How many of you have tried a Biryani (Indian food)

Sikander

Enthusiast Member
Hello everyone,

How many of you have tried or eaten a Lamb or Chicken Biryani? A Biryani is THE dish that is prepared for celebrations in India, it usually feeds a lot of people and is really a treat for the taste buds. But it's quite difficult to make at first, so I was just wondering how many of you have actually tasted , eaten or tried to prepare one at home.

Have a lovely day,
Sikander
 
One of my very favorite dishes. An Indian grocery we have here used to have the spice mix and I made it often then.
What is your recipe? Share with us.
For me looking at an Indian recipe becomes daunting because of the long list of spices, but as I mentioned in another thread that if you have the "Indian spice cabinet" it makes the recipe very approachable. I took a wonderful class at our Johnson&Wales on Indian cooking and it was a revelation--and an explosion of flavors on my taste buds!!
 
I actually have mastered the Biryani recipes after long history of failures and I created a recipe where you can succeed each and every time if you follow them. I have a huge spice cabinet so it's really helpful, having said that I would advise to buy whole spices and make your own mix rather than buying the store ready made ones. Those have a tendency to leave an after taste which can be immediately noticed. I don't really know if I may add the embed media to my recipe but have a look and try it. And if you want to know how I make my homemade biryani masala, drop me a line I'll let you know my secrets. Have a lovely day. (BTW I add a little touch of my personal life with my videos so be patient but look at the recipe and I promise you that you'll have a very good biryani in your plate!)

5 tips for The perfect Biryani each and every time
 
One of my very favorite dishes. An Indian grocery we have here used to have the spice mix and I made it often then.
What is your recipe? Share with us.
For me looking at an Indian recipe becomes daunting because of the long list of spices, but as I mentioned in another thread that if you have the "Indian spice cabinet" it makes the recipe very approachable. I took a wonderful class at our Johnson&Wales on Indian cooking and it was a revelation--and an explosion of flavors on my taste buds!!
And to be honest, if you want to cook Indian food you can do so with just these spices in your cabinet (Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamum pods, cloves, black pepper, fennel seeds and cinnamon) With that you can already prepare a good amount of masalas. Curcuma powder is also a must and chilli powders. With that in your pantry , you're set! I usually buy them whole in an Indian store (you'll get them much cheaper than in any huge supermarkets)
 
I actually have mastered the Biryani recipes after long history of failures and I created a recipe where you can succeed each and every time if you follow them. I have a huge spice cabinet so it's really helpful, having said that I would advise to buy whole spices and make your own mix rather than buying the store ready made ones. Those have a tendency to leave an after taste which can be immediately noticed. I don't really know if I may add the embed media to my recipe but have a look and try it. And if you want to know how I make my homemade biryani masala, drop me a line I'll let you know my secrets. Have a lovely day. (BTW I add a little touch of my personal life with my videos so be patient but look at the recipe and I promise you that you'll have a very good biryani in your plate!)

5 tips for The perfect Biryani each and every time
Wow those are impressive productions you are making. Both the food and the technical/video. Thanks for posting.
 
Wow those are impressive productions you are making. Both the food and the technical/video. Thanks for posting.
Thank you Paul, I try my best to include everything and not just the cooking part. But do try the recipe, because that's the most important. I guarantee you that this Biryani will be identical than in any streets of India ;)
 
Hello everyone,

How many of you have tried or eaten a Lamb or Chicken Biryani? A Biryani is THE dish that is prepared for celebrations in India, it usually feeds a lot of people and is really a treat for the taste buds. But it's quite difficult to make at first, so I was just wondering how many of you have actually tasted , eaten or tried to prepare one at home.

Have a lovely day,
Sikander
I love Biryani - I grew up in a town full of Indians and Indian restaurants. I don't have the time to make it properly, so mine is pretty ersatz using biryani paste, but it tastes good.
 
I love Biryani - I grew up in a town full of Indians and Indian restaurants. I don't have the time to make it properly, so mine is pretty ersatz using biryani paste, but it tastes good.
good things takes time, in fact Biryani doesn't really take that much time, prepare it overnight cook it the next day and then you have like food for three days ;-) So if you look at it from that perpective, the time in making it yourself will give you plenty of time free afterwards hihihi
 
I used to make a wonderful lamb biryani from A Little Taste of India book, using ground lamb. I stopped eating lamb. But I also used to buy the jarred Patak's biryani sauce, which I mixed with yogurt then layered with skinless, boneless chicken breasts, raw rice and all baked together at once. It was my easiest meal and threw it all together one day when I was lazy; it worked. I can't get the sauce any more and Patak won't tell me why. So easy, so good, so gone.
I also make pakoras, which I love, but I have tended to love them the way I make them. I don't take heat well at all. I do like to eat, though.
And Madhur Jaffrey has a good recipe for veg samosas. I make the filling to serve as a side dish. Must do that soon.

I used to have a huge Indian spice cabinet but when I moved, 10 years ago, I left it all behind. Maybe it's time to do it all again.

Did you post your recipe for the biryani somewhere? It certainly looks wonderful!
 
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That got me calling a friend who makes eats Indian food regularly and apparently his favourite store has both paste and spice mix. So off I go.
 
I used to make a wonderful lamb biryani from A Little Taste of India book, using ground lamb. I stopped eating lamb. But I also used to buy the jarred Patak's biryani sauce, which I mixed with yogurt then layered with skinless, boneless chicken breasts, raw rice and all baked together at once. It was my easiest meal and threw it all together one day when I was lazy; it worked. I can't get the sauce any more and Patak won't tell me why. So easy, so good, so gone.
I also make pakoras, which I love, but I have tended to love them the way I make them. I don't take heat well at all. I do like to eat, though.
And Madhur Jaffrey has a good recipe for veg samosas. I make the filling to serve as a side dish. Must do that soon.

