Chettinad Biryani

Ingredients

• •Seeraga samba rice
• •Chicken/mutton
• •Roasted spice blend
• •Curd
• •Fried onions

Steps

1. 1Dry-roast whole spices such as star anise, stone flower, fennel seeds, and dried red chilies, then grind them into a coarse, aromatic Chettinad spice blend.
2. 2Marinate the meat in whisked curd, the ground spice blend, ginger-garlic paste, and salt for at least an hour.
3. 3Heat oil in a heavy pot and fry sliced onions until deeply golden and crisp, then remove a portion to use as garnish later.
4. 4In the same pot, add the marinated meat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes until the meat releases its juices and the mixture reduces into a thick, well-cooked masala.
5. 5Wash and soak seeraga samba rice for 20 minutes, then parboil it in salted water with a few whole spices until about seventy percent cooked, and drain.
6. 6Spread a layer of the parboiled rice over the cooked meat masala in the same pot, then drizzle with a little ghee and scatter some fried onions and chopped mint or coriander on top.
7. 7Cover the pot tightly and cook on very low heat, or dum, for 20 to 25 minutes, allowing the rice to finish cooking in the trapped steam and absorb the flavors of the masala below.
8. 8Let it rest for five minutes, then gently fluff and mix from bottom to top before serving hot, garnished with the reserved fried onions.