Thai Chicken Biryani (kao mok gai) ข้าวหมกไก่

Method13 steps · about 3 hr 20 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Make the spice blend: Toast the cumin seeds (½ tsp) in a dry saute pan until they darken slightly and are aromatic. Place into a spice/coffee grinder. Add remaining whole spices to the same pan and toast until aromatic and the coriander seeds (1 ½ tsp) darken slightly. Add the toasted spices to the grinder, along with the powdered turmeric and nutmeg (⅛ tsp). Grind into a fine powder.

   Uses 1 ½ tsp coriander seeds · ½ tsp cumin seeds · 1 leaf bay leaf · 1 piece cinnamon stick · 4 whole cloves · 6 black peppercorns · 10 white peppercorns · 1 white or green cardamom

2. 2

   Step 2: Make the marinated chicken: In a heavy-duty mortar and pestle or food processor, pound cilantro stems or roots, garlic (4 cloves), shallots (1), and ginger (7–8 slice) into a rough paste. Add the spice blend, salt (1 tsp), sugar (1 Tbsp) and grind into a paste. Add yogurt (⅓ cup) and stir to mix.

   Uses 2 cilantro roots · 4 cloves garlic · 1 shallot · 7–8 slice ginger · 1 tsp salt · 1 Tbsp sugar · ⅓ cup plain yogurt (or use whole milk with 1 Tbsp lime juice) · all source whole spices toasted and ground with turmeric and nutmeg

3. 3

   Step 3: If using drumsticks, make a couple of shallow scores to help the marinade penetrate better. Pour the marinade over chicken and toss to coat. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, better a day in advance.

   Marinate chicken refrigerated · 120 minUses 3–4 piece bone-in skin-on dark chicken pieces · marinade cilantro roots or stems, garlic, shallot and ginger pounded with spice blend, salt and sugar, then mixed with yogurt

4. 4

   Step 4: Make Saffron (1 pinch) infused chicken stock (1 cup): Crush the saffron strands in a mortar and pestle just until they become small pieces. Heat chicken stock until quite warm, then stir in the crushed saffron and let it sit to draw out the colour until ready to use.

   Uses 1 cup unsalted chicken stock · 1 pinch saffron

5. 5

   Step 5: Make the fried shallots (2): Thinly slice shallots (make them as even as you can) and lay them in a single layer on a paper-towel-lined plate. Sprinkle salt over the shallots and let them sit for at least 10 minutes. You will notice that a lot of liquid has been drawn out from the shallots by the salt. Use paper towel and dab the shallots dry.

   Draw moisture from shallots · 10 minUses 2 shallots · unmeasured salt for drawing liquid from fried shallots

6. 6

   Step 6: Cover the sliced, salted and dried fried-shallot portion with canola oil in a small pot or wok. Heat on medium-high until bubbling, then lower the heat and fry slowly, stirring often, until bubbles nearly cease and shallots are deep golden. Lift out, drain and cool completely. Reserve the oil for searing the chicken.

   Uses Canola oil, as needed · two large fried-shallot bulbs sliced, salted ten minutes and blotted dry

7. 7

   Step 7: Sear the chicken: In a wok (the same one you used to fry the shallots is fine) or a saute pan. Add just enough of the shallot oil to cover the bottom and heat the oil on medium high heat until hot. Scrape off as much of the marinade from the chicken as you can, saving the marinade, and place the chicken in the hot oil, skin side down first, and sear until the skin has browned. Control the heat to make sure any marinade that made it to the wok doesn't burn (browned is fine, browned is good, but burnt is not!). Once browned, flip and sear the other side; we're not trying to cook the chicken right now, we're just getting some colour on it. Remove chicken from the wok and set aside; don't clean the wok!

   Uses bone-in chicken coated in yogurt herb marinade and refrigerated at least two hours · only enough oil from frying shallots to coat chicken-searing pan

8. 8

   Step 8: Sauté the rice: Add the rinsed rice to the same wok you seared the chicken in along with all of the chicken marinade. Sauté the rice over medium high heat for a few minutes until the marinade has dried up and the rice is well coated. Remove the rice from the wok and place into a heavy bottomed pot.

   Uses 1 cup jasmine rice, uncooked, rinsed until water runs clear, drained well (see note) · water for rinsing uncooked rice until clear · marinade scraped from chicken before searing, to cook with the rice

9. 9

   Step 9: Add the saffron stock to the marinade-coated rice pot. Sprinkle a handful of fried shallots over it and place the seared chicken on top. Cover and simmer gently on low 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, checking 165°F (74°C) in the thickest flesh away from bone before removing it.

   Cook rice and chicken · 25 minUses well-rinsed rice sautéed in chicken marinade until moisture evaporates, transferred to pot · scant cup stock warmed with crushed saffron · marinated bone-in chicken browned on both sides, to finish cooking on rice · a handful of fried shallots for the rice; reserve remainder for serving

10. 10

    Step 10: Blend only the dipping-sauce ingredients: its 1 cup cilantro, 1 cup mint, 4 ginger slices, 2 garlic cloves, chosen 1–3 chillies, ¼ cup vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and ¼ tsp salt. This batch makes enough for six servings; use about half for the three-serving biryani and reserve the remainder.

    Uses 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems · 1 cup mint leaves · 4 slices ginger · 2 cloves garlic · 1–3 Thai chilies · 1/4 cup white vinegar · 2 Tbsp sugar · 1/4 tsp salt

11. 11

    Step 11: Fluff the rice: Once the chicken is done, remove the chicken and keep it covered in foil. At this point the rice should be pretty much fully cooked but it might still look a bit wet. Fluff the rice, cover the pot and let the rice steam on LOW heat for another 8-10 minutes to absorb all the residual moisture in the pot. If you're using a cast iron pot like I did, you can turn the heat off completely because the pot retains heat so well.

    Steam rice dry · 10 minUses chicken and rice simmered twenty to twenty-five minutes until chicken cooked through

12. 12

    Step 12: Keep the heat low so the rice at the bottom browns without burning. If rice is still undercooked after removing the cooked chicken, add a little extra water and continue gently cooking until tender.

    Uses extra water only if rice remains undercooked after chicken is removed · rice fluffed and steamed another eight to ten minutes after chicken removed

13. 13

    Step 13: Finally, assemble! Serve the chicken and rice with the dipping sauce, a side of cucumber and tomatoes. Sprinkle the rice with extra fried shallots.

    Uses cucumber · tomato slices for serving · cooked chicken lifted out and covered while rice finishes · rice cooked tender and fluffed, extra water used only if needed · remaining fried shallots after the handful used in rice, for topping · about half the source six-portion dip batch for this three-portion main; reserve remaining sauce