I used to have a huge Indian spice cabinet but when I moved, 10 years ago, I left it all behind. Maybe it's time to do it all again.

Did you post your recipe for the biryani somewhere? It certainly looks wonderful!
Have a look at this link.

Please don't use Jars, it's a sacrilege and such a waste of money (sorry). Try my recipe, you'll understand the difference ;-)
 
That got me calling a friend who makes eats Indian food regularly and apparently his favourite store has both paste and spice mix. So off I go.
Just watch my video, the store will be useful to purchase whole spices...and I ll teach you how to make your own biryani masala from scratch and trust me...you ll never buy a ready mix ever again...and it doesn't take time. But yes I recommend buying the whole spices at an indian store because normal supermarket tend to over charge...and they don t give you that quality..
 
I used to make a wonderful lamb biryani from A Little Taste of India book, using ground lamb. I stopped eating lamb. But I also used to buy the jarred Patak's biryani sauce, which I mixed with yogurt then layered with skinless, boneless chicken breasts, raw rice and all baked together at once. It was my easiest meal and threw it all together one day when I was lazy; it worked. I can't get the sauce any more and Patak won't tell me why. So easy, so good, so gone.
I also make pakoras, which I love, but I have tended to love them the way I make them. I don't take heat well at all. I do like to eat, though.
And Madhur Jaffrey has a good recipe for veg samosas. I make the filling to serve as a side dish. Must do that soon.

I used to have a huge Indian spice cabinet but when I moved, 10 years ago, I left it all behind. Maybe it's time to do it all again.

Did you post your recipe for the biryani somewhere? It certainly looks wonderful!
If you don't take the heat well, just remove the seeds of the chillies...and gradually you ll get used to it...and always always have a raita on the side..the yogurt will coat your tastebuds and stomac and you ll love it.
 
If you don't take the heat well, just remove the seeds of the chillies...and gradually you ll get used to it...and always always have a raita on the side..the yogurt will coat your tastebuds and stomac and you ll love it.
HAH !!! I can't even look at a chili seed. I use the pods very gingerly. And never seeds. No, I've been working on this for 40+ years. There is no going back. I ended up in Emerg one night and took me 10 years to recover. I do like the flavours though.
 
Hi Sikander, excellent video.

I "thought" I had made biryani recently, but looking back on the recipe (from Fatty Fatty Boom Boom memoir by Rabia Chaudry) I made
PULAO rather than BIRYANI.

I had to look up the difference: from TIMES FOOD:
The primary difference between biryani and pulao is the preparation method. Biryani is made using the 'draining method' of cooking whereas pulao is made through the 'absorption method'. The spices used in preparing biryani is high as compared to pulao, this gives the biryani a richer aroma and texture.

Chaudry's recipe was very specific with regard to how much water is added based on whether you soaked the basmati rice first or not. I use JYOTI aged basmati long grain rice. Both Chaudry and Jyoti were emphatic about NOT stirring the rice or you'll damage the grain.

While I used the whole spices she called for in the recipe, I added some spice blends (Masala, Sambhar & Punjab) I had toasted/ground from Raghavan Iyer and his wonderful cookbook 660 Curries: The Gateway to the World of Indian Cooking

NYTimes just had an excellent article about him:

Looking forward to more of your recipes.
 
Hi Sikander, excellent video.

I "thought" I had made biryani recently, but looking back on the recipe (from Fatty Fatty Boom Boom memoir by Rabia Chaudry) I made
PULAO rather than BIRYANI.

I had to look up the difference: from TIMES FOOD:


Chaudry's recipe was very specific with regard to how much water is added based on whether you soaked the basmati rice first or not. I use JYOTI aged basmati long grain rice. Both Chaudry and Jyoti were emphatic about NOT stirring the rice or you'll damage the grain.

While I used the whole spices she called for in the recipe, I added some spice blends (Masala, Sambhar & Punjab) I had toasted/ground from Raghavan Iyer and his wonderful cookbook 660 Curries: The Gateway to the World of Indian Cooking

NYTimes just had an excellent article about him:

Looking forward to more of your recipes.
Yes, a pulao and a Biryani are two different things. Although the ingredients may be similar, the techniques are very different. And likewise, the taste are very specific as well. Pulao tend to have less work and are usually quick to prepare but a Biryani takes time and a lot of effort. This is why I give the five important tips to male the biryani perfect. I m glad you did the research 🙂
 
Hi Sikander, excellent video.

I "thought" I had made biryani recently, but looking back on the recipe (from Fatty Fatty Boom Boom memoir by Rabia Chaudry) I made
PULAO rather than BIRYANI.

I had to look up the difference: from TIMES FOOD:


Chaudry's recipe was very specific with regard to how much water is added based on whether you soaked the basmati rice first or not. I use JYOTI aged basmati long grain rice. Both Chaudry and Jyoti were emphatic about NOT stirring the rice or you'll damage the grain.

While I used the whole spices she called for in the recipe, I added some spice blends (Masala, Sambhar & Punjab) I had toasted/ground from Raghavan Iyer and his wonderful cookbook 660 Curries: The Gateway to the World of Indian Cooking

NYTimes just had an excellent article about him:

Looking forward to more of your recipes.
Well you can always check my channel for other recipes, at the moment. I m currently editing a recipe called a irani kheema which you can eat in irani eateries in Mumbai, it a with mince. The editing rocess takes time so please bear with me.The recipe will be on next week.

Well in the meanwhile you can try the easy version for lazy days as well these are quick easy ones

Kheema part I


Kheema part II
 
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