Sindhi Biryani is a special biryani originating from the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is one of the most consumed dish of Pakistan cuisine. It is often made with goat or lamb, but when I found this recipe, I wanted to have it immediately, and so I prepared with chicken which was available by that time at home.

This biryani was delicious, still keeps me drooling. Soon have to try with goat, because there is a special taste for goat meat compared to chicken. The spiciness along with the tanginess of dried black raisins was awesome. But actually in this recipe, they use dried plums/prunes, since I don’t have prunes at home I substituted it with Black Raisins and soon I will come up with authentic version of sindhi biryani. Let us move on to the recipe…

It’s Friday and let me take this to Fiesta Friday # 77  hosted by angie@thenovicegarderner but this time it’s going to be tribute to our Fellow Blogger Selma of Selma’s Table.

Sindhi Briyani

Ingredients:

• Chicken – 500 gm
• Basmathi / Long grain rice – 2 ½ cups
• Saffron threads – few strands
• Milk – 1 cup
• Cinnamon sticks 1” inch – 2 nos
• Cardamom – 4 nos
• Cloves – 6 nos
• Bay leaf – 2 nos
• Star Anise – 3 nos
• Shajeera – ½ tsp
• Big onions – 3 nos
• Tomatoes – 2 nos
• Green chili – 1 no
• Black Raisins – 75 gm
• Mint + Coriander leaves – 1 cup
• Yogurt / Curd – ½ cup
• Red chili powder – 1 ½ tsp
• Coriander powder – 3 tsp
• Cumin powder – 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Garam masala – 1 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Clarified butter/Ghee – 2 tbsp
• Oil – 2 tbsp

Spices getting boiled in water

Rice getting cooked

Rice is done

Onions getting browned

with spices and black raisins

With ginger-garlic paste

With spice powder paste

Oil getting separated

With chicken

With Yogurt/Curd

Chicken almost done

Spreading the rice

Fried onions over the rice

With saffron milk

Getting stired

Sindhi Briyani

Preparation:

• Peel and thinly slice the onions (lengthwise). Slit the green chilies into two equal halves. Finely chop the coriander and mint leaves.
• Clean and chop the chicken to medium pieces. Wash and drain the water from the rice, keep it aside.
• Boil the milk and soak the saffron strands to the milk.
• Mix chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder and garam masala to a fine paste by adding little water.
• In a heavy bottomed kadhai, pour in 3 litres of water, add in 2 nos of star anise, a bay leaf, a cinnamon stick, 4 nos of cloves, 3 nos of cardamom pods, few strand of mint leaves and bring it to boil.
• Add in the rice and cook until it’s 75% done. Drain the rice and keep it aside.
• In another heavy bottomed vessel, add in the ghee/clarified butter and cook the thinly sliced onions, wait until they turn dark brown in color.
• Drain the ghee/clarified butter and remove ¾ portion of the fried onions to a plate.
• Pour in the oil and add in the black raisins, leftover cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise along with the fried onions and cook for 2 mins.
• Add in the green chilies, ginger-garlic paste along with the leftover mint and coriander leaves and cook until they turn dark green in color.
• Add in tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy.
• Pour in the mixed spice paste and cook for few mins, until the gravy turns dark red in color or until the oil separates.
• Add in the chicken pieces along with little salt and cook for 5 mins.
• Pour in the yogurt/curd and cook for few mins.
• Pour in 1 ½ cups of water, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked.
• Now spread the steamed rice over the gravy and spread the reserved fried onions over the rice.
• Pour in the milk soaked with saffron thread to the top of the rice and cover the vessel with airtight lid or cover it with a plate and place a weight over the plate, so that the aroma never escapes.
• Keep in medium flame for 15 mins. Gently remove the lid and give a stir.

Serve hot with any raita, egg and chicken kebab. I have served it with raita and egg.