Healthy Way to Enjoy Eid: Nutritious Biryani Recipe

Indians love festive food, as it is the perfect excuse to indulge their taste buds. Almost everyone wants to eat a plateful of pipping hot Biryani or a piece of Shahi Tukda on Eid.  However, for those of us struggling to lose weight and get fitter, this could be our downfall. So, here are some easy to follow tips that will make our favorite Eid dishes healthier, without compromising on the taste and flavour.

Healthy Chicken Biryani
If you are a big fan of chicken Biryani, here is a healthier version.


Ingredients

• 1 kilo chicken
• 2 & 1/2 cup rice (here's the trick, use brown rice instead of long basmati rice) 
• half a cup of long basmati rice (to garnish your Biryani)
• 2 medium onions
• 2 table spoons ginger paste
• 2 table spoons garlic paste
• 6 cloves
• 4 green cardamoms
• 2 black cardamoms
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• Saffron
• Low fat yogurt
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp chilli powder
• salt to taste
• Refined oil or ghee
• Put saffron in a little water let it soak.

Preparation

• Chop onions and saute till light brown, add a pinch of salt to it so it cooks quickly and consumes less oil/ghee.
• Add chicken, garlic and ginger paste, roast it for 4-5 minutes.
• Put all the ingredients in and mix it well.
• Add the yogurt and let it cook for a while
• Add one cup of water
• Cook until the chicken is ready ,add water if needed, do not let it burn at the bottom ( the burnt smell lingers in the Biryani) let it the water dry.
• In the mean time boil rice with a clove, bay leaves and cardomom, drain, do not throw the broth away.
• Take a big mouth aluminium pan (avoid steel pans)put in a layer of rice, sprinkle saffron water and then put all the cooked chicken. Make another layer of rice & sprinkle saffron water.
• With the help of a spoon make dents on the rice and pour the left over rice broth. Do not add fried onions on the top.
• Cover with a lid and place a heavy weight over it.
• Let it steam for 5-10 minutes.