Biryani is not a stew with rice in it. It is a dish in which part-cooked rice and already spiced meat are placed in separate layers and steamed together under a tight lid – the method is called dum. The point is that the rice should stay loose, every grain on its own, with the flavour drawing up from below.
Why sella rice
Ordinary basmati works, but sella basmati is pre-treated and stands up to being cooked twice – first boiled, then steamed – without turning to porridge. That is why it is used in restaurant kitchens.
Ingredients (serves 4–6)
- 400 g basmati rice, preferably sella
- 700 g chicken or lamb, in pieces
- 200 ml plain yoghurt
- 3 tbsp biryani spice mix
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves and 3 cm ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp ghee
- A pinch of saffron in 50 ml warm milk
- A handful of fresh mint and coriander
- Salt, 2 bay leaves, 4 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick
Method
- Fry the onion slowly in ghee until it is deep golden brown and crisp. This takes 20–25 minutes and cannot be rushed. Lift out two thirds to use as a topping.
- Marinate the meat in yoghurt, biryani spice, garlic, ginger, salt and half of the fried onion. Leave it for an hour.
- Cook the meat in the pot until it is tender and most of the liquid has reduced away. It should be moist, not swimming.
- Part-cook the rice. Rinse it until the water runs clear. Boil it in plenty of salted water with the bay, cardamom and cinnamon for exactly 5–6 minutes – it should just break, not be done. Drain.
- Build the layers. Meat at the bottom, rice over it, then saffron milk, herbs and the rest of the fried onion on top.
- Dum. Seal the lid with a damp tea towel underneath and steam on the lowest possible heat for 25 minutes. Do not lift the lid while it cooks.
- Fold gently from the bottom up as you serve, so the layers mix without crushing the rice.
The fried onion is not a garnish
Birista, deep-fried onion, gives a biryani its sweetness and depth. If it only goes pale and soft, the dish is missing something no amount of spice will replace. Fry it over medium heat and stir often in the last few minutes, because it goes from golden to burnt in no time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between biryani and pulao? Pulao is cooked in one go, with the rice and meat simmering together in stock. Biryani is layered and steamed. Pulao is simpler; biryani keeps the flavours more separate.
Do I need saffron? It gives colour and scent to the top of the dish. See saffron for how little is needed – a pinch is enough.
Can I make a vegetarian biryani? Yes, with cauliflower, potato, carrot and peas instead of meat. Same method, shorter cooking time for the vegetables.
Why did the rice turn sticky? It was boiled too long in step four, or it was not rinsed. The rice should be clearly undercooked before it goes into the layers.
See also the Indian range.
