The short answer
This Biryani rice is a simple yet flavorful dish that pairs perfectly with any vegetables and proteins. It's quick, easy to make, and vegan. The secret to this dish lies in the Indian cooking technique called Tempering.
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Biryani rice is a classic Indian dish, often served with chicken or vegetables. Here, I’m sharing a simple version that can complement any vegetables or proteins.
Spices: The Key to a Good Biryani Rice
Like most Indian dishes, the flavor of biryani rice depends on the spices. To get the most out of the spices, we use tempering, a technique where spices are cooked in oil to release their essential oils. This step is crucial to this recipe! I recommend you to read this article to master this technique.
Best Biryani Ingredients
There are as many ways of making biryani rice as there are cooks. In my version, I use classic whole spices commonly found in Indian cooking.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make my Indian biryani rice at home:
- Basmati Rice.
- The biryani base: onion, ginger, garlic and tomato.
- Whole spices: cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds, and bay leaf. Feel free to get creative and use what you have!
- Ground spices: turmeric powder and garam masala
- Mint leaves (or cilantro) for topping
- Red chili pepper (optional): If you want to make your biryani rice spicy.
Serve it with roasted or steamed vegetables and a protein of your choice. You can make a complete dish in just 20 minutes by pairing it with this pan-fried tofu recipe.
How to cook Biryani Rice: Step-by-step cooking lesson.
This section will guide you through each step of making biryani rice. Think of it as a mini cooking class, explaining why each step matters.
- Prepare the basmati rice: Soak the rice in water for 20 minutes to 1 hour. Then drain and rinse it several times. This not only cleans the rice but also removes excess starch. This step is key to achieving the crispy look of biryani rice.
- Temper the spices: Heat some oil and add your whole spices. Fry them for about 2 minutes until fragrant (when you smell them). Spices release their natural oils and flavors when warmed. I recommend using a high smoke point oil like sunflower oil to avoid burning the spices and to let their flavors shine through
- Add the onion: Once the spices are fragrant, add the onion and lower the heat. Cook until the onion turns translucent, stirring often. The onion will release its sweetness and absorb the flavor of the spices.
- Add the ginger garlic paste: Stir in the paste and cook for 1–2 minutes (it cooks very fast!), just until fragrant.
- Add the diced tomato and cook until it gets mushy.
- Add the rice drained and rinsed to the pot and mix evenly: You want your rice to mix well into the mix of flavors you just created.
- Add vegetable broth or water, cover and let it simmer on low-heat 8 to 10 minutes: Pour in vegetable broth or water. Use about 2 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of rice. It depends on the rice brand you use, it might be a slightly different ratio, experiment a bit. Cover and simmer on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Too much water will make the rice mushy, and too little and it will be undercooked. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is nearly done but still has a slight bite.
- Let the rice rest for 10 minutes and fluff it with a fork: Remove from heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes. This allows the steam to finish cooking the rice and create the perfect texture. Fluffer and tender inside with a slight crisp layer on the outside.
Variations: Popular Biryani Rice Recipes
If you want to go beyond the basic biryani rice recipe. I recommend you to try these recipes:
- Vegetable Dum Biryani Rice
- Mushroom Biryani Rice (Kaalan Biryani)
- Chickpeas Biryani (Chana Biryani)
The Recipe
Simple Biryani Recipe
A biryani recipe made it 30 minutes, super tasteful using just whole spices. A classic indian dish right in your kitchen!
Prep time
10
mins
Cooking Time
20
mins
Servings
2
people
Ingredients
- 200g basmati rice
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- A few chopped mint leaves
- 1,5 tablespoons coconut oil
- water or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Soak 200g basmati rice in water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add 1 bay leaf, 2 black cardamom pods, 3 cloves, and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Chop an onion, add it and cookuntil soft and golden.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Chop a tomato, add it and cook until softened and mushy.
- Add the soaked rice and combine everything evenly.
- Pour in water or vegetable broth to cover the rice, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Let the rice rest, covered, for 10 more minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork.
