Hyderabad Biryani
Difficulty 4/5 Ingredients 26 Steps 11
Hyderabadi biryani is a popular variety of biryani. It is so named as it is seen mainly in the city of Hyderabad, India, where the dish emerged from the blending of mughlai and Andhra cuisines in the kitchen of the Nizam (leader of the historical Hyderabad state). It, like other biryanis, is made using Basmati rice which is only found on the Indian subcontinent. The spices and other ingredients remain the same, but…
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken, preferably in 16 pieces, and a couple of drumsticks
- 1 kg Basmati rice
- 1 cup finely-chopped onions
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 3 tsp chile powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 100 g cashew nuts
- 4–5 bay leaves
- 4–5 cloves
- 2 cm-long cinnamon sticks
- 6–10 green chiles, ground to paste
- 3–4 cardamom pods
- 1–2 tsp cumin
- 2 cups fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 lemon
- 1½ tsp salt (or according to taste)
- 1 cup ghee
- ½ cup yogurt
- 1 cup oil
- 2 tsp dried coconut powder
- A few strands of saffron
- 2 cups finely-sliced onions
Steps
- Cut deep incisions in chicken flesh, deep enough for spices to absorb but not so deep that pieces shrink.
- Mix turmeric, chilli powder, salt, garlic paste, yogurt and juice of half a lemon. Apply thoroughly to chicken. Marinate 1 hour.
- Heat about 100 ml oil in pan. Add cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, bay leaves, ½ spoon cumin, 1 spoon coriander powder, then onions. Cook a couple of minutes. Add mint leaves.
- When onions turn slightly brown, add marinated chicken. Cook 20–30 minutes, not fully cooked.
- Add garam masala and coconut powder. Remove from heat at about ¾ cooked, with little sauce and chicken looking roasted.
- Meanwhile, slightly rinse 3 cups basmati. Add half as much water as rice by volume and 1–2 teaspoons salt. Cook until half done, preferably in electric cooker. Colour a few semi-cooked grains with diluted saffron for garnish.
- Place about half the semi-cooked rice in heat-safe pot or dish about 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter. Layer half the chicken on top. Add half the remaining rice. Add remaining chicken, then remaining rice.
- Heat oil. Deep fry half the sliced onions until golden brown. Fry cashews likewise. Garnish top rice layer with onions, cashews, 100 ml ghee, coconut milk, saffron rice grains and coriander.
- Cover dish well. Cook over high heat 5 minutes. Reduce to low, flame on one side of vessel, not center. Cook 2–3 minutes, then rotate vessel. Keep rotating every 2–3 minutes for about 20 minutes. At each turn, shake/jerk contents to prevent ghee settling at bottom.
- Remove from heat. Wait about 10 minutes before uncovering.
- Mix from bottom. Serve with boiled egg halves.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Hyderabad Biryani” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-21, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.