Nasi Briani

Ingredients:

1 (1.5kg) chicken, cut chicken into 4 pieces, wash and drain

grind to a smooth paste:
4 slices (1cm) ginger
4 cloves garlic

1 red chilli, slit halfway
1 green chilli, slit halfway
4 small tomatoes, slice
3 tbsp meat curry powder
2 small bunches big coriander leaves, chop coarsely
a small bunch mint leaves
4 tbsp plain yoghurt
1 tsp pepper
salt to taste
1½ cups water
10 tbsp ghee

for frying:
1 big onion, slice thinly
1 stick (4cm) cinnamon
4 cloves
4 cardamoms

6 almonds, scald and remove skin, grind fine
6 cashew nuts, grind fine
1½ tbsp tomato paste
2 medium sized onions, slice thinly and fry till golden brown
2 tsp briani spices
120g cashew nuts, fry till golden brown and set aside for garnishing
1 bunch of small coriander leaves for garnishing

For rice:
600g Basmati rice
1 small tin evaporated milk
2 tsp yellow food colouring
3 tsp rose water

Method of preparing chicken:

• Combine chicken with garlic-ginger paste, chillies, tomatoes, meat curry powder, big coriander leaves, mint leaves, yoghurt, pepper, salt and ½ cup water from allowance.
• Heat ghee in a pot then add ingredients for frying and fry till golden brown. Add chicken and fry for a little while, turning it over a few times. Add 1 cup water and bring to the boil.
• When boiling, lower heat, add ground almond and cashew nuts, tomato paste, fried onion slices and briani spices. Turn over the chicken pieces, then leave to simmer till almost dry. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Pour left-over ghee into a bowl and leave to cool. This pot will be used for cooking the rice.

Method of preparing rice:

• Bring ¾ of a large saucepan of slightly salted water to boil.
• Wash and drain rice.
• When water is boiling, put in the rice and boil till it is almost cooked.
• When rice is almost cooked, remove from heat and drain off water. Mix evaporated milk with the ghee left over from cooking chicken.
• Into the pot used to cook chicken, put a layer of rice then a layer of chicken. Repeat till chicken and rice are used up, making sure that rice forms the last layer. Pour the oil-milk mixture over the rice.
• Mix rose water with yellow colouring and sprinkle over rice. Scatter a few mint leaves over rice.
• Cook over low heat making sure the pot is well covered till steam emits from pot. Do not uncover pot while rice is cooking.
• When serving, garnish rice with fried cashew nuts and small coriander leaves.