Chicken Biryani

• 300g basmati rice
• 25g ghee
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
• 5 strands of saffron
• 1 tsp turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 5 curry leaves
• 2 cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 black cardamom pods
• 1 tbsp ginger, garlic
• 85g raisins
• 2 red chillies
• 850ml chicken stock (gluten free chicken stock if coeliac / intolerant) 
• 30g coriander, ½ chopped, ½ leaves picked
• 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds, to serve

• Soak 300g basmati rice in water, then run cold water over it, until the water runs clear. Then parboil the rice in saffron steeped water, adding a little salt, until it is nearly ready.

• Heat the ghee in a saucepan and fry the finely sliced large onion, really take your time to caramelise and soften the onion. Add the ginger and garlic and push the mixture to the back of the pot, making space for the spices.

• Fry off the mustard seeds first. Once they start to pop, add the curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom pods.

• Followed by the ground spices, turmeric, cumin,coriander, garam masala. Cook these off for around 2 mins.

• Now add the chicken breast and coat it well. You need to get a good colouration on the outside of the meat before adding liquid. Add a pinch of salt at this stage. Now add the chicken stock. Lift up all the caramelised bits from the bottom of the pot, and once it is boiling nicely, pop the lid on and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

• Decant the curry into a bowl, so that you can layer it back into the pot with the rice.

• Using the same pot you cooked the chicken in (with all the gravy still in), spoon in a layer of rice. Then add a layer of chicken and the gravy. Now a layer of almonds, raisins, coriander and chillies. Repeat this process twice.

• Once you’ve layered up your biryani, add a drizzle of the chicken stock. Put it on a low heat to steam, pop the lid on and leave for about twenty minutes.

• Serve topped with coriander and flaked almonds