Heat the cooking oil in a vessel. Add in 3/4th of the sliced onions and all of the chopped green chillies with a pinch of salt and saute till onions are light brown in color. (Tip :Salt aids in quickening the process of browning the onions).

Now add in the garlic paste, ginger paste and the diced tomatoes. Once the raw smell of garlic and ginger is gone, add in 1 cup of chopped coriander leaves and 1/2 a cup of chopped mint leaves and leave for a min.

Now add in the masalas - turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and one spoon of garam masala powder. (It's best to make a paste of the masalas with a little bit of water and then add the paste in).

Add in the whole spices - 3 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, a cinnamon stick and 3 black pepper seeds and mix well. When you see an oil layer floating on the top, it indicates the masala is cooked.

Now you add in the yoghurt / set curd / set dahi. Mix well and let it heat a bit but do not bring it to a boil.

Add in the cut chicken pieces and coat each piece well with the masala. Reduce flame, cover and cook for about 30 min. (If you are using a pressure cooker, keep it for a whistle). The chicken masala should be in a semi-paste form.

Paralelly, while the masala is busy being ready, soak the rice in water with salt for about 20 min.

In another vessel (which will be used to cook rice), bring water to boil. Add in the remaining mint leaves, coriander leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, crushed pepper seeds, salt and the lemon slice.

Add in 2 tbsp of ghee to the boiling water and the pre-soaked rice. Cook on medium flame and bring it to a semi-cooked stage (8-10 min). Drain and keep the rice aside. (Tip: Grate about 1/2 a carrot into the water alongwith the rice. Not only does it give color, but adds to the flavor as well)

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoon of ghee and add in the remaining sliced onions. When they start to turn brownish, add in the chopped cashew and raisins. Sprinkle the remaining garam masala powder and salt on top of it all, mix well, and turn off the heat once cashews start changing color.

In a large aluminum vessel, spread about a tablespoon ghee on the bottom. Layer about a half of the semi-cooked rice on top of the ghee. Sprinkle half of the fried onion-cashew mixture on top of this layer.

Layer the chicken masala prepared earlier on top of the rice layer. Dump the remaning semi-cooked rice on top of the chicken masala layer. Sprinkle the remaining fried onion-cashew mixture on top alongwith the remaining ghee. Add few coriander and mint leaves as well.

Cover the vessel with a lid. It should be tightly closed so as not to let any steam escape. This can be done either by using an aluminium foil paper and wrapping around the lid area or using a dough made of plain flour/ all - purpose flour / maida.

Place the vessel on stove on medium flame for about 2-3 min. Reduce the flame and keep it for 20-30 min. Remove from heat and serve hot.