Biryani Recipe

Biryani is a celebration of all that’s nice about Indian meals – the heady aromas, the colourful colors, the fluffy rice and people addictive curry flavours. Make this Chicken Biryani together with your protein of selection – or attempt a vegetable biryani!

Biryani recipe

Some of the requested recipes is lastly right here! One other RecipeTin Household effort, it took us seven makes an attempt to get this biryani proper.

Seven makes an attempt means seven heated arguments about who would take the leftover biryani as a result of someone within the RecipeTin household, at any time limit, normally declares themselves to be on a weight-reduction plan to handle blog-related weight acquire considerations.

And it was value it. (Stomach and all.) Biryani, we will’t get sufficient of you!

What’s Biryani and why do I find it irresistible a lot?

Basically, it’s your favorite chicken curry (or vegetable or different protein of selection) buried below a mound of delicately spiced fluffy rice, all made in a single pot. The rice is steamed over a low warmth so it absorbs the flavours of the curry effervescent away beneath.

So in a nutshell, it’s each curry loving-carb monsters’ dream come true. It’s acquired my identify written throughout it!

About this Biryani

You’ll discover variations of Biryani all throughout the Indian subcontinent, from Pakistan to Bangladesh, Afghanistan to India. There are 2 important sorts – one the place the protein and/or greens are cooked blended all through the rice, and the opposite model often known as Hyderabad-style biryani in India the place meat and rice are layered and cook dinner in a sealed pot over fireplace. The latter is the model of biryani I’m sharing as we speak.

There’s a fantastic Afghani restaurant in my space referred to as Sahar (Newport, Sydney) which serves a Biryani that’s an enormous favorite amongst locals. Palms down, the perfect ethnic restaurant I do know within the higher northern seashores.

Learn how to make Biryani

Chicken marinated in a spiced yoghurt is positioned in a big pot, then layered with fried onions (cheeky simple sub beneath!), contemporary coriander/cilantro, then par boiled frivolously spiced rice.

The crowning glory is to complete it off with a drizzle of saffron infused water to provide it the signature patches of brilliant yellow rice, in addition to ghee (or melted butter) for buttery richness.

The pot is then lined and cooked over a low warmth for about 25 minutes throughout which period the rice absorbs the aromas and flavours of the curry beneath, while nonetheless being superbly fluffy.

That second whenever you raise the lid and are greeted with this sight…

…. that second is barely second to this: whenever you dig deep into the pot, guaranteeing you get a few of each layer, and the total pressure of the aroma from the curry buried deep below the rice hits you, and it takes each single little bit of will energy to gravitate that spoon in direction of a bowl as a substitute of making an attempt to shove that whole large scoop in your mouth….

OK wait. Did you virtually lose management too?

I’m virtually finished. Bear with me – simply need to present you a number of extra issues earlier than handing over the recipe!

Biryani spices

There’s delicate flavourings used for the rice, and a lot more used for the curry sauce.

There’s a prolonged checklist however there’s nothing unique right here, yow will discover all these spices at on a regular basis supermarkets right here in Australia. Some recipes name for Asafoetida which is an Indian spice that requires a visit to an Indian grocer. We tried it with and with out, and I swear we couldn’t style a distinction. So we don’t use it. 🙂

Cheeky substitute for fried onions

Skinny slices of onion fried till candy and a bit crispy, that is used as one of many layers within the Biryani in addition to a garnish for serving.

If you happen to aren’t a fan of deep frying or are a newbie cook dinner, my cheeky various is utilizing retailer purchased fried onion (Asian or Indian shops) or Asian Fried Shallots (pictured beneath) that are offered at on a regular basis supermarkets. They add the identical oniony flavour with the added bonus of additional crunch!

The roots of this recipe

One other recipe ticked off the Recipe Request checklist, one other RecipeTin household effort!!

As all the time, we like to look to the professionals to construct a place to begin for recipe inspiration. We ate biryani at our favorite specialty eating places in Sydney, Pakistani chain Pupil Biryani in Auburn, and the Indian restaurant Paradise Biryani Home in North Strathfield.

Sure the elements checklist is lengthy – however you’ll discover every thing on the grocery store. And whereas there are a selection of steps to make Biryani, it’s really fairly an easy recipe. (Video is useful too!)

And even when yours doesn’t prove good, don’t be postpone as a result of even lower than good biryani remains to be scrumptious (we fortunately scoffed the primary few check batches regardless of the issues!). – Johnsat x

Watch learn how to make it

Biryani Recipe

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Serves: 8 Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour 1 hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 750g (1.5 lb) chicken thighs , skin on, bone in, halved along bone (Note 1)
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) yoghurt , plain
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other plain oil)
• 6 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (adjust spiciness to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp garam marsala (Note 2)
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp paprika , sweet / ordinary (not smoked)
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp salt
• 10 cloves
• 5 dried bay leaves
• 1 star anise
• 6 green cardamon pods
• 2 1/4 cups (450g) uncooked basmati rice (Note 3)
• 2 medium onions (yellow, brown) , halved and finely sliced
• 1 cup (250 ml) oil , for frying
• 1 tsp saffron threads (loosely packed) (Note 5)
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 1 cup coriander / cilantro , chopped
• 1/4 cup (60g) ghee or unsalted butter , melted (Note 6)
• Crispy onions (above)
• Chopped coriander / cilantro
• Yoghurt (Note 7)

