Pakistani Punjabi Biryani

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This Biryani recipe was adapted from a blogger friend, while it is not the classic Pakistani Biryani Recipe, the easy ingredients and twist make it a cherished one!

punjabi biryani 1

What is Punjabi Biryani?

This situation stands as one of the few times I cannot describe how this Biryani deviates from other traditional versions. The website for Ainy Cooks no longer exists but according to her it offered a family Punjabi version of this Biryani which differed from the Karachi preparation. I have decided to preserve the culinary tradition by maintaining its original name in recognition of her family’s recipe.

Recipe Twist

My alterations made the Pakistani Punjabi Biryani recipe suitable for our taste and cooking needs (haha) with the “koylay ka dum” charcoal smoke remaining my top favorite addition. People will find this method both effective and straightforward. A former co-worker introduced this brilliant step to cook biryani that now wows taste buds with incredible results after getting it from their family.

Hope you like this recipe, would love to hear from you below!

Ingredients

For the Meat Mixture

  • 1 lb Chicken/ Beef/ Mutton
  • 1 large sliced onion
  • 3 large diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp ground/grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp ground/crushed garlic
  • 5-6 Dried plums aloo bukharay, squeeze in lemon juice when the masala is ready if you don’t have any
  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp Red chili powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric power
  • ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds saunf
  • 2 Large black cardamom
  • 4 green cardamom
  • 2 small cinnamon sticks
  • 6-7 whole black pepper
  • Generous handfuls of chopped fresh coriander/cilantro + mint leaves
  • 3-4 green chillies

For the rice

  • 3 cups rice rinsed and soaked.
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 2 generous tsp salt
  • Optional: Yellow food coloring a piece of coal.

Instructions

  • Slice your onions and cook in oil in a large pot till browned.
  • Put in the ginger, garlic and tomatoes and cook till mushy.
  • Add the yogurt, remaining spices, meat, green chillies and mix well.
  • If cooking chicken then add one cup of hot water, bring to a boil then simmer till tender. For tougher meats i.e. beef and mutton add more water.
  • Add coriander leaves and mint leaves.
  • In large pot add water, salt, vinegar to the soaked rice and boil till it is parboiled i.e. most of the grain will be translucent with an opaque center.
  • Strain the rice when done.
  • Put white rice in the first layer followed by meat masala in its entirety and finish with the remaining rice and colored yellow food powder before leaving it on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Being a glass cooktop owner allows me to safely cook rice at the lowest setting without burning since others might face this issue when using gas stoves.
  • You must use a hot coal that you have lit above a flame for the ‘koylay ka dum’. Before placing foil into the biryani pot (over the rice) you should apply oil on top of it. To correctly use the foil add the red hot coal to its surface before covering the pot immediately. The coal can be added directly to the cooked biryani before it gets covered for low heat cooking of 20 minutes or you can wait until the end of cooking process. Take the foil along with the coal out of the biryani dish for presentation.