Banana Leaf Chef Shares Recipe Of Chicken Potli Biryani; A Unique Preparation Cooked Inside Dough Pouches

Imagine a dish synonymous with royalty and extravaganza that perfectly hits the right spot. For me and many foodies, the answer is biryani. Rich in the aroma of saffron, every bite is like a burst of delectable flavours. Biryani has a wide variety of unique preparations and one of the favourites is Potli Biryani. Have you tried it before?

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe

Potli biryani gets its one-of-a-kind name from the method of cooking it inside small dough pouches. Executive Chef Vishal Sarpoo of Banana Leaf Restaurant, Skyview by Empyrean, shared a recipe to cook lip-smacking potli biryani at home. Here’s everything you need to know about the list of ingredients and its recipe.

For preparing rice:

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2-3 cups water
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 2-3 green cardamom pods
• 1-2 cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• Salt

To marinate chicken:

• 500 grams chicken pieces
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Salt

To make biryani:

• 2 large onions (thinly sliced)
• 2-3 green chillies (slit)
• 1 large tomato (chopped)
• 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 1/4 cup milk
• A few saffron strands
• 1/4 cup ghee/ oil
• 1/4 cup biryani masala
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

For kneading the dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup semolina (optional)
• A pinch of salt
• Water

Also read: Video Of Man Making Miniature Chicken Biryani Goes Viral; Netizens: “When You Take Ghar Ghar Seriously”

How To Cook Potli Biryani?

How to prepare biryani rice?

• The first step is to make preparations for the aromatic rice. Wash basmati rice thoroughly using cold water and soak for around half an hour.
• Take a large pot, place it in an oven, and boil water. Add bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, a cinnamon stick, and salt to the boiling water.
• Add rice to water and cook it till it is 70 per cent cooked. Make sure to NOT cook completely. Drain excess water.

Steps to marinate chicken:

• To marinate chicken, mix yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, and salt.
• Next, add all the chicken pieces to the mixture and coat gently and perfectly. Cover the bowl and keep it aside for about an hour. To get the juiciest chicken, you can marinate overnight.

Recipe to cook chicken:

• Once marination is done, heat ghee/oil on a kadhai or a pan. Keep the flame on a medium level and fry thinly sliced onions till they turn golden brown.
• Next, cook slit green chillies and chopped tomatoes till the tomatoes get a bit mushy and the oil begins to separate from the ingredients.
• Transfer the marinated chicken to the onion and tomato gravy and cook till the pieces soften and get a brownish texture.
• Add biryani masala, mint leaves, and coriander leaves and continue to cook everything for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour warm milk into a small bowl and dissolve saffron strands. Pour it into the chicken.
• Lastly, add lemon juice and mix well and the chicken is absolutely ready.

Also read: Asha Bhosle Reminiscences Cooking Biryani For Her Son Anand During His Childhood

Follow These Next Steps

Steps to make dough:

• In the first step, mix dry ingredients such as flour, semolina, and salt.
• Next, start adding water slowly to knead the dough. Do not pour all the water at once. Instead, knead for some time, add water, and repeat the process.
• Make a smooth dough ball and cover using a damp cloth for 15 minutes.

Steps for potli:

• Once the dough is soft and ready, make dough balls and roll them finely.
• Stuff them with layers of rice and chicken.
• Gently, fold their edges and give them a pouch-like shape. Lastly, press the edges to seal the ends.

Final recipe:

• While you are doing the above steps, preheat your oven to 190°C.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange all stuffed potlis on it.
• Bake for around 25 minutes. You can bake for a few more minutes till the dough circles turn golden brown and crispy.
• Lastly, cup the potlis gently and serve mouth-watering potli biryani.

Will you give this potli biryani recipe a try?

Cover Image Courtesy: Press Release