Up to a day before, blend
together all the biryani paste
ingredients, except for the
coriander, until you have a fine
or semi-fine consistency, adding
a drop of water to assist with
blending if needed. Set aside.
Put the chicken in a large
mixing bowl. For the marinade,
add the fish sauce, 2tbsp of the
biryani paste, the turmeric and
garam masala or curry powder
to the bowl, then rub it all right
into the flesh. Stir in the yoghurt
and ensure the chicken is
completely coated. Set aside
while you prepare the rest ofthe dish or leave in the fridge for
a few hours or overnight.
To make the salad, put the
sugar in a pan, pour in the
vinegar and 8tbsp water and
bring to a simmer to dissolve
the sugar. Continue simmering
until reduced by around half
and slightly syrupy. Set aside in
the fridge. Once cooled, add the
cucumber, shallots and chillies
and season to taste with a little
salt. Keep covered in the fridge
until ready to serve.
When ready to cook, add
the coriander to the remaining
biryani paste and blitz until
smooth, adding a little water
to assist with blending if
needed. Set aside.
In a high-sided frying pan that
has a lid, heat the rapeseed oil
over a medium-high heat.
Add the sliced onion and fry
for 10-15 minutes or until crisp
and golden brown. Using a
slotted spoon, transfer the onion
to a plate lined with kitchen
paper and set aside.
Wipe as much of the
marinade as you can off the
chicken. Add the chicken to the pan, reserving any leftover
marinade. Fry for around 4 minutes on each side until
caramelised on the exterior and
approx. 80 per cent cooked
through. Transfer to a plate.
There should still be sufficient
oil in your pan, but if not, add a
drop more. Stir in the cinnamon
stick, star anise, peppercorns
and cloves and allow their
flavour to infuse the oil for
around 30 seconds. Add the
biryani paste and any reserved
marinade, then fry for a couple
of minutes, stirring continuously.
Stir in the yoghurt along with the
garam masala or curry powder.
Add the rice and salt and fry for a couple of minutes with
the paste. Pour in the stock or water and return the fried
chicken to the pan. Cover and
simmer over a medium heat for
20 minutes or until the rice has
soaked up all the liquid and is
cooked through.
Fluff up the rice with a fork
and serve immediately.
Garnish the biryani with the
fried onions and serve with
the cucumber salad.
Recipes And Photographs Taken From The Curry Guy: Chicken By Dan Toombs, Photography By Kris Kirkham (Quadrille, £18.99).
