Chicken marinade:- Mix the yoghurt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, masala powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves together and pour over the chicken to cover it.
- Marinade chicken for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. Rice, lentils, onions,
potatoes & chicken:- Cook the basmati and cardamom pods together in salted water until the rice is just soft. Drain, remove the cardamom pods and set aside.
- Cook lentils in unsalted water until just soft, drain and set aside.
- Heat 30 ml of the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions until golden and transparent. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add more oil if necessary. Fry the potatoes until golden. Remove from oil and set aside.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade. Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Fry the chicken until golden on both sides.
- Add the marinade to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.
- Place a layer of rice in the bottom of the saucepan and arrange half the onions on top. Arrange the chicken pieces on top. Layer potatoes, remaining onions, lentils and rice on top of the chicken.
- Sprinkle saffron on top. Dot with butter and pour the water over.
- Cover and cook on high heat for 5 minutes, then lower heat and simmer slowly for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked.
To serve:
Serve with coriander sprinkled on top, extra yoghurt, roti and tomato and onion salad.
Tomato and onion salad:
Mix the onion, white vinegar, sugar, pepper and tomatoes together and serve on the side with the breyani.
