Biryani Recipe
Meals commence with Papads, Chaat and Bitings, before Kebabs, Matka and Karahi, followed by Biryani and Pilau.
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Ingredients
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Rice
Meat & Marinade
Spices & Aromatics
Garnish & Finish
Method
Rice
- 1
Rinse and soak rice
Rinse 3 cups basmati rice under cold water 3–4 times until the water runs almost clear. Soak the rice in fresh water for 30 minutes, then drain.
- 2
Parboil rice
Bring 2500 ml water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbs salt and half of the whole spices (1 cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom pods, 3 cloves and 1 bay leaf). Add the drained rice and cook uncovered until grains are about 70–80% done (rice should still have a slight bite, ~6–8 minutes depending on brand). Drain the rice in a colander and set aside. Drizzle 1 tbs ghee over the drained rice and gently toss to keep grains separate.
Meat & Marinade
- 3
Prepare the marinade
In a large bowl combine 1 cup yogurt, 2 tbs ginger paste, 2 tbs garlic paste, 2 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tbs lemon juice and 1.5 tsp salt. Add 0.5 cup chopped cilantro, 0.5 cup chopped mint and 4 slit green chilies. Mix to a smooth marinade.
- 4
Marinate the meat
Add 1.2 kg meat (bone-in lamb or chicken pieces) to the marinade, coat thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (preferably 4 hours or overnight for best flavor).
- 5
Cook the meat
Heat 3 tbs vegetable oil and 1 tbs ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add remaining whole spices (1 cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 1 bay leaf, star anise and 1 tsp cumin seeds) and sauté for 30 sec until fragrant. Add the marinated meat and sear on high heat for 4–6 minutes until edges brown. Add 250 ml water, cover and simmer on medium-low heat until the meat is almost cooked and the gravy is reduced (chicken ~15–20 min, lamb ~35–45 min). Taste and adjust salt. Keep the meat with its gravy ready for layering.
Spices & Aromatics
- 6
Slice and fry onions (birista)
While meat cooks, heat remaining 3 tbs oil and 2 tbs ghee in a wide frying pan. Add 3 thinly sliced onions and 1 tsp sugar. Fry on medium heat, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and crisp (this will take about 12–18 minutes). Remove about 1 cup of the fried onions and set aside for garnish; keep the rest to mix into the meat gravy. Be careful not to burn — lower heat if browning too fast.
- 7
Prepare saffron milk
Warm 4 tbs milk and add 1 pinch saffron threads. Let it steep for 10 minutes to release color and aroma. Keep warm.
Garnish & Finish
- 8
Fry nuts and raisins
In a small pan, heat 1 tbs ghee. Fry 0.25 cups cashews until golden, remove and set aside. Fry 0.25 cups raisins for 30–45 seconds until they puff up; remove and set aside.
- 9
Assemble layers for dum
Use a heavy-bottomed wide pot for final layering (you can use the same pot you cooked the meat in if it's wide). Spread half the parboiled rice in an even layer. Spoon half the meat and gravy evenly over the rice. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the reserved fried onions, 1/2 of the chopped cilantro and mint, 1 tbs ghee, a pinch of black pepper (optional), and 2 tbs of the saffron milk. Repeat with the remaining rice and then the remaining meat on top (or meat then rice — traditional order is rice then meat then rice; adapt to pot size). Finish with the remaining fried onions, the remaining cilantro and mint, fried cashews and raisins, and drizzle remaining saffron milk evenly.
- 10
Seal and cook on dum (steam)
Seal the pot with a tight-fitting lid. If the lid isn't tight, cover the rim with aluminum foil or a thin layer of dough to seal. Place the pot over the lowest heat on the stove (use a heat diffuser/tava if available) and cook for 20–30 minutes for chicken or 30–40 minutes for lamb to allow flavors to marry and steam to finish cooking the rice (alternatively bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 25–35 minutes). After cooking, turn off the heat and let the pot rest, sealed, for 10 minutes.
- 11
Finish and serve
Open the pot carefully. Using a wide flat spatula, gently fluff and mix rice and meat in layers to distribute the garnishes without breaking grains. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the reserved fried onions, extra cilantro/mint, fried cashews, raisins and lemon wedges. Serve hot with raita, papads or chutney as desired.
