Chicken Biryani

"This is a delicious Pakistani/Indian rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays such as Ramadan. For biryani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Ghee is butter that has been slowly melted so that the milk solids and golden liquid have been separated and can be used in place of vegetable oil to yield a more authentic taste."

Recipe :

1 chicken breast
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cardamon pods
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp ground cumin
50g/2oz butter
200g/7oz rice
1 chicken stock cube
chives to garnish

Method :

1) Remove the skin from the chicken breast.
2) Slice the chicken into pieces about 1.5cm/¼in thick.
3) Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook until it softens.
4) Add the chicken slices to the pan along with the garlic and cook gently for 3 minutes.
5) Into the pan add the turmeric, cardamon pods, coriander seeds and ground cumin.
6) Add the butter, let it melt then add the rice.
7) Coat the rice in the butter and spices then cover with boiling water.
8) Add the stock cube, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
9) Garnish with chives.