DUM ALOO BIRYANI

Simple, quick and flavorful dum cooked biryani made with tender, soft baby potatoes and fragrant fluffy rice. Served this with boondi raita. A must try recipe if you all love potatoes.

Ingredients:

· Baby potatoes – 250-300 grams (boiled & fried)

· Curd - 50 grams

· Basmati rice – 1 cup

(While cooking the basmati rice add the following spices: 2-3 cloves, 2-3 Green cardamom pods, 1 black cardamom, 1 star anise, 1 inch Cinnamon sticks and salt and 1 tsp ghee)

· Oil – ½ cup

· Water – ¾ cup

· Salt

· Freshly chopped Coriander leaves

For spice mixture:

· Coriander seeds – ¾ tbsp

· Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

· Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

· Peppercorns – ½ tsp

· Bay leaves - 1

· Cloves – ½ tsp

· Red Chili powder – ¾ tbsp

· Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

· Ginger – 1 inch

· Garlic – 8-10

· Green chilies - 1

· Fried onions – 2 tbsp

· Salt to taste

· Water for grinding

Method:

· Wash and soak the long grain rice for 15-20 minutes.

· Take a large utensil with water in it, add the spices, salt and little ghee in the water. Let the water boil and now add the soaked rice.

· Cook the rice till it is 90 percent done. Drain the water from the rice and keep it aside for later use.

· Boil water and cook the potatoes, once completely cooked pierce fork or toothpick in the potatoes. Deep fry the potatoes till it is golden brown in colour and keep it aside. In the same oil, you can fry the onions for the biryani till it is crisp and golden brown.

· To make the spice mixture, take a small frying pan add coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and toast it on medium flame till is flavorful and aromatic.

· Transfer these cooled spices into a grinder, add peppercorns, bay leaf, cloves, red chili powder, turmeric and grind them into a powder. Now add garlic, ginger, green chilies, fried onions, salt and grind it without water. Now add very little water and give it a final grind. Our Spice mixture is ready.

· Heat oil in another vessel, preferably take the same oil which was used for frying onions and potatoes. Now add the spice mixture, curd, stir and cook it on a moderate flame.

· Now add fried potatoes, salt, water, stir well, cover it and cook it on high flame for 10-15 minutes. You will see that oil will be released from the sides.

· Now add the drained rice, fried onion, coriander leaves, cover it and allow it to cook on dum for 15-20 minutes on low flame.

· Dum Aloo Biryani is ready to be served with any accompaniment of your choice.