Malaysian Nasi Briyani with Chicken Curry · PrimedTable
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Malaysian Nasi Briyani with Chicken Curry
⏱ 90 min
A fragrant rice dish made with basmati and aromatic spices, served alongside tender curry chicken. The Malaysian version features pandan leaves and creamy milk infused into separately cooked rice, which is paired with spiced chicken curry—a beloved favorite at local eateries.
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1
Place chicken in a bowl and coat thoroughly with Greek yogurt, ensuring all pieces are well covered. Refrigerate the marinated chicken to allow the lactic acid in the yogurt to tenderize the meat.
2
Make clarified butter using unsalted butter over low heat for about 10–15 minutes. Remove the white solids that float to the surface by straining through a sieve; what remains is the ghee.
3
Heat about 1½ tablespoons of ghee in a pot over low heat. Add cloves, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and cumin seeds, sautéing until fragrant.
4
Add thinly sliced onion and sauté over low heat until the onion is slightly wilted.
5
Add the basmati rice and pandan leaf, stirring to combine with the other ingredients.
6
Pour in the full fat milk and water, maintaining a 2:1 ratio of liquid to rice. Bring the mixture to a boil.
7
Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the rice to simmer until fully cooked and all liquid is absorbed.
8
Heat the remaining ghee in another pot. Add star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom, coriander powder, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, and fennel seeds all at once, stirring quickly.
9
Press garlic into the pot, then add ginger and the remaining sliced onion.
10
Add the tomatoes and let them release their liquid. Include pandan leaf and continue cooking until the tomatoes soften.
11
Add the marinated chicken to the pot, scraping out as much yogurt as possible from the bowl to coat the chicken pieces. Stir quickly to combine.
12
Stir for another 3–5 minutes to infuse the spices into the chicken, then add water.
13
Increase the heat to bring the curry to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer. Add the remaining yogurt and continue cooking.
14
Toast the saffron in a dry pan without water or oil to release its aroma. Add a small amount of boiling water and let it steep to extract the color and flavor.
15
Fry cashew nuts and raisins in oil over low heat for about a minute to use as garnish.
16
When the rice is fully cooked, remove the lid and carefully pour the saffron infusion onto one corner of the rice (to maintain a mix of yellow and white grains). Cover and let it sit.
17
After simmering for about 20 minutes, taste the chicken curry and adjust seasoning with salt and sugar as needed. Ensure the chicken is tender and the tomatoes are soft and well integrated.
18
Scoop the cooked fragrant rice onto one side of a plate and serve the curry chicken alongside.
19
Garnish the dish with fried cashew nuts, raisins, fried shallots, red chili slices, and spring onion.
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