Featured Recipe: Jackfruit Biryani

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cooking Time: 45 minutes
• Serves: 6 people

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice: 2 cups (soaked)
• Raw Jackfruit: 1.5 cups (chopped)
• Ghee: 2 tablespoon 
• Onions: 4 thinly sliced
• Ginger: 1 tsp finely chopped
• Garlic: 6-7 cloves finely chopped
• Green Chillies: 2 slit vertically
• Bay Leaf: 2
• Green Cardamom: 2 pods
• Black Cardamom: 2 pcs
• Cloves: 4 whole
• Black Peppercorns: 1 tsp
• Cinnamon: 1-inch pc
• Star Anise: 2 pcs
• Javitri: 1 tsp
• Red Chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Coriander powder: ½ tsp
• Curd: 1 cup
• Salt: to taste
• Mint leaves: ½ cup (cleaned and chopped)
• Saffron: 4-5 strands soaked in milk

For Dum: Wheat dough 1 cup

Procedure:

• First, take half the quantity of thinly sliced onions, and fry them till crispy and golden brown. Keep these caramelised onions separate. 
• Take a heavy bottom pan and add to it some ghee and 1-star anise, now add water, which is about double the quantity as compared to the rice. Add some salt and bring it to a roaring boil.
• Add the soaked rice and cook until it is about 70% ready. Strain the rice using a strainer and spread it over a clean cloth or plate to cool down. 
• To make the jackfruit gravy, take a large pan (preferably the one where you will cook the biryani) and add ghee. Once the ghee melts, add the remaining onions along with garlic and ginger and cook until it’s golden. 
• Now add the whole spices and allow them to sizzle, now add the raw jackfruit pieces and cook until they are soft. Mix the red chilli powder and coriander powder and top it with curd. Mix well and allow to cook so make a creamy smooth gravy. Adjust the salt as per your liking. Top it with mint leaves.
• Now add the cooked rice over the gravy. Garnish it with some more mint leaves, and the caramelized onions and spread the saffron-soaked milk over it. 
• Cover it with a lid and tightly seal it using the wheat dough. Allow the biryani to simmer for about 10-12 minutes. 
• Once ready, open the sealed lid and scoop out the biryani without mixing to retain the layers. Serve with raita.