Indian Style Chicken & Rice (Biryani)

So an expert on cooking Indian cuisine I am not. Let me declare my cards right here and right now so as not to lull you into a false sense of security. I am, however, as big a fan of a good curry dish as the next Queen.

I love spice but not too much heat - a little bit is nice however. I love the flavours and colours of Indian food and they way they mix in a little bit of tart creaminess (think minty yoghurt) as well as some sweetness (think mango chutney) just to balance it all out.

In the past I have whipped up this one pot chicken and rice dish in a conventional oven using pot lids and exact cooking times along with par cooking rice on the stove top to get it right. It was, to say the least, a bit of a royal drag but I always enjoyed eating the finished product. A biryani (remember I am not an Indian culinary expert) is like a one pot meat and rice dish with delicious spice flavours. I think of it as an Indian version of a paella or even a risotto - it's amazing how food has such strong themes that translate all around the world!

So the idea came to me that I could recreate this dish using the wonders of my CombiSteam and simplify the whole thing. You should know by now that this is exactly what Combi Steam cooking is  all about - getting amazing results using some love and passion but very little effort! I was really impressed with the way this came out and I hope you will be too. You may remember some spicy ladies who once told everybody in the world to spice up their lives...well now it's your turn.....CombiSteam style!

Chicken Biryani (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

• 4 tbs good quality curry paste (I used a medium Tikka style)

• 4-6 skinless chicken thighs (cut into chunks)

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp tumeric

• 2 tbs Greek yoghurt

• pinch saffron threads

• 1 brown onion (diced)

• 1 tbs butter (or ghee)

• 2 tbs olive oil

• 2 “cubes” frozen spinach

• 1/2 cup currants, sultanas or raisins

• 1/3 cup flaked almonds

pappadums or naan, mango chutney & cucumber mint yoghurt to serve

Method:

1. Place the rice and stock into a large shallow oven proof dish. (This is not the final serving dish - just a dish to par cook the rice) Place into your CombiSteam. Select Steam, set the temperature to 100°C (or 100%) and the cooking duration to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile combine the chicken pieces, curry paste, spices, yoghurt, onion, butter and oil in a large oven proof dish (I use a large shallow saute pan but a Le Creuset would also work well). Set aside to marinate slightly while rice cooks.

3. Place the saffron in a 1 cup measuring cup and fill with hot water then set aside.

4. When rice is par cooked (after 10 mins) remove from the oven, cover with a tea towell and set aside.

5. Select the Hot Air+Steaming/Combination function and set the temperature to 220°C. (Set the Steam level to 20% if required) Add the chicken to the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

6. Carefully remove the hot pan and add the par cooked rice, spinach and currants. Stir to combine the ingredients. Pour over the saffron water including the saffron threads and mix gently.

7. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. (Increase the Steam level to 30% if required) Return to the oven and cook for a further 20 mins.

8. Sprinkle over the almonds and cook for a final 5 minutes or until nuts are just golden and rice is tender. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving with accompaniments as desired.

This is a great one pot Indian style dish. The chicken is so tender because it is cooked with that lovely combination of steam and convection heat, whilst the rice cooks without becoming "crunchy" also thanks to the steam. Perfect!  By the way, I also whipped up a quick cucumber pickle combining some vinegar, sugar and salt and then adding some sliced cucumber and letting it sit for around 10 minutes before draining and serving alongside.

The frozen spinach cubes are in your supermarket freezer section and are perfect to add some extra veg here. Great to have in the freezer to throw into soups or casseroles or your bolognaise. You could use some fresh baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped, if you prefer.

This dish also reheats beautifully, using Regenerate, in individual portion sizes, at 120°C for 9 minutes. Alternatively use RegeneratOmatic (if you have it) on the Humid/Moist option. Remember you can Regenerate as many individual "portions" as you can fit in the oven at the same time so everyone can eat their leftovers together!

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I trust that you're all happy little CombiSteamers!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x