Koonthal - Koon Biriyani / Squid - Mushroom Biriyani

Ingredients:

500 gm squids/ koonthal

3 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

4 onions, thinly sliced

8 green chillies, crushed

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup yoghurt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup coriander leaves, chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

3 cups basmati rice

5 cups boiling water

3 cloves

3 cardamoms

3 cinnamon

1 bay leaf

3-4 tbsp ghee

salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Clean and cut squid into round pieces and marinate it with chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and keep it aside for 15 minutes.
2. Wash the rice, drain it and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated squid pieces and keep it aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add 3 sliced onions and saute well till transparent.
5. Add crushed green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and saute well.
6. Add chopped tomatoes to this and saute till soft.
7. Add chopped mushrooms and cook covered on low flame for 8-10 minutes.
8. Add yoghurt and 1 tsp garam masala to this and mix well.
9. Then add fried squids and mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and lemon juice to this, mix well and remove from flame.
10. To prepare the rice, heat ghee in a wide thick bottomed pan, add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves,bay leaf and 1 sliced onion and saute till transparent.
11. Add drained rice and saute for 2-3 minutes in low-medium flame. To this add boiling water and salt and cook till rice is done at low flame. Remove from the flame.
12. To layer the biriyani, take a wide thick bottomed pan and apply some ghee. Layer the bottom of the pan with half of cooked rice.
13. Add little garam masala and coriander leaves and then add prepared squid - mushroom masala over the rice and then add remaining rice as a top layer. 
14. Sprinkle little garam masala and add coriander leaves and a pinch of yellow food colour /saffron mixed with 1 tbsp lemon juice/ milk.on top. 
15. Cover with an aluminium foil and close with a tight lid. Then cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes.
16. Switch off the flame and serve hot with raita , pappadum and pickle...