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Hyderabadi Biryani Food in Hyderabad, India Biryani Secrets Hyderabad, India Cooking Related Questions

Food
Why are the biryanis prepared by Muslims tastier?
What is that secret ingredient in Hyderabadi Biryani that What makes hyderabadi biryani so special?
is prepared in Biryani joints across Hyderabad?
Where can I find the best vegetarian version of the
I have been following various websites and articles related to Hyderabadi Biryani. I have also
Hyderabadi Biryani?
perfected the art of preparing Hyderabadi Kachi Biryani over the years. But I still lack
something. My biryani never tastes and smells like the ones served in famous Biryani joints What are some original Muslim recipes for biryani?
across Hyderabad like Paradise, Bawarchi, Sadaf, etc. What am I missing?
Is Hyderabadi biryani overhyped?

How do I make Hyderabadi Biryani at home?

4 Answers
Where can I get good and spicy Hyderabadi Chicken
Smriti Lamba, learnt coastal cuisine from a Malvani lady... Biryani in Mumbai?
Written 8 Oct
Is eating biryani regularly good for your health?
it is a long story to tell. but today i have vowed that i would draw the curtain out.
How do I judge a good Biryani?
we all know that biryani is a historical invention by the turkic soldiers(an early
medieval ethno-linguistic conglommeration of numerous tribes, living in western and Why is Hyderabadi biryani at its best only in
central Asia, broadly speaking, the uzbeks, turks, tartars, the uyghurs) in 1011th Hyderabad rather than any other city?

century A.D , who due to the shortage of time and scope, used to make a hotch-potch
of rice and meat which they slowly cooked in an earthen pot. but basically nobody
knows what spices they used to add into this hotch-potch or even if they used to add
salt to this.!!!.

by a historical process it reached India and underwent many experiements in theturko-

afghan royal households. later in the 18th century it saw optimized
experiments in the royal kitchens of the Mughals, the Nizams, the Nawabs of
Lucknow, the royal principalities of the far South. and it became renowned as
Biryani.

it also journeyed towards west of Asia, reached Iran, from India it went further
toSouth-east Asia and saw other types of innovations.

but today we can proundly say that our indian biryani is the best culmination of
this process of relentless experimentations of the bawarchis, who poured all
thier in-born talent to make it dearest to us, so much so, that even today, our
biryani is vibrant with life, every housewife in every indian household craves to make
biryani in any sort of gatherings. today the word biryani represents India.

curiously all the spices which a north indian or a south indian chef uses for biryani came
from South east Asia or Indonesian archipelago or the isand of Molucca which the
european explorers used to call 'spice island.

in the indian spice market, a list of brand is there which sells ready-made biryani
masala. but personally i dont prefer them.

Three staple ingredients

1. very fine textured and long grained basmati

1 kg

2. raw mutton cut from the hinder leg raan

11/2 kg

3. ghee or clarified butter

350 g

Now comes the question what ingredients we should use in the water. well, salt and the
seasoning are most important ingredients. Interestingly and much contrary to our general
belief, during the mughal time, people did not know the use of ginger, garlic,
green chillies, turmeric and cumin and coriander seeds. Since that time
experimentation went on in the royal kitchen and new spices were added as the time
passed on.

Europeans brought newly discovered spices from their new discovered islands
in south-east Asia and many vegetables from South America. Like potato,
tomato, chilli, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon,
nutmeg, mace and so on and traded the spices to the rajas and maharajas, not to talk
about the mughals who was the supreme authority of the time. These spices were
delightfully adopted by the royal bawarchis who could bring new aroma to their pilafs or
pulao and biryani. The sumtotal of those spices could lend a unique aroma and a rich
flavour to the dish.

take note of the spices for the marination of spices, boiling the rice and seasoning
the biryani. i would off course explain later step-by-step what to use when and in
what quantity. because quantity is something which always baffles our indian
housewives. volumes have written on biryani but they are often misleading and have
written on a more personal experience of the author. it is now time to remove those
darkness.

salt. it seems curious why i started with salt which appears to be almost an insignificant
ingredient. but as Shakespeare said, salt is like love, if neglected, it can create blunder.
especially in case of biryani, the improper use of it can lead to a result that can be proved
catastrophic. more so because in biryani you can not redo anything like we do in Quora. if
you try to mix salt afterwards, then your rice would be messed up. and rice is the mainstay
of biryani, the most prized ornament. kindly be careful in the matter of mixing salt. dont
forget it, dont overdo it and dont try to redo it if the mistake has already been committed.
so here the one go and one chance theory prevails. remember to add salt to the water
which you are boiling for the rice. add more than sufficient salt to the marinated mutton.
but after all these instructions, it is a metter of profound experience and time, how much
to add in water and how much in mutton marinade. use discretion if you lack experience.

other regular indispensible ingredients follow behind. spices and other seasonings.

