Chicken Biryani - Recipe #28

Last year I worked a temporary job as managing librarian of a small branch. At the time, we were in the midst of shifting our staffing model, so I ended up filling a lot of the scheduling holes by putting myself in for two-three evenings a week. I prefer to eat dinner with Trent (and he was usually able to tide over his hunger until I got home), but we relied on a lot of Trader Joe's Indian Food for those few months. Twenty minutes from start to finish for the rice, ten minutes for pakora burgers, five for naan and 1.5 minutes for our box of choice (usually Madras Lentils or Jaipur Vegetables).

Those days are over, but Indian food is still one of my favorite cuisines. Now I've got a little more time to spend chopping and simmering, but I had still never made Chicken Biryani, a recipe I clipped from the March 2004 issue of Cooking Light.

I highly recommend this recipe. So far, it is one of our favorites and the fragrance of the saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, curry and ginger is divine.

3 cups water
2 t. salt, divided
1/4 t. saffron threads, crushed
1 1/2 c. uncooked basmati rice
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 t. vegetable oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 t. curry powder
1 t. minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 t. ground cardamom
1/8 t. ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 serrano chiles seeded and minced (these are the rogue chiles from our earlier grocery trip)
1 c. plain whole-milk yogurt (supposedly low-fat yogurt will curdle)
1/2 c. golden raisins (Trent is a raisin-hater, so I omitted these)
1/2 c. chopped dry-roasted cashews
1/4 c. fresh cilantro

Bring water, 1 t. salt, and saffron to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice and cinnamon stick to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Discard cinnamon stick.

Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 t. salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, saute 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan, cover and keep warm. Add onion and 1/2 t. salt to pan.

Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add curry and the next 5 ingredients. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add yogurt, stirring with a whisk. Cook 3 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Add chicken and raisins (if using). Cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add rice. Stir well to combine. Sprinkle with cashews and cilantro.

Serves 6.