Biryani recipes

Recipe · Andhra / South-Indian · medium

Andhra Prawn Biryani (Royyala)

A fiery South-Indian prawn biryani — deviened prawns marinated in red chili and curry leaf, layered with spiced basmati and slow-steamed.

1 h 20 min · 4 servings

Recipe · Bengali · medium

Bengali Fish Biryani (Ilish/Hilsa)

A gentle, ghee-forward Bengali fish biryani — hilsa or rui pieces lightly marinated, layered with spiced basmati and finished with saffron, rose and kewra. No chili aggression, all fish perfume.

1 h 15 min · 4 servings

Recipe · Bengali · medium

Bengali Mutton Biryani

A restrained, ghee-forward Bengali mutton biryani — milder than Hyderabadi, cooler than Lucknowi, with a whisper of mustard oil and deep saffron.

2 h · 6 servings

Recipe · Bhopali / Yakhni Pulao · medium

Bhopali Mutton Biryani

The royal Central-Indian biryani of Bhopal — mutton cooked in a rich **yakhni stock**, then layered with stock-flavoured basmati, saffron, mint and fried onions. No potato, no food colouring.

2 h · 8 servings

Recipe · Deccani / Bhopali · medium

Mutton Yakhni Pulao

The Deccani pulao — mutton slow-cooked into a rich **yakhni (stock)**, then the rice is cooked *in that stock* and served with the meat on top. No sealed dum; the depth comes from the broth.

2 h · 8 servings

Recipe · Deccani / Hyderabadi-veg · easy

Deccani Vegetable Pulao

A one-pot vegetarian pulao — mixed vegetables sautéed in a spiced ghee base, then cooked with basmati and spiced water in one covered pot. A lighter, side-dish cousin of the layered vegetable biryani.

1 h 10 min · 6 servings

Recipe · Dhaka (Bangladesh) · expert

Dhaka Kacchi Mutton Biryani

The legendary street biryani of Old Dhaka — raw marinated mutton and potatoes layered with basmati, sealed in a clay pot and slow-steamed for hours until the meat melts and the rice drinks up every spice.

3 h 30 min · 8 servings

Recipe · Dindigul (Tamil Nadu) · hard

Dindigul Makhani Mutton Biryani

The fiery Tamil Nadu biryani of Dindigul — mutton in a bold masala with bird's-eye chilies, the rice cooked **pilaf-style in the bone broth** so every grain is saturated with flavour.

3 h · 8 servings

Recipe · Hyderabadi · hard

Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani (Teekha)

The signature South-Indian dum biryani — spiced, raw marinated chicken layered under parboiled aged basmati and slow-steamed in a sealed pot, served with mirchi ka salan and raita. This is the "spicy" (teekha) version.

1 h 20 min · 6 servings

Recipe · Hyderabadi · expert

Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani (Kacchi)

The full kacchi statement — raw mutton, tenderised with raw papaya, marinated overnight, layered under parboiled rice and sealed-steamed until the meat juices cook the grains together.

2 h · 8 servings

Recipe · Hyderabadi · medium

Hyderabadi Narm Chicken Biryani (Mild)

The gentle, family-safe Hyderabadi biryani — same kacchi dum technique as the teekha version, but with milder spice, more saffron and kewra, so kids and the spice-averse go in first.

1 h 15 min · 6 servings

Recipe · Hyderabadi-veg / North-Indian · easy

Vegetable Biryani

A fully vegetarian, 3-layer dum biryani — spiced basmati, a rich vegetable-and-paneer gravy, and more rice on top, sealed and slow-steamed.

1 h 20 min · 6 servings

Recipe · Kolkata · easy

Kolkata Egg Biryani (Aanda Biryani)

The everyday, no-meat Kolkata biryani — boiled eggs and fried potato layered with spiced basmati and perfumed with saffron, kewra and ghee.

1 h 15 min · 4 servings

Recipe · Kolkata · medium

Kolkata Mutton Biryani (Aloo + Aanda)

The Bengali biryani that famously adds potato and boiled egg — mild, floral and deeply layered, perfumed with kewra water rather than chilli.

