Green chilli chicken biryani

A modern twist on the classic biryani, this version brings the iconic Indian rice dish together with one of Rosheen Kaul's favourite dishes, a green chilli curry. Layered with parboiled basmati rice, golden fried onions and a vibrant green chilli paste packed with fresh herbs and bold flavour, it's aromatic, fiery and deeply satisfying.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  55 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 1½ tbsp cooking oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• Salt
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 black cardamom pods, cracked
• 3 green cardamom pods, cracked
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 kg chicken thighs, roughly chopped
• ½ cup chicken stock
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 g saffron soaking in 2 tbsp warm milk
• ½ small bunch coriander, leaves picked, to serve

For the green paste

• 8 green chillies, destemmed
• 2 green birds eye chillies, destemmed
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 small bunch coriander
• 1 small bunch mint
• 1 lime, juiced
• ⅓ cup water (enough to blend)

For the chilli paste

• 2 red onions
• 6 red chillies
• 6 green chillies
• A pinch salt

Resting time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. To make the green paste, combine the ingredients in a blender and process to a smooth paste. Set aside.
2. To make the chilli paste, place the onion, chillies and salt into a food processor and pulse 2-3 times until roughly chopped – you don’t want a smooth paste. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan until shimmering. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and fry for 10 minutes, or until crisp. Remove to a small bowl and set aside. Add the ghee to the pan over medium heat. Add the whole spices, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until fragrant.
4. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Parboil the rice for 3 minutes, then strain into a fine mesh strainer.
5. Add the chilli paste to the saucepan with the spices, followed by the ginger garlic paste and fry over medium heat until softened, 4 - 5 minutes. Add the cumin, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, paprika, ground coriander and a pinch of salt. Add the tomatoes over high heat, stir to combine, then add the chicken. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the chicken stock, a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 5 - 6 minutes, covered.
6. Remove the lid, stir through the green paste, simmering for a further 5 minutes, before adding the coconut milk and garam masala.
7. Taste again, then remove from the heat. Stir the par-cooked rice through the green chilli curry, then sprinkle with a layer of fried onions and pour over the saffron milk. Cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for a further 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through. Allow to stand, covered for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.