1.ginger 5 cm 3\4 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination and 1\4 to
be used into the potli masala

2.garlic 30 to 40 cloves 3\4 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination
and 1\4 to be coarsely crushed to be used into the potli masala

3.onion 12 large 10 very finely chopped, salted and fried crispy golden-brown, drained
and kept aside. the remaining 2 to be coarsely crushed to be used into the potli masala

4,cumin seeds 2 tablespoon. half to be ground with others as instructed for the
marination. the other half to be coarsely ground for the preparation of the potli masala.

5.coriander seeds 2 tablespoon. half to be ground with others as instructed for the
marination. the other half to be coarsely ground for the preparation of the potli masala.

6.green chilli 1214 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination

7..raw papaya one small chopped with the skin on, chopped and ground to a fine paste
along with part of the spices which are to go for the marinaton of the mutton. it is actually
a meat tenderizer. it secrets a enzyme papin which is responsible for loosening the
protein tissue of the animal meat.

8. lemon one large deseeded and the juice extracted. to be added for the marination of
the mutton. it also acts as a tenderizer.

9. yoghurt 250300 gm which also acts as a tenderizer. to be entirely

10. green cardamom 1520 one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for
tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice.

11. black cardamom 56 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination

12. kebab chini 56 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination

13. cloves 1012 one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for tampering the
ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice.

14. cinnamon stick 8 cm one third for the marination of the mutton, one third
for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the
rice.

15. chakr phool or star anise 2 to be ground with others as instructed for the
marination

16.black stone or dagar ka phool 2 to be ground with others as instructed for the
marination

17.black pepper 1520 one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for
tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice.

19.white pepper or safed mirch or dekhni mirch 10 one third for the marination of
the mutton, one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the
yakhni for the rice.

20. nutmeg one large to be ground with others as instructed for the marination

21. shah zeera 34 tablespoon heaped one third for the marination of the mutton,
one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the
rice.

22. mace 4 petals to be ground with others as instructed for the marination

23. saffron half gm mildly roasted on tawa but not burnt and dissolved in a bowl of hot
milk

24. kewra water or screwpine water according to taste. but one thing you should
take care in this respect, that even a teaspoon would lend a ghastly, obsessive and
intense aroma which everybody may not stand

25. rose water or gulab pani according to your mood and taste

26. mithha ittar to be used discreetly as even a drop of it pervades intense

fragrance.45 drops would be more than sufficient.

27. fresh mint and coriander leaves, seperate the leaves from the twigs and chop
them, mix them and store in a bowl. carefully refrigerate it as they have chances to loose
their fragrance if kept in open air in the room temperature.

now follow the recipe of a standard Hyderabadi biryani.-

1. take one third of the garam masala...pound them very coarsely. in a heavy
bottomed degchi heat one third ghee and tamper the ghee with this garam
masala.

2. Fry all onions till golden brown, sieve them, place them on kitchen paper for
soaking the extra oil, seperate them with a slotted spoon. crush half of the
onion with your hands.

3. take one third of the garam masala, yoghurt, raw papaya with the skin on, all
the green chillies, ginger and garlic and one third of the yoghurt. put all the
ingredients into a coffee grinder andmake them into a very smooth paste. apply
to the mutton along with coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder,
turmeric powder, a pinch or two meetha ittar, few drops of rose water and
kewra water, half of the mint and coriander leaves, plenty of salt, rest of the
yoghurt, with half of the ghee that you have already tampered with garam
masala.. mix them real good and let the mutton marinate in these spices for at
least three to four hours in the biryani degchi.

in the water where we boil the rice, no exotic spices are used. only some basic spices
whichwe use everyday in the form of garam masalas. exotic part comes while
marinating the mutton, which i unfold in the later paraghaphs.

i would only relate how to make fragrant water to make a fragrant rice. mutton is
omitted. though if you desire to add, you can do. that would off ocourse bring out a a rich
taste.

remember, for the best result, you basmati should be at least one year old, to assure
its greatest length, and less starch that means minimum stickiness

Kindly take note-

in a muslin cloth one puts coarcely crushed onion, ginger, garlic, dry red
chillies, green cardamom, shah zeera, cumin seeds and coriander seeds, black
and white pepper. Tie the cloth to confine the ingredients into a knot in a way so that it
could leave long tail behind. Now add them in the rapidly boiling water.

Kindly take note-

Dry red chilli 10

Shah zeera two tablespoon

Green cardamom 10

Black cardamom 2

Cloves 5

Cinnamon one large stick

Black pepper 15

White pepper 10

Onion 2 large

Garlic 15 flakes

Ginger 3 cm

Cumin seeds 10 seeds

Coriander seeds 15 seeds

Ghee 100 gm

Salt according to the taste or as sufficient to make the rice properly salted.

Properly wash the rice with several splashes of water and drain and keep aside. Wash
gently so not to break the grain or not to spoil the texture.

6. when the rice gets 30% cooked, add half of the rice on the mutton, sprink
some saffron with milk, sprinkle some rose water, screwpine water, mint
leaves, coriander leaves, some pinches of meethi ittar according to your
discretion...sprinkle fried onion. add the other batch of 80% cooked rice

and again add all the seasonings and the leaves etc.