Instructions

1. Mix Marinade in a large pot (about 26cm / 11″ diameter). Add chicken and coat well. Marinade 20 minutes to overnight.
2. Bring 3 litres / 3 quarts water to the boil, add salt and spices.
3. Add rice, bring back up to the boil then cook for 4 minutes, or until rice is just cooked still a bit firm in the middle. Rice will taste salty at this stage, disappears in next stage of cooking.
4. Drain immediately. Set aside. (Note 10 re: leaving whole spices in)
5. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Cook onion, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t burn – they become bitter.
6. Remove onto paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining onion.
7. Place in a bowl, leave for 10 minutes+.
8. Place pot with chicken in it onto a stove over medium heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Remove lid. Cook for 5 minutes, turning chicken twice.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Turn chicken so skin side is down – it should cover most of the base of the pot.
12. Scatter over half the onion then half the coriander.
13. Top with all the rice. Gently pat down and flatten surface.
14. Drizzle saffron across rice surface in random pattern, then drizzle over ghee.
15. Place lid on. Return to stove over medium heat.
16. As soon as you see steam, turn down to low then cook for 25 minutes.
17. Remove from stove, rest with lid on for 10 minutes.
18. Aim to serve it so you get nice patches of yellow rice, white rice, the curry stained rice + chicken (rather than all mixed up). To do this, use a large spoon and dig deep into the pot, and try to scoop up as much as you can in one scoop.
19. Turn out into bowl – or onto platter. Garnish with remaining onion and coriander with yoghurt on the side (see Note 7 for Minted Yoghurt)

Notes

1. Cut the chicken along the bone, keeping the bone in. So one half will have no bone, the other will have the bone.
Skin on bone in thighs is the safest to use (forms a protection barrier on base) and yields juicy chicken. Even if you overcook, worst case is crispy chicken skin which protects the flesh and rice. Next best is boneless chicken thighs.
I take no responsibility for outcome if breast is used! But here is how I would do it: use whole breast, remove chicken from marinade, simmer marinade on low until it’s almost like a paste. Squidge raw breast back in the “paste”, then follow recipe starting with the onion and coriander layers. This will reduce the time the breast is cooking so keep it as juicy as possible
2. Garam Masala is an Indian spice mix and you’ll find it in the spices aisle at every day supermarkets in Australia.
3. Can be substituted with jasmine or long grain rice but be aware that the fragrance will be slightly different. Still super tasty!
4. For an easy sub, use store bought crispy fried shallots or onions. The shallots are found in the Asian section of every day supermarkets and Asian stores (cheaper!). Get plenty! Use some in the biryani and lots for garnish!
5. Saffron brings a unique flavour to the rice as well as the vibrant yellow colour. But it’s not cheap! If you’re budget doesn’t extend to saffron threads, use the economical saffron powder which is not pure saffron. Mix 1/2 tsp powder with the water and proceed with recipe.
6. Ghee is clarified butter, follow steps in my Movie Popcorn recipe to make ghee. Otherwise, you’ll find it in the Indian section of some supermarkets (Coles, Harris Farms), or Asian stores. Otherwise, just use butter – not a deal killer here!
7. Plain yoghurt is fine. Here’s a quick Raita (Minted Yoghurt, pictured & in video): Mix 1 1/2 cups plain yoghurt with 1/3 cup finely chopped mint leaves with a good pinch of salt and a touch of water to loosen consistency if needed.
8. Vegetable Biryani – Made it and loved it! Choose any vegetables you like. Suggestions: Capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, potato, zucchini, peas. Chop into pieces that will roughly be done at the same time when stewed, so that you have about 8 cups in total. Additionally, slice one onion.
Mix the marinade ingredients in a separate bowl, with the following changes: 3/4 cup of yoghurt; 300ml /1 1/4 cups water ; 1 tbsp garam marsala; 1 tbsp ground coriander; do not include vegetable oil in the marinade. Use all other spices per recipe.
Saute the onion in 4 tbsp of vegetable or coconut oil. When starting to colour, add vegetables (except peas, if using) and marinade. Bring to a simmer and stew the vegetables until they are 50% cooked (softened but still firm), remove from heat. Stir in the frozen peas, if using. Continue with the remaining rice cooking, assembly and cooking steps as per main recipe.
9. Other proteins: Goat, lamb, beef, rabbit. Cut so the meat is jam packed and covers the base of the pot. Add water to marinade so meat is mostly covered, place lid on an simmer on medium low for as long as required so it’s pretty tender. It might take 1 hour or longer, depending on what you use. When tender, remove lid and let the sauce reduce down to about 1 to 1 1/2 cups. Then proceed with recipe.
10. GENERAL COMMENTS:* Scaling recipe (click on servings and scale) – must scale pot size up/down* Salt – yes you really need 2 tbsp salt to par boil the rice. The rice will taste salty at this stage but the salt comes out of the rice during the second stage of cooking. Trust me, you need that much salt in the water!* Spiciness is mainly from cayenne, a bit from garam masala. So adjust to taste.* Fresh spices – use fresh spices, not ones that have been sitting around in your pantry for years!* Whole spices – the whole spices are typically left in the rice. They soften when cooked so to me it’s not a big deal, I’ve never found it off-putting. If you’re really concerned, either pick them out just before layering in the pot or wrap the spices in a small muslin or cheesecloth.
11. Storage – Leftovers keep well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in microwave. As rice is not quite as moist with leftovers, best to serve with yoghurt (even plain is fine). Even freezing should be fine, haven’t tried it but rice and curry both freeze great so I see no reason why this wouldn’t freeze well.
Make Ahead – These are the things that can be done ahead: Par Boil the rice up up to 24 hours ahead of using. Marinate the chicken and cook it per recipe up to the point before rice covers it up to 2 days ahead. OR leave the marinated chicken in the freezer for up to 48 hours. Make saffron water and onion. Then on the day of, assemble the biryani layers and cook per recipe!

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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