Spice Mix Ingredients: cumin seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric, cardamom, fenugreek seeds, yellow mustard seeds, black pepper, poppy seeds, ginger, cayenne, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, caraway seeds, blade mace

Allergens: see ingredients in bold

Ingredients (Chicken Biryani):

• 1 packet Biryani spice blend (recipe leaflet included)

• 700g/ 1½ lb chicken, boneless breast or thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 3 tbsp (heaped) thick yoghurt

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• salt

• 500g basmati rice

• 4 cloves garlic and a thumb-sized piece of ginger, blended together

• 2 large onions

• 3 tbsp oil

• ½ tsp rose water (optional)

• Finely chopped fresh chillies (optional)

• Handful fresh coriander, chopped, to serve

Recipe:

1.    Mix the ground spices with the yoghurt, lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt, and use to marinate the chicken pieces. Leave for a couple of hours.

2.    Rinse the rice thoroughly as described above.

3.    Chop one of the onions very finely, and fry in 1 tbsp oil at a high heat until it is almost burnt. Set aside.

4.    Heat the remaining oil in a wide-bottomed deep pan. Add the whole spices, and garlic and ginger paste, and optional chillies, frying for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

5.    Thinly slice the second onion, add to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

6.    Add the chicken pieces and brown all over. Turn the heat down and cook for a few more minutes until nearly done.

7.    Spread the chicken in a layer at the bottom of the pan, season liberally with salt and cover with the prepared rice.

8.    Fill a jug with 750ml water, to which you can add a stock cube if you like, and also the rose water. Sprinkle in some salt if you are not using a stock cube.

9.    Pour this over the rice, put the lid on or cover with foil, and cook gently for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed.

10.    To serve, fork up the rice and stir in the fried onions, and scatter with fresh coriander. Remember that the chicken is lurking at the bottom, so make sure everyone gets some!

Cooks Notes:

• Lamb Biryani: marinate and fry the meat and vegetables as above, but add a little of the water at stage no. 6 and cook everything gently for up to an hour or until the lamb is tender, before adding the rice.

• Fish/prawn Biryani: cook as for chicken, being extra careful that the fish does not fall apart. Use shelled, raw prawns.

• Vegetable Biryani: sauté firm vegetables such as squash for a few minutes in the spices before adding the rice. Faster-cooking veggies such as cauliflower, peas and green beans need a quick stir in the spices before cooking with the rice.

• To make this extra special, garnish with shelled, unsalted pistachios, sultanas and hard-boiled egg pieces.

• Any leftovers can be fried up the following day.