7. cover the lid and tighten it with a loarge ring of dough. let it cook on high
flave for first 10 mnts, then 20 mnts on medium flame, then cook it slowly for
15 mnts on very slow flame, preferably on a tawa....then open the lid and your
house will be surrounded with heady aroma..serve it with a yoghurt salad

2.8k Views View Upvotes

Related Questions More Answers Below

Why are the biryanis prepared by Muslims tastier?

What makes hyderabadi biryani so special?

Where can I find the best vegetarian version of the Hyderabadi Biryani?

What are some original Muslim recipes for biryani?

Is Hyderabadi biryani overhyped?

Sunil Godithi, A Time Traveller ... One second at a time

Written 3 Sep 2015
MSG at most places nowadays...

Traditionally it's the right quality of meat, fried onions and final sprinkling of
ghee+cooking water (from rice) and saffron milk.

The one great home cook's secret was Koya and rose water
4.1k Views View Upvotes

Aarohi Dhingra, Content Writer

Written 2 Apr 2015

I am sharing you the recipe of Hyderabdi dum biryani which I got from MothersZone.
Try to cook biryani with this method, may be you get same taste and smell like authentic
Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe

Ingredients:
Chicken: kg

Rice: 1 cups

Bay leaves: 2

Green cardamoms: 10

Black peppercorns: 20-25

Cinnamon sticks: 3 (1 inch each)

Caraway seeds (shahi jeera): tsp

Cloves: 10

Onions: 4-5 (finely sliced)

Ginger garlic paste: 3 tbsp

Turmeric powder: tsp

Coriander powder: 2 tbsp

Chili powder: 1 tbsp

Yogurt: 1 cup

Black cardamoms: 2

Saffron: few strands (mixed in cup of milk)

Pure ghee: 4 tbsp

Fresh coriander leaves: 2 tbsp

Fresh mint leaves: 2 tbsp

Oil 1 tbsp + for deep frying

Salt: according to taste

Preparation Method:

Soak rice in plenty of water for about an hour.

Now heat water in a deep pan and add the bay leaves, few green cardamoms,
seven to eight peppercorns, one cinnamon stick and cook the rice till three fourth
is done.

Now drain the excess water and spread the rice on a plate and let it cool.

Next, heat sufficient oil in a kadhai and deep fry the onion slices till golden brown
in color.

Remove and keep it aside.

Grind the remaining cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, cloves, green cardamom
and caraway seeds to a fine powder and keep it aside.

Take the chicken pieces in a bowl and add ginger, garlic paste and salt and mix
well.

Add the powdered spices, red chili powder, half of the fried onions, yogurt,
coriander leaves, half of the mint leaves and a tablespoon of oil and mix well.

Let it marinade for about two hours in the refrigerator.

Heat two tbsp of ghee in a pan and add the remaining cinnamon sticks and black
cardamoms and fry till a nice aroma is released.

Now add the chicken pieces and cook on high heat for a few minutes.

Now reduce the flame and cook covered till the chicken is almost done.

Heat the remaining ghee in a thick bottomed pan and spread a layer of rice and
spread the chicken over the rice.

Sprinkle some mint leaves and spread the remaining rice and chicken and
sprinkle saffron milk.

Cover and cook in low flame till the rice is done.

A sweet fragrance will be released.

Serve hot with raita of your choice.

7.6k Views View Upvotes

Anonymous
Written 10 Jun

As per my experience, here are some common mistakes:

Refined Oil just will not do. Cook in Desi Ghee or Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil i.e.
Vanaspati/Dalda.

Use Kashmiri / Bydagi chilli powder.

Dont skimp on Caramelized Onions - the raw weight must around 50% of the
meat. Fry the onions in Ghee/Vanaspati only. Reuse the leftover Ghee/Vanaspati
to oil the Biryani utensil and add some to the marinade.

Use a mix of Coriander and Mint / Dhaniya Patta and Pudina in the marinade
and in the rice while layering.

Drizzle some sweetish water on the rice while putting it for dum - rose water,
kewra water, or lightly sweetened milk.

Now a days you get Biryani essense. You could try that, but it raises the spice level. A
biryani is ideally only mildly and not highly spiced. Still, it is worth an experiment, since
Ive seen almost all the catering cooks using it.
1.6k Views

Related Questions

How do I make Hyderabadi Biryani at home?

Where can I get good and spicy Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani in Mumbai?

Is eating biryani regularly good for your health?

How do I judge a good Biryani?

Why is Hyderabadi biryani at its best only in Hyderabad rather than any other city?

Could someone provide a good biryani recipe?

What are the two things which we should keep in mind while preparing the Biryani?

How is the typical flavor of biryani created? Is it a mixture of spices? If so, what is it? Or is it
some other ingredient/ingredients.

What is the recipe of Hyderabadi Haleem?

Why is the hyderabadi biryani green all over the country except in hyderabad?

What's the secret of Paradise Biryani, Hyderabad?

Why is Hyderabadi Biryani so famous in India and the world over?

What is an authentic biryani recipe?

What is the recipe for veggie biryani?

Which is the original birthplace of biryani?

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