My Standardized Biryani Recipe

Biryani was a Sunday Special in my parents' home. It was a labor of love- my mother spent hours putting together the layers of Basmati rice, curry, nuts and fried onions potatoes all bathed in aromatic, warm spices. Every pot and pan, every square inch of counter space in the kitchen seemed to be involved in the process. The result was something pretty special, I can tell you.

But no matter how much I love to cook, and how irresistible the result, elaborate recipes just aren't my thing. Instead, my own streamlined biryani recipe has been evolving over the years- three different versions have made their way to the blog.

Here's the latest version, standardized to my current kitchen and my current preferences. I don't care too much about what is authentic and what it is not- I just do what works for me. There are still several steps but with practice, I can trot out a pan of biryani quite efficiently, and every time it has been a hit, both with people who love Indian food and with those new to Indian food. Also, this is a very beginner- friendly recipe (believe it or not). I've tried to write down as many details as I can.

So take the plunge and make a pan of biryani with me! It is an excellent weekend project if you're attempting it for the first time.

My Biryani Formula

The Pan: This recipe is designed for my beloved 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish (a very common and versatile baking pan size in US kitchens). It is nice to bake and serve in the same pan. The quantity is enough for 8 main servings. And it will serve many more people if it is one of several dishes being served.

Alternatively, if I am taking a dish to a potluck but also want to leave behind some biryani for the rest of the family's dinner, I split the ingredients between two smaller baking dishes: one 11 x 7 pan and one 8 x 8 pan.

Grease the baking dish(es) with some oil/ghee/butter and set aside.

The Layers:

1. Rice: Rinse 2.5 rice-cup measures Jasmine rice. (A rice cooker comes with a plastic measure which is about 3/4 cup of a standard American cup. So this comes to a little less than 2 standard cups of rice). Soak for 15 minutes, then add 2 tsp. salt and water to the 2-level mark and cook in the rice cooker (adding a little less water keeps the rice from getting too soggy). After the rice is cooked, stir in 1 tbsp. ghee and leave the rice uncovered to cool down.

Basmati rice is the most popular choice for biryani but I like Jasmine rice even better. Use brown rice if you prefer, or even another grain altogether- like quinoa. Cook the grains in a rice cooker or stove top. 

2. Roasted vegetables: Preheat the oven to 425F. On a standard baking sheet (18 x 13 inches), mix bite-size chopped vegetables (enough to fill the sheet in a single layer), 2 tbsp. olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 15-18 minutes (on convection setting) or 25-30 minutes (standard setting) or until the veggies are tender and lightly browned.  Set aside.

I use an entire baking sheet's worth of roasted veggies in this recipe resulting in a very high ratio of vegetables to rice, just the way I like it. What vegetables to use? I typically use 1/3 head of cauliflower, 2 carrots, 2 zucchini, 1 bell pepper. But I'll change it up and use anything that I have on hand or whatever's on sale/in season, like broccoli, summer squash, sweet potato, green beans etc. 

3. Curry: 

1. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil. 
2. Saute 2 sliced onions until caramelized. 
3. Add 1 heaped tbsp. ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. salt, and biryani masala powder to taste. Stir for a few seconds.
4. Add 1.5 cups tomato puree and 1/4 cup cashew/almond powder. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
5. Turn off heat and stir in 1/2 tsp garam masala and a handful of minced cilantro and mint leaves if you like.

I like Shaan brand Memoni biryani masala powder and I use 1 tbsp for a mild spice and up to 3 tbsp to make it more spicy. Keep in mind that this is the only component of the dish that has spice. 

An alternative is to buy Parampara brand biryani masala paste (I have no affiliation with any of these brands; they are just what I have used and liked) and to use that in place of everything in step 3- an easy short-cut.

4. The "main" ingredient: This is another hearty ingredient. Choose from any one of these to make egg biryani/ paneer biryani/ chickpea biryani and so on.
Hard-boiled eggs: Boil 6 eggs, peel and quarter.
Paneer: Cut a block of paneer into bite size pieces and pan fry until lightly browned.
Chickpeas: Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Or soak and cook a cup of dried chickpeas.
Veggie meatballs: I like the meatless meatballs from Trader Joe's- thaw them first.
  Other options are to make your own koftas or to use tofu/seitan.

5. Finally, what gives the biryani its characteristic flavor is crispy fried onions. I buy cans of fried onions (the ones used for green bean casserole) at the grocery store. You can of course make your own at home.

Assembly and Baking

In the greased casserole, add ingredients and pat down in this order:

• 2/3 of the cooked rice
• All of the curry
• All of the roasted vegetables
• All of the main ingredient of choice
• The rest of the rice
• A generous handful of fried onions

Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes: 

• If you don't own an oven, the biryani is easily assembled in a large pot/pan (or two) and finished on the stove-top. Saute the veggies instead of roasting them. 
• Multi-tasking: I usually get the rice started first. Then I start the veggies in the oven. While both are cooking, I make the curry. While all three cool down, I prep the "main" ingredient. 
• Make-ahead: The biryani can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just bake and serve. 
• Leftovers reheat beautifully and in fact the biryani tastes even better the next day.