cooking with constraints

So today around 12 PM baba declared that there would be no routine menu for lunch, but instead we will eat chicken Biryani. Of course I was to make, considering aai is not well and I have become the official non-veg cook of the house given the fact that aai is a vegetarian. 


So we had 2 big constraints today. 
1. Time. It needed to be done in 2 hours, given the tempers/annoyance at home which rise with the level of empty stomach-ness.
2. No mixer/blender. The one we had which was a family relic from 1984* broke down last Sunday. And now its not worth the repair/maintenance cost. So until I make a decision to buy one, the house will be without any mixer.


As I was racking my brain as to what my POA should be, that I remembered this recipe, a friend had shared long time back! I distinctly remembered it being a Keralite preparation sans any coconut or coconut milk (an ingredient which was not in my kitchen).

Thalassery style dum biryani!

So I took that recipe and only changed 2 things. I did not marinate the chicken. Instead put some cuts in the pieces after cleaning them, so that the spices could infuse better. Also did not have mint leaves, so added curry leaves to give a nice aroma.


Here is the instagrammed pic! 
Tasted yum!!! I guess I am ready to try more south Indian preparations.


~nightflier


* I first brought it with me from home, when I started living with friends. When I moved to the US it got transferred to bro's house. Now that we are living together, it was good to have a machine we grew up with in the house! :D