Chicken Donne Biryani is served in a donne piping hot. This biryani gets its name from this. It is an aromatic biryani prepared with Spices and ground masala.
While Biryani on its own is popular among biryani lovers, vendors find other interesting angles to market their ware. Donne Biryani is of that innovative type. Donne is a bowl made with eco-friendly leaves. When the biryani is ready, we serve in these donnes. The dried palm leaves are populare, apart from other leaves we use to serve food in Indian houses.
The biryani is served to pipe hot in donne, you will feel the flavour of the leaf steeping into the biryani. Just like the smoked flavour, this donne biryani is unique. We have another interesting version, the Kunda Biryani. In this we cook the biryani separately, and for the final dum, we fill the kunda and dum in a mud pot with a tightly sealed lid. The final biryani has an earthly flavour to it.
What's about Donne Chicken Biryani?
Coming back to this Donne Chicken Biryani, we made a new version of biryani in our usual nonstick pan and served it in donne. The recipe is new along with the serving method too. Along with this biryani, we made a creamy thick chicken Gravy.
For the vegetarians, it was Red Chili Dal, Rasam, and Curds, along with some fried snacks like the masala vada and uddi bonda.
We are starting our BM#116 themed on Thalis & Platters, Week 2. I will be sharing Thalis featuring Regional Cuisines. Since I am blogging in both my blogs, I will be sharing some regional nonveg thalis in this space, while SYL will feature a mix of Festival Thalis, Special weekend Vegetarian Thalis for the next six days this week.
Coming back to the nonveg thalis, as I have explained in the intro main post, we don't normally on a regular weekend or any day make too many nonveg dishes on. It's confined to the main dish that can be rice or gravy along with some roasts either dry roast or semi roast etc. There was a time when we used to make Fish fry, Mutton Roast, and Chicken Gravy sort of meal.
Recommended links => Different Chicken Biryani recipes
We no longer do that as the elders have given up on nonveg and my kids somehow like only Chicken. I still remember the initial years of my marriage when Hubby dear refused to eat two different meat at the same meal. Slowly we saw that even our in-laws have adapted to this one now. When we visit my sis inlaws, they make something like this nonveg Thali.
When I decided on showing our weekend special meals, I asked Amma if she would decide on some new biryanis that we are yet to try. Though I had to plan ahead, I didn't think about sweets. Of course, any special meal will have some sweets.
However, the nonveg thalis on Sundays mostly will end up having some ice creams. So I had to make some sweets just for the thalis.
Chicken Donne Biryani is the day 1 of week 2, while it's a festival thali in SYL week 2 Day 1
Thalis & Platters
Week 1 - Platters for Elders
Indo Chinese Platter for Day 1
Idli Platter for Day 2
Pakoda Platter for Day 3
Colourful Rangoli Food Thali for Day 4
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Step By Step pictures for making Chicken Donne Biryani
Ingredients Used for Chicken Donna Biryani
This biryani is similar to other biryanis using whole spices, ground masala, the difference is in using tomatoes and grinding the entire roasted whole spices.
The sour agent in this biryani is tomato and not curds. This biryani is spicy with well-balanced masala, so you should take care to add little extra water to make the biryani soft.
Biryanis don't require a side dish as the rice is spicy and wet by itself. However, we made chicken gravy and raita as the side.
Recipe
Chicken Donne Biryani
Ingredients
For the Ground Masala
- 1 tsp Ghee
- 1 tsp Cooking Oil
- 1 Star Anise
- 6 Cloves
- 5 Cardamom
- 2 - 3 Dagad Phool / Rathi Puvvu
- 2 - 3 Javithri
- 3 inch Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Shahjeera
- 4 - 5 Green Chillies
- 2 cups Onions julienne cut
- 1/2 cup Mint Leaves
- 1/2 cup Coriander Leaves
- 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 3 small Bay Leaf
Other Ingredients for Biryani
- 2 tsp Ghee
- 2 tsp Cooking Oil
- 2 big Tomatoes
- 3 cups Basmati Rice
- Salt to taste
- 4.5 cups Water (or just 4 depending on the water that comes out from chicken)
Instructions
How to make Chicken Donne Biryani
Prep work for making Biryani
- Have all the whole spices needed in a plate.
- Cut the onion as julienne and slit the green chilies.
- Wash and chop the mint, coriander leaves roughly.
- Slice the tomatoes and keep it aside.
- Wash and cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
- Wash and soak the basmati rice in enough water for 20 minutes.
Making the ground masala
- Heat a nonstick pan with 1 tsp ghee and cooking oil. Add all the whole spices and saute for few minutes.
- Then, add the onion julienne and green chilies, saute till it turns colour.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and combine well.
- After few minutes, add the chopped mint, coriander leaves and cook everything for 5 to 7 minutes until everything is cooked well.
- Allow to cool down before grinding.
- Take the fried ingredients in a mixer jar and grind to a smooth paste with enough water. Keep it aside.
Making the Biryani
- Heat a wide nonstick pan with cooking oil and ghee. Add the chicken pieces and arrange the sliced tomatoes along with salt over the chicken pieces and let it cook.
- Cover with a lid and cook on high.
- After 10 minutes, water starts coming out of the chicken, add the ground masala and let the whole mixture get cooked well.
- Simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Then, add the water and let it boil over.
- Add the drained rice and let it cook. Mix well and when the water is almost absorbed, simmer and cover with lid.
- Cook with lid covered for 10 mins.
- The biryani gets cooked in 10 mins low flame.
- Serve with onion raita or gravy.
This Chicken Donne Biryani was part of the South Indian Non Veg Thali Menu.
Narmadha says
I am big fan of biryani and can have them any meal of the day. This looks too tempting
Suma Gandlur says
I have made a vegetarian version of donne biryani before and absolutely loved the flavor, the green base provides to this dish.
Vaishali says
I love anything served on leaves - be it South Indian meals or North Indian Chats or Exotic dishes . I live the idea of serving the Biryani in a Donna , the flavour infused by the leaves should be so good , let me get hold of some actual donnas to try the vegetarian version .
Harini Rupanagudi says
I agree with Vaishali that eating food served on a leaf takes on a special flavor in itself. I miss those days..I am sure I can source these donne here. Shall try to make the vegetarian version soon.
srividhya says
Interesting to grind all the whole spices. Love the color of that biryani different from the traditional ones. Would love to try the veggie version. Amazing spread.
Renu says
The green paste has given the biryani nice colour as well as would add such nice flavour and taste. The whole platter looks amazing.
Anisha says
I love Biriyanis. I am a fan of them. I prepare them quite often and will definitely try this one as well.