Method:
Clean the chicken, remove the skin and cut into 8 pieces Wash the rice and soak it in a container for at least half an hour. Whisk the yogurt in a bowl and divide into two equal portions. Dissolve the saffron in warm milk. Add it to one portion of the yogurt. Add mint and coriander to it. Pre-heat the oven to 95 ^oC (200 ^oF).
In a large sauce-pan boil 4 litres of water and add a bay-leaf, 2 green cardamons and 2 cloves. Add the washed rice and boil for a few minutes until half done. Drain the rice with the whole spices and keep it hot. Heat butter in a larger sauce-pan, add the remaining whole spices and black cumin and saute over medium heat until cumin begins to crackle. Add onions and saute untill golden brown. Add ginger, garlic paste and red chillies. Cook for 15 seconds, add chicken and cook for a further 3-4 mintues. Add a portion of the plain yogurt, stir and add approximately 200 ml of water and bring to boil.
Lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is almost done. Sprinkle lemon juice and check the seasoning. To assemble the biryani, grease the base of a large baking dish. Spread half the chicken mixture in it and cover with half the rice. Sprinkle half of the saffron, yogurt, mint ant coriander mixture over this. Cover with the remaining chicken and then with the remaining rice.
Sprinkle the remaining yougurt mixture over the rice. Put a moist cloth over this and put a lid on the dish and seal the lid with the dough. Bake in the oven for ten minutes on slow flame dum. To serve: Break the seal, remove the moist cloth and serve.