top of page
header-new-2.png

The Easiest Authentic Biryani At Home

Sometimes true happiness is simply home cooked biryani, and maybe Papa’s kiss.

  • Writer: pahnogeorgeton
    pahnogeorgeton
  • Oct 5, 2022
  • 4 min read

Updated: Jul 10, 2023

Sometimes true happiness is simply home cooked biryani, and maybe Papa’s kiss.


Hyderabadi Biryani

*For best results start the chicken marinade the day before serving*

Prep and Marinade Time: 1 hour 15 minutes plus up to overnight

Cook Time:1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 4


INGREDIENTS


Biryani Masala Powder

  • 1/4 cup (21g) coriander seeds

  • 2 tablespoons (13g) shah jeera (black cumin seeds)

  • 2 teaspoons (4g) whole cloves

  • 10 green cardamom pods

  • 2 black cardamom pods

  • 2 star anise

  • 2 teaspoons (5g) fennel seeds

  • 1 teaspoon (4g) black peppercorns

  • 3 cinnamon sticks

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1/2 teaspoon (0.5g) freshly ground nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon (3g) ground mace

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 pound (450g) chicken drumsticks (about 4-5)

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated

  • 2-inch piece ginger, grated

  • 2/3 cup (157g) plain yogurt

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) homemade biryani masala powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon (0.5g) turmeric powder

  • 2 teaspoons (1g) red chili powder or paprika

  • 3/4 teaspoon (0.5g) cardamom powder

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) fine sea salt

  • 2 Thai green chilies, stem removed and sliced

  • 2 teaspoons (9g) lemon juice

Fried Onions

  • 1 1/2 large yellow onions, sliced ¼-inch thick on mandoline

  • 3 cups (700ml) vegetable oil

  • Salt, to taste

Rice

  • 1 1/2 cups (286g) aged basmati rice

  • 7 cups (1.7L) water

  • 1 black cardamom pod

  • 1 star anise

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 5 green cardamom pods

  • ¾ teaspoon (1g) shah jeera (black cumin seeds)

  • 5 whole cloves

  • 1/2 teaspoon (0.5g) ground mace

  • 1 tablespoon (11g) fine sea salt

  • ½ teaspoon (4g) vegetable oil

Assembly

  • 3 1/2 tablespoons (52g) whole milk

  • 1/2 teaspoon (0.25g) saffron strands

  • Vegetable oil, to coat pan

  • 1/4 cup (12g) mint, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

  • 1/3 cup (18g) cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (81g) melted ghee, divided

  • Fried onions

  • Drained rice

  • Biryani masala powder, to taste

  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon


INSTRUCTIONS


For The Biryani Masala Powder

  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 177℃.

  2. Add the coriander, shah jeera, cloves, cardamom, star anise, fennel, peppercorns, and cinnamon to a sheet pan in an even layer. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

  3. Place the toasted spices in a mortar and pestle and crush into a coarse powder. Alternatively, you can place the spices in a zip top bag and use the back of a pan or rolling pin to crush the spices.

  4. Add the crushed spices to a blender along with the bay leaf, nutmeg and mace. Blend until the mixture becomes a fine powder. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove any larger pieces and set aside.

For The Chicken Marinade

  1. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix to coat thoroughly. It can be used right away or, ideally, marinated overnight.

For The Fried Onions

  1. In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat to 325℉ / 163℃. Have a sheet pan lined with a wire rack near the hot oil.

  2. Add the onions in 2 batches, so as not to overcrowd the oil, and stir occasionally until crispy and light golden brown. Drain on the wire rack and season immediately with salt to taste.

  3. Repeat with the second batch of onions and set aside.

For The Rice

  1. Start by washing and rinsing the rice three times or until the water runs clear. After the rice is rinsed, soak it in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain the rice and set aside.

  2. In a medium pot, add the water, spices, salt and oil and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add in the soaked rice and cook until the rice is about 75% cooked through, it should still have a bite to it, about 2-4 minutes. Drain the rice and set aside.

To Assemble and Bake

  1. In a small saucepan heat the milk and saffron over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside to steep.

  2. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot.

