Hyderabadi Biryani

Make Ahead and Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered with a splash of water so it steams. Freezes 2 months.

Hyderabadi Biryani: The Method

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1. Fry the onions in the oil over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes until deep brown and crisp. Drain on paper — these are birista and half go in the marinade.

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2. Mix the lamb with the yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, chilli, turmeric, garam masala, salt, green chillies, herbs, lemon juice, ghee and half the fried onions.

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3. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

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4. Spread the marinated lamb in the base of a heavy pot with a tight lid.

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5. Boil a large pan of water with the whole spices and 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the drained rice and boil for exactly 5 to 6 minutes — it should still snap in the middle.

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6. Drain immediately and layer the rice over the lamb without pressing it down.

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7. Scatter over the remaining fried onions, drizzle with the saffron milk and melted ghee.

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8. Make a rope of flour-and-water dough and press it around the rim, then clamp the lid on so no steam escapes.

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9. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes to build steam, then on the lowest possible heat for 50 minutes. Rest 15 minutes before breaking the seal and folding it together from the bottom up.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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A Few Pointers

• The seal is not decoration. Without it the steam escapes and the lamb will not cook through.
• Rice at 70%. Fully cooked rice turns to mush in the dum.
• Do not lift the lid to check. Trust the timing and rest it fully before opening.

Why the Method Is What It Is

In the kachchi method the meat goes in raw, so everything depends on the seal: the dough lid traps steam and the lamb cooks in its own marinade while the rice absorbs the aromatics rising through it. The rice is boiled to exactly 70% so it finishes in that steam rather than turning to paste.

What to Put Next to It

Mirchi ka salan and a raita · Sliced onion with lemon · A sweet lassi

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Idiyappam, Lachha Paratha, Makki di Roti.

Changing the Recipe

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Questions About Hyderabadi Biryani

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: the marinade or brine is counted in full, though some is discarded; weights that include bone are counted as if all of it were eaten, so the figures run high; an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low. How the figures are worked out.

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