Preparation steps 1 Cut the chicken legs in two at the joint. 2 Score the flesh deeply. 3 Grate the ginger. 4 Crush the garlic to a paste. 5 Slit the chillies lengthways. 6 Squeeze the lemon. 7 Very finely slice the onions into even half-moons. 8 Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. 9 Fry the onions for 20 min, stirring often, until golden brown and crisp. 10 Drain the fried onions on kitchen paper, keeping the fragrant oil. 11 Chop the mint. 12 Chop the coriander. 13 In a mixing bowl, mix the yoghurt, ginger, garlic, turmeric, paprika, chilli flakes, half the garam masala, the lemon juice and the salt. 14 Add half the fried onions, half the mint and half the coriander, crushing them into the marinade. 15 Coat the chicken in the marinade. 16 Cover and leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge for 2 h. 17 Meanwhile, rinse the basmati rice several times in cold water until the water runs clear. 18 Soak the rice for 30 min in cold water. 19 Warm the milk. 20 Steep the saffron in the warm milk. 21 Melt the butter. 22 Heat a little of the onion frying oil in a heavy-based casserole. 23 Add the chicken with its marinade and the chillies. 24 Cook the chicken for 5 min over high heat, stirring. 25 Cover and cook for 15 min over low heat until the chicken is almost cooked and the sauce is thick. 26 Meanwhile, bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil with the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and cumin seeds. 27 Drain the rice. 28 Tip the rice into the boiling spiced water. 29 Cook the rice for 5 to 6 min until three-quarters cooked and still firm in the centre. 30 Drain the rice immediately with its whole spices. 31 Spread the rice in an even layer over the chicken in the casserole. 32 Drizzle the saffron milk over the rice. 33 Drizzle with the melted butter. 34 Scatter over the rest of the fried onions, mint and coriander. 35 Sprinkle with the rest of the garam masala. 36 Seal the casserole tightly with a sheet of foil under the lid. 37 Cook on dum over medium heat for 5 min. 38 Lower the heat to the minimum. 39 Continue cooking on dum for 20 min. 40 Leave the sealed casserole to rest off the heat for 10 min. 41 Open the casserole at the table. 42 Serve the biryani by plunging the spoon right to the bottom to scoop up chicken and saffron rice together. 