Kolkata Chicken Biryani with step-by-step photos and a video recipe. Kolkata Biryani (or Bengali Biryani) is a flavorful rice dish made with rice, Indian spices, meat (chicken or lamb meat), and potatoes. This biryani has evolved from Lucknow style biryani or Awadhi biryani. The presence of potatoes in Kolkata biryani along with meat and egg ('dim' in Bengali) makes it unique.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 6people
Calories: 560kcal
Author: Preeti
Equipment
Heavy bottom pan/Kadhai
Ingredients
For the birista
2onionsmedium size, sliced
oil to deep fry.
To fry the potatoes
4medium size potatoes
salt to taste
½teaspoonred chili powderlal mirch powder
¼teaspoonturmeric powderhaldi powder
To marinate the chicken
700gramchickencut into medium size pieces
2teaspoonginger-garlic pasteadrak lahsun ka paste
¼cupcurd/yogurt
½teaspoonturmeric powderhaldi powder
1teaspoonred chili powderlal mirch powder
1teaspooncoriander powderdhaniya powder
1.5teaspoonbiryani masala powder (recipe is given in the post)(or use store-bought masala)
¼teaspoonmace powderjavitri powder
½teaspooncardamom powderelaichi powder
½cupchopped corinader leavesdhaniya patta
¼cupchopped mint leavespudina patta
½of the fried onions
4teaspoonoiloil reserved after frying the onions
salt to taste.
For the rice
700grambasmati riceaged, long grain basmati rice
7cupsof water
1bay leaftej patta
4cloveslaung
4green cardamomschoti elaici
salt to taste
2teaspoongheeclarified butter
For biryani gravy
½cupof oil
1black cardamombadi elaichi
1MaceJavitri
1-inchcinnamondalchini
1bay leaftej patta
4green cardamomschoti elaichi
5cloveslaung
2onionssliced
2teaspoonginger-garlic pasteadrak lahsun ka paste
1tablespoonlemon juicenibu ka ras
For layering the biryani
¼cupcreamor you can add khoya
¼cupmilk
½cupwaterreserved from cooking basmati rice
1.5teaspoonbiryani masala powder
½teaspoonKewra water
3-4drops Meetha attar
A pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tablespoon water.
2teaspoonGhee
For making Kolkata Biryani Masala
8green cardamoms
1black cardamom
12white peppercorns
10cloves
2-inch cinnamon
½ teaspoonKabab Chini or allspice
1teaspooncaraway seeds or shahi jeera
1mace or javitri
⅛piece of Nutmeg
Instructions
Preparations:
Peel the potatoes. Pressure cook the potatoes for 1 whistle. Let the pressure of the cooker settle down. Remove the potatoes to a plate. Set it aside.
Soak basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and keep it aside.
Making Birista
Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add the onion slices. Deep fry the onion slices, stirring continuously until it is light golden on the sides. Remove and spread it on a plate.
Remove the excess oil from the pan leaving only ¼ cup of oil. Be careful, it's hot.
To fry the Potatoes
Dab the potatoes with a clean kitchen tissue or clean cloth to dry them.
Shallow fry the potatoes until the outer edges are light golden.
Next, lower the heat and sprinkle some salt, red chili powder and turmeric powder over the potatoes.
Cook it for 3-4 minutes. Potatoes are ready. Keep it aside.
Making Kolkata Biryani Masala
Heat a pan over low-medium heat.
Roast all the spices listed under biryani masala until aromatic. Remove it to a plate.
Let all the roasted ingredients cool down to room temperature.
Grind it to a fine powder. Kolkata biryani masala is ready.
Marinating Chicken
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, ginger-garlic paste, curd/yogurt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, biryani masala powder, salt, javitri powder, cardamom powder, coriander leaves, mint leaves, half of the fried onions or birista and oil. Marinate and set it aside.
Cooking Rice
Heat 7 cups of water in a vessel. Add bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms, salt and ghee to it.
Bring the water to a boil.
With the help of a small strainer remove the whole spices and bay leaf.
Add the basmati rice and cook until the water comes to a boil again.
Check the rice. If it splits when you press it between your finger and thumb then it is ready. It means they have a slight bite in them & not completely cooked. It should not be soft and mushy.
Reserve ½ cup of cooking water from the vessel. Drain the rice to a colander. Keep it aside.
Cooking Chicken
Heat a heavy bottom pan/kadhai over medium heat. Add ½ cup of oil. I have used the same oil used to fry the onions.
When the oil is hot, add black cardamom, mace, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamoms and cloves. Stir-fry it for 10 seconds.
Add onions and stir fry until light golden.
Add ginger-garlic paste and cook it for a minute.
Next, add the marinated chicken. Stir and cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes.
The oil will release from the sides. Now cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked.
Meanwhile, we will prepare milk and biryani masala mixture - In a small bowl combine cream (or you can add khoya), milk, water (reserved from cooking rice), and biryani masala powder. Set it aside.
Check whether the chicken is cooked. Biryani gravy is ready.
Assembling and Layering Kolkata Biryani
Here, I am layering the biryani in the same Kadhai/pan.
Turn the heat to the lowest. Add the fried potato to the biryani gravy and combine.
Add lemon juice, kewra water, and Meetha attar.
Layer the rice over the biryani gravy. Spread it evenly.
Pour the saffron soaked in water and the milk and biryani masala mixture (prepared above in step 7 of making the biryani gravy).
Next, add Kewra water, Meetha attar, rest of the fried onions or birista and ghee. Cover with a lid.
Dum Cooking the biryani
You can seal the biryani pot with a dough or aluminum foil.
Or another method is to place some weight over the lid. It will tightly close the lid and steam will not escape.
For that, cover the biryani pot with a plate. The plate will act as a lid. Make sure the plate fits very well on the pot.
Place another big vessel filled with water over it. It will add some weight on the plate. Lid will close tightly and steam will not escape.
Cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Keep the biryani aside for 5 minutes.
Kolkata biryani is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Use a thick bottom pan for making biryani.
The authentic Kolkata biryani recipe does not have coriander or mint leaves in it. I love them in my biryani so I added it. Skip if you are looking for the traditional flavor.
While frying the onions for making barista, do not put too much onion in the oil. It will reduce the temperature of the oil. Also, make sure the oil is hot, otherwise, the onion slices will not be crisp.
After frying the onions, do not stack the onions one on another. Spread it evenly on a plate.
Kolkata biryani is cooked in Mustard oil. Heat the Mustard oil to the smoking point and then cool it. Now the oil is ready for cooking.
If you do not have Mustard oil then you can make the biryani in any regular cooking oil.
Before frying the potatoes in hot oil, dab them with a cloth to dry them. If the potatoes are wet then there are chances that when you put them in hot oil, the oil may spill out.
While cooking the potatoes in the pressure cooker, make sure that the potatoes are not completely cooked. If it is completely cooked then while dum cooking the biryani, potatoes will become mushy and spoil the biryani.
I have used small potatoes that cook faster. But if you are using potatoes that are bigger in size or take longer to cook then cut them in half and use it. Otherwise, the potatoes will remain uncooked from the inside.
Make use of fresh curd. Do not use lemon juice if using sour curd.
Be careful while adding Meetha attar or kewra water. Start with adding only 2-3 drops of Meetha attar mixed in 2 teaspoon of water. If needed then only add more. Sometimes, adding more than that can spoil your biryani as it may completely overpower its flavor.