Cook till the mixture turns thick and dry. By now the chicken should be almost cooked soft. This is the old version of the same chicken biryani many readers have been following since 2012. Upon getting several requests I have updated it here. To make biryani masala or garam masala – Powder together very small piece of nutmeg, 5 cardamoms, ½ tsp pepper, 5 cloves, 1 to 2 inch cinnamon, ½ tsp fennel seeds, ½ tsp stone flower. Enjoy chicken biryani with raita and sliced veggies, papad and shorba . The recipe was easy to follow and the raita turned out as expected. I was disappointed in the Biryani itself, because I was expecting a deeper flavor like many of the Biryanis I’ve had at our local Indian food restaurants here in the Bay Area (Berkeley/Oakland). I would recommend this recipe for those who have a light Indian food palate. But for those who know what a Biryani is supposed to really be like, you may be a little underwhelmed by the flavors. I’m going to find out what the spices are ...