I have big feelings about Biryani. I’ve discussed many of them at length here, but in a nutshell I do not get the fascination with Biryanis that are great for 5 bites and heartburn. A Biryani should be so good, so balanced, that you can eat a plate and then another without feeling ill. Achieving that is remarkably easy. This recipe, one of the oldest ones on this website, is one of my aunt’s signature dishes. It is easy to make even for a beginner and so good that all these years later I have never felt the urge to change it. I also suspect many of you would be very upset if I did!
Ingredients in Beef Biryani: The “Korma” or Masala
These are all the ingredients used in this Biryani masala. Highlighting some of the key ones below!
Beef Biryani Ingredient Tips
The Meat. Yes, you can absolutely use muton or lamb here, but no matter which meat you go with remember: you need fat. The natural fat in meat is what keeps your meat from drying out AND it adds flavour to the masala. We don’t need big chunks of fat, just nice marbling like you get from a chuck roast piece and stewing cubes. Ginger and Garlic: We have established this biryani is easy to make, but because it’s not hitting you on the head with spices the ingredients you use matter. Homemade ginger and garlic paste are best. If you are going to buy it steer clear of the jarred variety because they have vinegar in them and buy the frozen kind instead. Dahi in Dum: The yoghurt in the “dum” is an unusual move, but it adds both moisture and flavour so please don’t skip it!
Making Biryani Faster: Timesaving Tips
Biryani takes forever because our processes take forever. I used to make the masala first and then the rice and about two hours later my biryani would be ready. Here are my tips for making it faster and easier! 1.) Take your meat out of the fridge. Cold meat cooks slowly and unevenly. 2.) Wash and Soak your rice first: rinse your rice in water a few times until the run off looks clearer and soak in a bowl of water. Both steps are key for perfect fluffy rice. 3.) Chop your onions and tomatoes and then start on your meat masala. 4.) Use your hands off time: Whether you are cooking it stovetop or in the instant pot this is a fairly long chunk of hands off cooking and you can use this time to prep everything else from the potatoes, cilantro, mint, chilies etc. This is also when I make a raita! 5.) Once that is done you can boil your water for the rice, but only put the rice into cook after your potatoes are cooked through. 6.) Now to each their own, but I typically clean up when my biryani is sitting on low gentle flavor infusing heat i.e. during the “dum” so that by the time I sit down to eat it’s taken care of and I can dig in!
How much should I cook the rice?
This is a question I get asked often. Here you will see I deviate from the norm. Traditionally you are asked to cook rice until it is a little al dente - the middle of the rice will have a white dot. I find that with this biryani that isn’t necessary. I cook it a little further, just to the bottom where it cooks through, but it is not tender enough to eat. That reduces my ‘dum’ time by 20 minutes.
How do I give Biryani ‘dum’ in the oven?
Simply layer the Beef Biryani in an oven safe dish, then cover it tightly with foil and put it in the oven at 300F for 25-30 minutes. Add 10 minutes if you have prepped it and refrigerated in advance. Added bonus: you can serve it right in the dish. Made this recipe? Do rate it below right on the recipe card! I’d love to see your recreations so feel free to tag me on Instagram @flourandspiceblog
