Malabar Chicken biriyani

Ingredients :-
Basmati Rice - 1 kg

Chicken cut into big pieces - 1 kg

Thinly Sliced Onion- 500 gm

Sliced Tomato - 250 gm

Ghee - as needed

Broken cashew nuts - 1/4 cup

Raisins - 1/4 cup

Curd - 1 cup

Lime - 1 big

Chopped Coriander leaves - 1 bunch

Chopped Mint leaves - 1 small bunch

Curry leaves-2 sprigs

Masala Powder - 3 tsp
Rose water - 2 tbsp(optional)

Saffron - 1 gm(optional)

Boiled eggs - 2

Salt - as reqd

For Marinating Chicken
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Chilly Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - as needed
For Grinding
Green Chillies - 100 gm

Garlic - 50 gm

Ginger - 50 gm

Poppy seeds soaked in water for 5- 10 mts - 2 tsp

Grind them together to a coarse paste.Keep them aside

Method:-

Mix together the ingredients for marinating chicken.Apply the mixture thoroughly on chicken pieces and allow it to stand for half an hour preferrably in refrigerator.
Wash and drain the rice well.Heat little ghee in a pan,and roast the rice for 4-5 mts.Add necessary water(Usually the measurement is like,for 1 cup rice - 2 cups water) and salt into it,cook rice till soft and all the water is absorbed.Spread the rice in a flat serving dish,and sprinkle 3-4 drops of lime juice, allow it to cool.
Heat a little ghee in a pan and roast cashews and raisins till brown and keep it aside.Now add half of sliced onion and fry them until thay are well browned.Add more ghee /oil if needed.Drain them into a tissue paper and reserve .Now into the same oil,add marinated chicken pieces and shallow fry them for a while.Shynee says this can enhance the taste and also make the chicken pieces more firm.
Now heat another vessel and heat ghee/oil(preferrably ghee for more taste,or you can combine ghee and oil together) ,add rest of the onions and saute them till translucent.Mix in tomatoes,salt and the ground paste and saute them for 2-3 mts.Stir in curd and lemon juice and saute until oil seperates.Now add fried chicken pieces,mix well,cover and cook.
When it is half done,add Coriander leaves,Mint leaves,curry leaves and 2 tsp Biriyani masala powder.Mix and allow the chicken to cook well in medium heat,until all water is absorbed and chicken pieces are coated with gravy.Switch off the stove.
Take a big vessel,spread chicken pieces along with the gravy in the bottom.Now add one layer of cooked rice over chicken.Sprinkle a little biriyani masala powder,fried onions,cashews, raisins and saffron(mixed in rosewater).Repeat the same for 2 more layers with chicken ,rice and fried cashew-raisins-onions etc.Seal the vessel with aluminium foil and bake it for 15 mts(150 degree celsius).Mix thoroughly and serve hot with whole boiled eggs (in the middle),Onion Raita,Pickle and Pappad.