Apricot chicken biryani

Ingredients

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 150 ml vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp each black peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds
• 1 tsp each ground turmeric and ground chilli
• 1/4 tsp each ground cloves, ground cinnamon and finely grated nutmeg
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 500 ml thick natural yoghurt
• 1/2 cup each finely chopped mint and coriander, plus leaves to serve
• 1 1/2 tbsp finely grated ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 long green chillies, thinly sliced, plus extra to serve
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 4 chicken Marylands (thigh with drumsticks attached), halved through the joint
• 40 g dried apricots, softened in hot water for 15 minutes, drained
• 6 fresh, slightly underripe apricots, halved, plus extra wedges (optional), to serve
• 400 g basmati rice
• 50 g butter, diced
• 90 ml milk
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• fried onion or fried shallots, chopped pistachio nuts and lime cheeks, to serve