Wash and rinse the rice for about 3-4 times until the water looks clear. And soak the rice in clear water. Set aside.

In a large cooking pot, heat the oil and fry the onions until lightly brown.

Add in the ginger and garlic, give it a stir and fry for a few minutes until it smells fragrant.

Then put all the spices in. The cumin, coriander, chilli powder, paprika, black pepper, turmeric, salt, cardamoms, cloves, whole black peppercorns, cinnamon and bay leaves. Continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes until the spices give aroma.

Put the chicken in and stir until all the pieces are covered with spices. Let it fry until the poultry turns opaque in colour.

Then add the tomatoes in the chicken mixture and give it a good stir. Put the lid on and let it cook at low heat. Leave it to cook for about 20 minutes. Keep checking and stirring every now and again to make sure the chicken doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

In the meantime, boil the water in the other pot. When it reaches boiling point, add in the rice and let it cook for about 7 minutes or until the rice is half cooked.

Add the potatoes in, stir well and continue cooking with the lid on for another 10 minutes then put the yoghurt in. Let it cook for about 5 minutes more.

When the oil slightly separates from the sauce, and you have about 1-1 ½ cup of gravy left, turn the heat off.

Using a colander, drain the half-cooked rice and pour it over the chicken biryani sauce. Spread it evenly to cover all the chicken masala (chicken curry sauce). Put the lid on. Then cook the biryani rice at low-medium heat until the steam comes out.