 30 minutes- 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat the butter or oil in the pressure cooker and add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom (low flame) for a minute.
- Add onions and keep sauteing until they are transparent.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, saute till the raw smell disappears.
- Add tomato , turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, pepper powder , garam masala powder and salt.
- Cover the cooker so that the tomatoes gets mushy and all spices mixed well on low to medium flame. Do check in between so that they don't get stick to the bottom and get burnt.
- Once everything looks like a paste , add the pepper marinated chicken and keep sauteing.
- Cover it again so that chicken is partially cooked on a low - medium flame.
- Wash and drain the Basmati rice and add to the chicken masala above.
- Give a stir for a minute or two so that everything is nicely mixed.
- Add peas and carrots.Stir well.
- Add water, butter and stir.
- Pressure cook for 5-7 minutes on medium flame.
- Once the pressure inside subsides, allow it to rest for 5 additional minutes , now open the cooker carefully and use a fork to fluff the rice slowly to avoid breaking the rice and mix everything together once again.
- Pepper chicken Biryani is ready to eat just like that or with a yogurt sauce or salad by side.
Notes:
- Garam Masala is a blend of ground spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, mace, fennel seeds etc.. Ready made garam masala powders are easily available in Indian stores or can be prepared at home .For this recipe (Dry roast and grind Cinnamon stick - 1', cloves - 3, cardamom - 3 , fennel seeds - 1/4 teaspoon).
- Adjust the pepper and red chili powder as per the spiciness desired. If more add little pure maple syrup again to adjust.
- I used a US cooker here. For Indian cooker , the rice and water ratio will be 1:2 and cook for 3 whistles or until they get cooked.
- This was for a contest to prepare a one pot meal with pure maple syrup .Instead of that syrup honey can be used otherwise.
Bon Appetit
Proud participant of Pure Canada Maple Syrup
