Cape Biryani/breyani

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, on the bone (750 g, or use drumsticks and thighs, but don't remove the skin)
• salt and pepper, to taste, for the dish
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (180 ml)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh, chopped (30 ml chopped coriander leaves)
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, ground (7 ml)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (5 ml)
• 1 tablespoon cumin, ground (15 ml)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed, ground (15 ml)
• 1 tablespoon masala (15 ml)
• 1 hot pepper, chopped (1 chilli)
• 3/4 cup basmati rice (180 ml)
• 4 ounces lentils, brown, rinsed (125 g)
• oil (for frying)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 -3 large potatoes, peeled, chopped into chunks
• 2 cinnamon sticks (or use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed, ground (extra to amount mentioned above)
• 3 cardamom pods, slit and seeds removed to use
• 1 tablespoon cumin, ground (extra to amount already mentioned)
• 1 pinch saffron, soaked in a little water (sub with a good pinch turmeric)
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled
• chopped cilantro, to garnish

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325 deg f/160 deg celsius.
• 2 season chicken with salt and pepper. mix together the buttermilk, cilantro, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, masala and hot pepper. pour over chicken pieces and marinate 3 hours or overnight.
• 3 parboil rice in 2 cups water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
• 4 simmer lentils in 2 cups water water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
• 5 heat a fair amount of oil in a saucepan, and fry onion and potatoes until softened. add the cinnamon, ground coriander, cardamom seeds, cumin and saffron (or sub with a good pinch turmeric) and cook, stirring, for a minute. set aside.
• 6 layer half the rice, followed by half each of of the lentils, and the spiced potatoes and onion in an ovenproof dish. top with the chicken.
• 7 repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients, top with saffron/turmeric water, and cover it all with tinfoil and a tight-fitting lid.
• 8 bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until chicken and rice are cooked through.
• 9 garnish with quarters of hardboiled eggs and sprinkle with cilantro/coriander leaves.