Authentic Biryani Recipe With the Perfect
Blend of Spices

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Indian food? Biryani right?
With traditional Indian roots in India, biryani as a recipe and food item is growing its stature all
around the world.

If you go down in search of its roots, biryani came to India during the Mughal Empire's reign.
Traditionally it was a one-pot meal made entirely for the Mughal army where they used to cook
chicken and rice with a blend of spices.

However, as it spread across India people started to customize this recipe and this is how
different forms of biryani have evolved with time. In India, there are different types of biryani, with
the most common ones being the traditional North Indian biryani, Hyderabad style biryani n which
is slightly more spicy and made with mint leaves. There is also a Bengal version of biryani served
with potatoes and eggs to make it a filling meal.

So, have you made up your mind to make this tasty and savory meal at home? Well, don’t worry,
you can follow this simple recipe we have given below and enjoy tasty and scrumptious biryani at
home.

Ingredients

• Chicken/ Mutton depending on what type of biryani you are making
• Ghee or clarified butter
• Rice, especially flavorful and fragrant basmati rice
• Hung curd
• Onions
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Rose water
• Khevra water
• Biryani masala

Spices

Spices are the life of this dish. Adding the right amount of spices is what adds to its rich and
flavorful profile. To buy the most traditional and high-quality spices you can trust Shanaya Indian
Spices which is an online website that provides a range of Indian spices and herbs and delivers it
to your home.

The spices you will need are-

• Turmeric powder
• Cloves
• Cardamom
• Bay leaf
• Cinnamon
• Coriander powder
• Cumin powder
• Nutmeg
• Mace
• Star anise

Steps to Make Authentic Biryani Recipe at Home

Step 1- Toast the Whole Spices

Since biryani is all about the rich aroma and flavor, you need to toast the whole spices to make
your DIY biryani masala at home.

So, start with a hot pan, and add all the spices like cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf,
coriander powder, cumin powder, nutmeg, mace, and star anise and toast it. This will help
increase their aroma once you add it to the dish later on.

Now that it is toasted take it out and divide it into three parts.

• One part will go during the marination of the chicken which is your DIY biryani powder
  masala.
• The other part will go into the rice.
• Another small amount will go right at the end during the process of slow cooking over the
  fire.

Step 2- Boil Rice With Toasted Whole Spices

In this second step, you need to boil basmati rice. While boiling it, you can add a generous amount
of oil/ghee to make sure the rice does not get dry. And of course, add one part of the whole
toasted spices to infuse the basmati rice grains with their flavor.

Now let it cool and then divide it into two parts.

• With one part, you need to grind it into a fine powder which will be used during the
  marination process. This fried onion powder is also known as barista in India.
• The other part which is the fried sliced onions will be added during the slow cooking
  process and for garnishing.

Step 4- Marinading the Chicken/ Mutton

This is one of the critical steps in making authentic and flavorful biryani at home.

It has two stages-

The first stage of marination

Add ginger garlic paste, hung curd, a pinch of turmeric, small amount of vinegar, and gently
massage the chicken or mutton slices. Make sure to keep it aside for at least half an hour.

The second stage of marination

In the second stage of marination, add ghee, a generous amount of it, along with fried onion
powder, or barista as made earlier, and the DIY biryani masala powder. Coat the chicken with the
spices, ghee, and the barista powder evenly and let it sit for at least 1 to 2 hours.

Step 5- Cook Marinated Chicken

Heat ghee in a pan and add the chicken coated with masala and spices. Cook it in medium heat
for a few minutes covering the lid occasionally and then stirring it till the chicken is nicely soft and
tender and giving a nice aroma.

Step 6- Create Alternate Layers of Rice and Chicken and Slow Cook

It is now time for the slow cook process and that is how your biryani will be ready. So, take a large
steel pot, and coat it with ghee along its internal sides. Now, start creating layers of rice and
chicken.

For example, put a layer of rice below, followed by a layer of chicken and its thick gravy. In each
layer of rice, add ghee, rose water, biryani masala, and fried sliced onions to bring out the rich and
flavorful traditional aroma of biryani.

Finally, when layering is done, add more ghee and rose water and fried sliced onions on top. Now
put this pot directly in the oven on gentle low heat. Make sure that the heat is turned to a
minimum as this helps to cook the rest of the chicken and rice and infuse it with flavors of ghee,
spices, and onions.

There You Go, Your Homemade Traditional Biryani Is Ready for Serving Hot

Now, you just need to plate it up. Scoop rice and chicken/ mutton pieces and dish it on a plate.
Before finally serving, you can add a few mint and parsley leaves on top and sprinkle more ghee
on it.

Traditional authentic biryani goes well with other chicken or mutton dishes like korma, rezala, and
roganjosh. However, it can enjoy biryani only as it is a complete dish on its own. Other
condiments that go well with it are mint chutney, raita, or mixed curd.