website for spices
http://qualityspices.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/kundanfo/shopzone30.cgi/st_main.html?p_catid=39
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*Originally posted by highsocietylady: *
I sometimes add tomatos, green dynia before giving it the ultimate dhum.
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oi explain "dhum" to OG now
dhum = when the rice mixture is cooked add oil on top of the rice and cook on very low flame for another 5 minutes.
now explain "tarka" to him :D
as some ppl do that to biryani too
Very cool, I found a site too for saffron.
Any special kind of Oil?
^hahaah now that is a can of worms, some people swear by ghee (lard), i would suggest vegetable oil, my house is an olive oil territory so we cook everything in that, and it turns out okay. but i know ppl have used corn oil, and have been happy with that also.
Oh thats a tricky one :D is "tarka" the masala at the beginng or is it the onion, thingy at the end?
thats the onion thingie at the end
I like the Pakirecipe web site too, Chicken Biryani is the #1 recipe.
Fraudz, we are an olive oil family too, supposed to be better for you....
We don’t do that 
too much oil, I mean there is enough in the masala, OH, ‘tarka’ is some garlic or onion thats fried in some oil that you pure on the biryani, I am not so sure how it works though.
Mr. F, we do ‘tarka’ with garlic and zeera, only to daal.
OG, mutton is less fatty than beef. Just wanted to let you know.
The Pakirecipe web site has a good desriprion of the tarka bit.
Kaleem, I will look for some mutton and see if the butcher can get a good piece.
^ Really you are quick.
Mr F., can you really use olive oil for desi cooking ? Olive oil is so much heathier, i've heard, so do you feel that you are having a healthy diet now that you are using olive oil ? Any differences?
Also
Lard is btw pig fat and Ghee is made out of milk/butter, so I am kind of confused that you called Ghee as Lard.
You ppl have me starved...and that has nothing to do with lard by the way.
HSL, we use olive oil at my house for everything and it tastes just fine. We never used ghee so I cannot compare it to that but we have tried corn oil etc and i like olive oil best of them all :)
OG yeah olive oil is better for you, offcourse if one starts deep frying chicken in it one may have missed the point :)
high society lady
I personally have not been able to tell a difference in the taste of the food. it has been good for me as well, good an A+ on cholestrol levels.
well lard is the closest thing to explain ghee to a non desi, hydrogenated cooking oil which is solid at room temperature
Kaleem
mutton less fatty than beef? i thought it was the other way round.
baryani in oven? 
wow
now i’ve heard it all head spinning
nah man, i prefer the authentic baryani cooked in the deg bas 
Well folks here is my summary:
The chicken turned out great, very tender and tasty. I overcompensated, in fear scorching my family, and the rice was too wimpy. Next time more SPICE! I had a huge pot to put in the oven, and have lots of leftovers, and because I had a big pot, I cooked it for 60 minutes. Probably could have used only 40 min. because I browned the chicken in advance.
Also, I cooked some of the rice a few minutes on the stovetop to get it started, before putting it in the pan. I probably should have cooked it even less, or rinsed it with cold water to stop it from cooking in the bowl before layering it, the rice would have turned out a little firmer. Could have used the saffron too, but I will put out an order to the Fraudia approved web site for the next endeavor.
So far so good, next time a few adjustments. The family liked all of the interesting flavors. One thing my other recipe had was either currants or raisins. Didn't have currants, so I used golden raisins, and they were very cool, little pockets of sweetness in the rice.
Thanks for the recipe and your help!
What chicken did you cook by the way???