Biryani - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon saffron
4 teaspoons milk, warm
2 hot green chili peppers, as serranos -- seeded & stemmed
2 large onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon clove, ground
8 whole peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon poppy seed
1/4 teaspoon mace, ground
1/2 cup cilantro or 1/2 cup mint leaf
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups plain yogurt
3 lbs boneless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ghee
1 onion, finely chopped
8 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cups basmati rice or 2 cups long-grain rice, uncooked
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup almonds
6 eggs, hard-boiled, halved

Preparation

Soak saffron in warm milk for 5 minutes and puree in blender.
Add chiles, onions, ginger, garlic, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, coriander and cumin seeds, poppy seeds, nutmeg, mace, cilantro or mint leaves and lemon juice. Blend into smooth paste. Put paste into large bowl, add yogurt and mix well.
Marinate chicken in yogurt mixture with salt, covered for at least 2 - 6 hours in refrigerator.
In skillet. heat oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add ghee and 15 seconds later add onion and fry for about8 minutes.
Reserve for garnish.
In same skillet, cook chicken with its marinade with tomatoes for about 10 minutes over medium heat, uncovered.
Remove chicken pieces from the sauce and set aside. Add rice to sauce, bring to boil, and cook, covered over low heat for 15 minutes.
Return chicken and add raisins, cashews and almonds; mix well.
Simmer, covered for 5 minutes.
Place chicken, eggs and rice in large serving dish in such a way that yellow of the eggs, the saffron-colored rice, the nuts and the chicken make a colorful display.
Add reserved onion as garnish.