Egg Biryani Recipe

Rinse the basmati rice under cold water until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Soak the rice in cold water for 20–30 minutes, then drain.

In a large pot, bring 3.5 cups water to a boil with 1 tsp salt, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick.

Add the drained rice to the boiling, spiced water. Stir once gently, return to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 6–7 minutes until the rice is about 70–80% cooked (grains should still have a slight bite). Drain the rice in a sieve and set aside, discarding whole spices if you prefer.

Hard-boil the eggs: place 6 eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover, turn off the heat, and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath, cool, peel, and set aside.

Optional: Halve or leave eggs whole. If halved, you can lightly pan-fry the cut side for 1–2 minutes in a little oil to add color — see frying steps below.

Heat 2 tbs oil + 1 tbs ghee in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced onions (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish) and sauté until translucent, then increase heat slightly and continue until they turn deep golden brown — about 10–12 minutes. Remove half the onions and set aside for layering and garnish. (If you have store-bought fried onions, use them here and shorten this step.)

To the remaining onions in the pan add ginger paste and garlic paste; sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add chopped tomato and slit green chilies; cook until the tomato softens, 3–4 minutes.

Stir in turmeric, red chili powder, ground coriander, biryani masala (or garam masala) and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 1–2 minutes to let the spices bloom.

Prepare saffron: crush saffron threads between your fingers and bloom in 2 tbs warm milk for 5–10 minutes.

Lower heat. Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs to the spiced onion-tomato mixture. Gently spoon some sauce over the eggs and simmer for 2–3 minutes so eggs absorb flavor. If you prefer, cut eggs in half and toss cut side down briefly in a little oil to brown before adding back to sauce.

Layering: Remove about half of the onion-tomato-egg mixture to make space for layering. If your pan is large enough you can layer in the same vessel. Spread half the partially cooked drained rice over the egg mixture evenly. Sprinkle half of the chopped cilantro and mint, half of the reserved fried onions, 1/2 tbs ghee dotted across the rice, and 1/2 tbs lemon juice. Drizzle half the saffron milk over the rice.

Add the remaining rice as the next layer. Spoon the remaining egg-onion mixture on top (if any left), or place the eggs neatly on top of the final rice layer. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro, mint, reserved fried onions, remaining ghee (1/2 tbs) and remaining lemon juice. Drizzle remaining saffron milk across the surface.

Seal and cook (dum): Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. If lid isn't tight, seal edges with foil then cover. Cook on the lowest possible heat for 20–25 minutes to allow flavors to meld and rice to finish cooking through steam.

Once done, turn off heat and let rest sealed for 5–10 minutes. Gently fluff the biryani from the sides to combine layers slightly without breaking eggs. Garnish with additional fried onions before serving.

Quick cucumber raita

In a bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth. Stir in grated cucumber, roasted cumin powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill until serving.

Heat or crisp poppadoms according to package instructions and serve alongside the biryani with raita.