1 h 45 min · 6 servings

Recipe · Lucknowi / Awadhi · medium

Awadhi Chicken Biryani

The Nawabi, gentle biryani of Lucknow made with chicken — cooked separately, then layered with parboiled rice and slow-steamed, so fragrance (not heat) leads.

1 h 40 min · 6 servings

Recipe · Lucknowi / Awadhi · hard

Awadhi Shahi Mutton Biryani

The festival-grade Lucknowi biryani — the standard Awadhi pakki method, elevated with **fried cashews, almonds and raisins** and extra saffron for a Nawabi "shahi" finish.

2 h · 8 servings

Recipe · Lucknowi / Awadhi · hard

Lucknowi (Awadhi) Mutton Biryani

The Nawabi, pakki-style biryani of Lucknow — mutton cooked separately in a delicate yakhni, then layered with parboiled rice and slow-steamed, so fragrance (not heat) leads.

2 h · 8 servings

Recipe · Malabar / Thalassery · medium

Malabar (Thalassery) Mutton Biryani

The coastal Mappila biryani of Kerala's Malabar coast — short-grain **kaima/jeerakasala rice** (not basmati), fennel-forward masala, fried cashews and raisins, and a light, fragrance-led spice load tied to the Arab spice trade.

2 h · 6 servings

Recipe · Mughlai · medium

Mughlai Chicken Biryani

The royal Mughlai biryani made with chicken — chicken in a rich, creamy korma with cashews, tomatoes and nutmeg, layered with saffron rice and dry fruits.

1 h 50 min · 6 servings

Recipe · Mughlai · hard

Mughlai Mutton Biryani

The royal Mughlai biryani — mutton in a rich, creamy korma with cashews, tomatoes and nutmeg, layered with saffron rice and dry fruits.

2 h 25 min · 8 servings

Recipe · North-Indian · easy

Egg Biryani (Dum Anda)

The everyday North-Indian dum egg biryani — boiled eggs and (optionally) potato layered with spiced basmati, perfumed with saffron and fried onions. No meat, all comfort.

1 h 10 min · 4 servings

Recipe · North-Indian (quick) · easy

Instant Pot Chicken Biryani

A one-pot, no-layering biryani in the pressure cooker — marinated chicken and basmati cooked together in ~40 minutes for a weeknight-friendly dum-style result.

40 min · 4 servings

Recipe · North-Indian (quick) · easy

One-Pot Quick Chicken Biryani

The 30–40-minute stovetop biryani — marinated chicken sautéed with caramelised onions, then rice and spiced water added and steamed in one covered pot. No layering, no separate parboil.

1 h · 4 servings

Recipe · North-Indian / Hyderabadi-veg · easy

Paneer Biryani

The vegetarian dum biryani built around soft paneer cubes — spiced basmati, a creamy paneer-and-vegetable gravy, and a saffron-ghee top, sealed and slow-steamed.

1 h 15 min · 4 servings

Recipe · North-Indian / Muslim-style (cooker) · medium

Pressure-Cooker Mutton Biryani

The classic "cooker biryani" — marinated mutton pressure-cooked to tender, then layered with spiced rice and given a short sealed steam for a homestyle mutton dum in one pot.

2 h · 6 servings

Recipe · Sindhi / Karachi · hard

Sindhi Mutton Biryani

The fiery Sindh biryani of Karachi and the Sindh interior — bone-in mutton in a **looser**, spicier masala, loaded with big half-potatoes and aloo bukhara (dried plums), finished with a saffron dum.

2 h 30 min · 8 servings

Technique

Homemade Biryani Masala

A dry-roasted, freshly ground blend of whole spices that gives biryani its signature perfume — far more potent than a packet, and the reason restaurant biryani smells different from home attempts.

Technique

Dum Cooking Technique (kacchi vs pakki)

Dum is sealed-pot steaming where the trapped steam finishes the rice and melds the layers — the single most important step, and the one home cooks most often get wrong.