Burmese Chicken Biryani - Danbauk

Danbauk

Perfectly paired with Tomato Raita.

Tomato Raita

The only unusual ingredient used is Oriental curry powder - I used S&B brand.

S&B Spicy Curry Powder

The recipe looks tedious but is no different from any other biryani.

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut in 6 pieces

1 (6 oz.) tub Greek yogurt, brought to room temperature

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. oil

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. Kashmiri mirch/paprika

1 Tbsp. Oriental curry powder

1/2 Tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. salt or to taste

Sauce

6 Tbsp. vegetable oil + ghee

1 + 2 onions, sliced

1 tsp. ginger paste

1 tsp. garlic paste

2 tomatoes, diced

1 cup peas, blanched in simmering water for 1 minute and drained

1 russet potato, peeled, sliced, boiled for 10 minutes and drained

Rice 

2 (6 oz.) cups Basmati rice

8 (8 oz.) cups boiling water

3 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks, broken up

2 black cardamom pods, split

1 tsp. salt or to taste

1 cup deep fried onions

1/2 cup warmed milk + 1 tsp. saffron threads

1 Tbsp. minced cilantro

1 Tbsp. minced mint

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Whip yogurt with next 6 ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour whipped yogurt over, rub into chicken pieces and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Wash rice in several changes of water, drain and set aside.
5. Bring 8 cups water to a boil along with next 4 ingredients.
6. Add rice and boil over medium-high heat for 15 minutes until 75% done, drain and set aside.
7. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and transfer marinated chicken to skillet along with marinade.
8. Fry chicken for 2 minutes until golden brown, flip to other side and fry for another 2 minutes, remove from skillet and separate chicken pieces from gravy.
9. Heat 6 Tbsp. oil in same skillet and fry sliced onions until translucent.
10. Remove 2/3 onions to line an oven-proof pan and set aside.
11. To the remaining onions in the skillet, add ginger-garlic paste and stir-fry until oil resurfaces.
12. Add diced tomatoes, cover and simmer until tomatoes break down and oil resurfaces.
13. Add reserved chicken gravy, bring to a boil and remove sauce from heat.
14. Add 1/3 of the rice to cover onions in oven-proof dish and embed half the chicken pieces, 1/2 the sliced potatoes, 1/2 cup peas into the rice.
15. Sprinkle 1/2 the deep fried onions and 1/2 tsp. salt over this first layer and add 1/3 of the sauce by the spoonful all over. 
16. Add another 1/3 rice layer, followed by remaining chicken pieces, sliced potatoes and peas, another 1/3 of the sauce, remaining deep fried onions and some salt.
17. Cover with remaining rice and sauce, garnished with milk and saffron solution, cilantro and mint.
18. Cover oven-proof pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350*F for 1 hour.

Serve with chilled Tomato Raita to cut through the richness of this biryani.

Original Source: Danbauk