There are more than hundred ways to cook biriyani. This is just one of them. I have combined various steps and tips from many recipes I have tried over the years to simplify the recipe. This is a well tested , fool-proof recipe that guarantees yummy biriyani with authentic taste, flavor, color and texture.
There are usually three layers in Dhum Biriyani.
1. Rice
2.Meat with gravy
3.Garnish
1. Rice
2.Meat with gravy
3.Garnish
First, cook the rice. I do not prefer Basmati rice for biriyani. The best option is to use biriyani rice(kichadi samba) or Jeeraga samba. If not, regular raw ponni rice can also be used.
- Soak 3 cups of raw rice in water for 30 mins
2. In a pan, heat up 2 tbsp. of ghee and 2 spoons of oil. Fry Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom and Fennel.
3. Stir in the soaked rice and mix well so that each grain is coated with oil.
4.Usually I use 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice for regular cooking. But for biriyani I only use 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. (You can use coconut milk or chicken stock instead of water).
Add salt , cover and cook.
Add salt , cover and cook.
5. Rice is cooked al-dente. (It takes about 10 -13 mins). When we cook in dhum later rice will be cooked thoroughly. This way we can make sure, the rice doesn’t get mushy and the grains stay separate at the end. So the first part, preparing the rice is done.
6. Now to make the meat gravy : Cut and clean chicken pieces.
7. Chop : Onions, Tomatoes, Green chillies, Mint, Curry leaves, Coriander leaves(optional)
You will also need: ginger garlic paste, plain yogurt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala
8. In a wok , heat up 2 tbsp. of ghee or butter and 2 spoons of oil and fry the same spices :
Bay leaves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves and Fennel. Saute onions, green chillies, curry leaves and 2 tbsp. of ginger garlic paste.
Bay leaves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves and Fennel. Saute onions, green chillies, curry leaves and 2 tbsp. of ginger garlic paste.
9. Saute mint and add the tomatoes.
10. When tomatoes soften , add chicken. When chicken begins to change color, add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala.I would add very little coriander powder. If you have a good chicken curry masala, you can add that too.
11. Add a cup of plain yogurt. Add salt. Taste the curry and add more chilli powder or salt as needed.
12. Cook until you get a thick gravy. Chicken should not be overdone.
13. Now for the third part of garnish: Thinly sliced onions and Mint leaves chopped
14. In a pan, heat up a spoon of oil and sauté the onions. when the onions brown , add the mint.
15. Now we have everything we need to start layering the biriyani.
16. In a baking dish, add a layer of rice. Then add a layer of meat and sprinkle some sautéed onions and mint over them. Repeat layering like this until you have used up all your rice, meat and garnish.
17. Roughly for 3 cups of rice, you should be able to repeat the layers atleast 3 times. Cover the dish tightly with foil.Place the lid over the foil. Make sure its sealed tight. Else, the rice and meat will lose moisture and we will end up with a very dry biriyani. Bake in the oven at 300 degrees F for 1 hour.
18. You can serve the biriyani as such with layers or…
Mix the layers well to get the traditional look. If you do not have an oven, you can layer the biriyani in the electric rice cooker and set it up in “warm” mode (instead of “cook”) for an hour.
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