  3. Add all of the chicken and marinade to the pot, followed by three quarters of the chopped cilantro and mint and 2 tablespoons of melted ghee. Top that with three quarters of the fried onions and stir to evenly combine everything. Season with more salt, if necessary.

  4. Top the mixture with half of the drained rice, half of the remaining cilantro, mint and fried onions, sprinkle of homemade masala powder, and lemon juice.

  5. Top that with the remaining drained rice, cilantro, mint and fried onions.

  6. Strain the steeped saffron milk through a fine mesh strainer and evenly pour over the assembled biryani. Top that with the remaining ¼ cup of melted ghee.

  7. Cover the pot with foil and then a tight fitting lid.

  8. Set a cast iron skillet, that the biryani pot fits inside of, over medium heat. Once hot, place the pot on top of the skillet. Cook for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is lightly charred on the bottom and cooked through and the rice is tender.

  9. Plate the biryani, topping it with a couple drumsticks. Garnish with more mint and cilantro and serve with the dahi chutney and raita.


Dahi Chutney

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Makes about 1 cup


INGREDIENTS

  • 3 Thai green chilies, stems removed and roughly chopped

  • 1-inch knob ginger, roughly chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 cup (11g) cilantro leaves

  • 1/3 cup (4g) mint leaves

  • Pinch chaat masala powder

  • Pinch cumin powder

  • Salt, to taste

  • 3/4 cup (180g) thick, plain yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a blender, add all the ingredients, except for the yogurt, and blend until smooth.

  2. Add the yogurt and blend until just combined. Pour into a bowl and season with salt to taste, if necessary. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Raita

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Makes about 1 ½ cups


INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup (66g) seedless English cucumber, coarsely grated

  • Salt, to taste

  • ¾ cup (180g) plain yogurt

  • 2 tablespoons (1g) roughly chopped cilantro leaves

  • ½ teaspoon (1g) ground cumin

  • ¼ teaspoon(0.5g) ground coriander

  • 2 tablespoons (21g) red onion, diced

  • Lemon juice, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a small bowl, add the grated cucumber and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Let sit for 2-3 minutes and then squeeze the cucumber to remove any excess water.

  2. In another small bowl, stir together the yogurt, cilantro, cumin, coriander and squeezed cucumber.

  3. Fold in the red onion and season to taste with salt and lemon juice. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.



23 Comments


PScarlettjOnidaj
Apr 20

At the price point, the Black Bay 54 remains a premium offering, similar to that of the other steel Black Bay models, but in a space that has fewer options link in terms of dive watches with link equal proportions and equal specs. It's not the only option on the market, but I'd wager that after today – if you're in the market for a smaller dive watch – it's almost certainly on your list (or link should be).

Like

PScarlettjOnidaj
Apr 19

As a result of it being so common – to the point of being boring – interest in [vintage] Day-Dates have generally lagged, Wind says. "In the early 1970s, a Day-Date on bracelet cost about $1,200; at the same time, an Explorer was about $200. So it was six times the price, yet in link recent times vintage link Explorers were link selling for more than an equivalent Day-Date."

Like

UOrieloRadfordo
Mar 21

At $13,000 it's a pretty steep price, maybe more than a link vintage Military Chronograph 1 in perfect condition, but the COSC-certified movement and general durability of the titanium carbide case should be an attractive option for people like me who are generally pretty hard on their watches. At the end of the link day it's a cool deep-cut "if you know, you know" link kind of watch. Now you know too.

Like

CBKM BOCU
CBKM BOCU
Oct 30, 2024

EPTU Machine ETPU Moulding…

EPTU Machine ETPU Moulding…

EPTU Machine ETPU Moulding…

EPTU Machine ETPU Moulding…

EPTU Machine ETPU Moulding…

EPS Machine EPS Block…

EPS Machine EPS Block…

EPS Machine EPS Block…

AEON MINING AEON MINING

AEON MINING AEON MINING

KSD Miner KSD Miner

KSD Miner KSD Miner

BCH Miner BCH Miner

BCH Miner BCH Miner

Like

Thom Thom
Thom Thom
Jul 03, 2024

The chicken came out great but the rice did not. It tasted a bit sour. It must have been that lemon juice which I will skip next time.

Like

Let's Get Cooking

Recent Recipes

bottom of page