Ingredients:
50ml Oil
500g large cubes breast chicken
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 heaped tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1 tsp salt
250-300g pasatta
3 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 heaped tbsp achar (pickle)
2 tsp biryani masala (spice factory or box)
2 cups rice (and 1 tsp salt)
Handful of fried onions
Handful of chopped coriander
Handful of chopped mint

Method:
1. Soak the rice in cold water. Heat the oil in a small pot and add the washed and patted chicken with the tumeric, salt and garlic & ginger paste. Let it cook on a high heat till the chicken releases all its water and is mostly cooked.
2. Now add the pasatta, yogurt, mustard, cumin seeds, coriander powder, chilli flakes, lemon juice, biryani masala and achar to the chicken. Mix together and let this cook on a high heat till the mixture is fully cookes and oil bubbles appear at the top, (approx 5-10 minutes). It may still appear a little watery but it’s fine. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile wash the rice and cook it in cold salty water on a medium flame. Remember adding boiling hot water directly into the rice makes for less fluffier rice.
4. Once rice is cooked but not overcooked, layer a medium-sized pot with foil. Put 1/3 of the rice as a layer at the bottom. Now evenly spread half the achari chicken mix (not the soupy bit), then layer on top another 1/3 of the rice and add the rest of the chicken mix and sprinkle half (about 50ml) of the soupy masala evenly over the rice. Lastly add the rest of rice and pour over any leftover soupy masala over the rice evenly. Sprinkle on top the fried onions and freshly chopped herbs. Cover the top of the pot with foil and place over it the lid. If it is a heavy-bottomed pot then put it on a low flame for five minutes. If not then put it on a hot frying pan (tawa) to cook on a low heat for five minutes. Serve with mint raita and poppadoms.