BIRYANI RECIPE
A classic layered biryani built on Namak Mirch Biryani Masala — fragrant rice, tender meat, potatoes, and a sizzling tarka of chillies and curry leaves.
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken/meat with bones
- Namak Mirch Biryani Masala (1 packet)
- 5–6 tomatoes, chopped
- 2–3 tbsp fried onions
- 3 medium potatoes
- ½ cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- Whole spices (1 cinnamon stick, 4 black peppercorns, 3 green cardamoms, 1 bay leaf)
- ½ cup oil
- 5–6 green chillies
- 3½ cups rice (cooked with 1 green cardamom, 2 cloves and half a cinnamon stick)
Method
- Add the tomatoes and fry until soft and you see the oil rising to the top. Separately, blend 2–3 tbsp fried onions with the yogurt and set aside.
- In a big pan with the remaining oil, add the whole spices and fry until fragrant. Add the chicken, ginger, garlic and Namak Mirch Biryani Masala. Add the yogurt-and-onion mixture and the tomatoes and cook on high heat for 10 minutes. Next, add water, lower the flame, cover, and cook until the meat is tender and the oil has risen to the top.
- Tarka: heat a few tbsp of oil and add curry leaves and slit green chillies. Let it sizzle until the leaves are crispy and the chillies char. Add the zeera, sizzle for a few seconds, and pour it over the gravy — this step is done once you have layered the gravy on the rice.
- Boil the rice with one green cardamom, two cloves and half a cinnamon stick until just done — about 80% cooked.
- Start layering: first a layer of rice, followed by the curry, then the tarka, and finish with the leftover rice. Mix lukewarm milk with saffron and spread it over the top. Put the rice on very low heat for 20–25 minutes and you're done.
