There are so many unique varieties you can make depending on your cravings and the ingredients you have available. Here are a few of our favorite Instant Pot biryani recipes – with and without meat! Rice & Water: Prefer aged basmati rice for biryani. Newly harvested rice makes mushy biryani. If you do not know what kind of basmati you have, simply use the same amount of water as you use to cook it plain.

In between 7-8 minutes, the rice gets mushy once pressed between your fingers. This is a sign that it’s overcooked and is more likely to break during the ‘dum’ stage. Biryani Pots can be made up of Cast Iron or Anodized steel. I prefer and recommend you to go for an anodized one because of its toughness and even heating. This will last longer if maintained properly. Slicing onions: Slice the onions evenly and thin so they fry evenly. Unevenly sliced onions don’t fry well and end up being burnt or under cooked. Spices: Whole spices slowly infuse the flavors to the biryani. They are the key ingredients and cannot be skipped. Please use a good garam masala or biryani masala. I use a homemade garam masala. (link in the recipe card below). But still a vegetable dum biryani is classic! The king of all vegetarian biryanis in terms of flavors and taste.It’s naturally gluten-free, made with white or brown rice, and you can often find dairy-free variations or use coconut milk /dairy-free yogurt if the recipe calls for it.

In India, veg biryani is a very common dish which is made time and again in many households. In restaurants too there are different kinds of vegetable biryanis served. About Veg Biryani RecipeAdd the remaining onions to your Dutch oven. Saute the onions on low to medium-low heat until softened. Add a teaspoon of garam masala, a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of chili powder, and cook until the onions are caramelized. (Feel free to reduce the amount of chili powder If you don’t want your biryani to be too spicy.) A common misconception is that biryani is an Indian dish. But according to historians, it actually originated in Persia. The word biryani derives from the Persian word birian which means “fried before cooking,” and birinj, the Persian word for rice. And while there are countless theories about how this layered meat and rice dish made its way to South Asia, the consensus among historians is that its prominence increased with the spread of the Mughal empire. As emperors and generals moved across the region, different variations of biryani came to be, often influenced by the spices and ingredients available wherever they settled. Kewra water or rose water: You can use one of the 2 ingredients. Kewra water also known as kewda is the extract of a tree known as Pandanus odoratissimus. One of this is essential but if you don’t like you may skip. A lot of people don’t like scent in their foods, so use it only if you like. These are available in Asian or Indian stores. Pro Tips Use a Dutch oven or pot with straight edges. The goal during the steaming stage is to keep the steam inside, and deep, straight edged pots are better at retaining steam.

One of the most requested recipes is finally here! Another RecipeTin Family effort, it took us seven attempts to get this biryani right. Saffron milk: Saffron infused milk not only imparts a delicate and warm flavor to the biryani but also keeps the biryani rice moist. So do not skip it. The pot is then covered and cooked over a low heat for about 25 minutes during which time the rice absorbs the aromas and flavours of the curry underneath, whilst still being beautifully fluffy.

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If you aren’t a fan of deep frying or are a beginner cook, my cheeky alternative is using store bought fried onion (Asian or Indian stores) or Asian Fried Shallots(pictured below) which are sold at everyday supermarkets. They add the same oniony flavour with the added bonus of extra crunch! Cook the rice over medium-low heat until the water has evaporated and the rice grains are about 75% cooked. The grains should have a slight bite and when pressed between two fingers, the outer layer of the grain should disintegrate leaving behind a tiny white grain in the center. Fluff the rice with a fork and set aside. I am also sharing the ingredients for an instant biriyani masala powder. If you do not have a ready made or store bought masala, you can make it in just few minutes. Please do adjust the amount of heat in the recipe. My recipes are usually low on heat for the Indian taste buds. Since I have young kids at home., these levels work well for us.