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What Is Biryani?
I LOVE rice. So it should not come as a surprise that Biryani, an Indian mixed rice dish usually made with basmati rice, is one of my absolute favorite foods!
I first discovered biryani while living in England. First bite was love at first taste! Biryani is a very special dish, and my understanding is that it is worthy of and often served at weddings and celebrations in India.
Biryani is highly flavorful and contains seasoned rice, vegetables, and very often meats such as lamb, chicken, or beef which are cooked to tender perfection.
Both the Indian spices that are used and the basmati rice are extremely aromatic, and the resulting dish is an absolute feast for your senses!
Biryani Made Simple Using Shan Biryani Mix and Shan Biryani Recipe
Traditional biryani can be considered a fairly complex dish to make.
I have made biryani from scratch before, grinding my own spices, etc. However this time I "cheated" and used a spice mix by Shan Foods that I bought from my local Indian-Pakistani grocer. You can also order this classic blend of traditional spices through Amazon by clicking here.
It's so convenient and a real time saver to have this perfect blend of seasonings ready to use to make a delicious biryani!
This seasoning mix includes salt, red chili, ginger, garlic, dehydrated onion, cumin, nigella, turmeric, coriander, green cardamom, clove, and black pepper. The mix offers a perfect balance of aromatic spices for this fantastic rice dish!
Other ingredients include maltodextrin, hydrolyzed soy protein, sugar, citric acid, canola oil, and silicon dioxide.
There are no preservatives or artificial food colors in the Shan Biryani masala, which is a blend of Indian spices.
The Shan Biryani Recipe that's on the back of the box is also easy and straightforward to follow. So, the combination of the ready to use seasoning mix and the recipe is truly biryani made simple!
Now, the recipe you will find here is not the Shan biryani recipe, but is based on their recipe. Honestly I think my version is even easier! You can follow the Shan recipe on the back of the box, or use the Shan mix in my recipe found in the recipe card below. Either way, you will enjoy a delicious and easy to make biryani with an authentic taste!
What Ingredients Will I Need For This Dish?
My biryani recipe will include chicken as the meat.
You will need the following ingredients for this fantastic dish:
- Shan Biryani Spice Mix
- Onions
- Ghee (can sub olive oil or canola oil)
- Chicken (you can use pieces of chicken with the meat on the bones, or use chicken breasts cut into small portions; if possible buy a whole chicken that has been cut up for use in this recipe)
- Tomatoes
- Fresh coriander
- Plain natural yogurt
- Chicken broth
- Basmati rice
- Water (for cooking the rice)
- Olive oil
- Pinch of yellow food color (totally optional to sprinkle on the rice if you fancy!)
- Salt (optional add to taste)
- Mint leaves (optional garnish)
The Shan recipe does not call for ghee, which is clarified butter. Ghee is used extensively in Indian cooking, and it gives a much richer flavor than cooking with olive or canola oil. Therefore I recommend using ghee!
My version of this biryani does not include adding salt, but does indicate that it is an option to add it to taste if you like. The Shan recipe calls for adding 3 tablespoons of Shan salt when preparing the rice. This salt is a Himalayan Pink Salt, so if you find you would like to include salt, the perfect salt to add would be Shan salt!
Instructions
Making the Chicken Curry
Begin by heating 4 tablespoon of ghee in a very large skillet (one that you can cover with a lid) or large pot on medium high heat. Fry onions approximately 10-15 minutes or until softened and golden brown stirring every so often. Be careful not to let the onions burn when you stir fry the onions.
Remove the onions and place on a plate. Then add the remaining tablespoon of ghee, and then the chicken and the Shan Biryani Spice Mix, and cook for around 5 - 10 minutes. Leave undisturbed for a bit and turn every so often to ensure all sides of the chicken are browned.
Return the onions to the skillet. Add 1 cup natural yogurt and 1 cup chicken broth. Stir and reduce heat to to a simmer, and then cover and continue to cook until the meat is tender. Because the chicken should be cut up into small portions, it should only take around 10 min or so for the meat to be cooked to tender. AT THIS TIME YOU CAN START PREPARING YOUR BASMATI RICE 🙂
Making The Rice
Meanwhile prepare your basmati rice. Heat your stove to medium and add olive oil to a medium sized saucepan. Once the oil is hot, add the rice, and stir for around 1 minute, being sure to coat each grain of rice with the oil.
Add the water, and bring to the boil. Boil rice for a few seconds, then turn your heat down to the low to medium low setting on your stove, cover, and cook for around 10-15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Check every so often to make sure the rice is still moist and not sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. After the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed, remove from the heat, and allow to rest (covered) for about 10 minutes. You can sprinkle a pinch of yellow food color at this point if you like!
While you are cooking your rice, let's turn back to the chicken curry. Return the heat to medium high, and add the tomatoes. Heat on med high for around 5 min or so. Once done you can leave this covered on a very low heat setting until your basmati rice is ready.
Now it's time to mix! Lay your rice out and pour meat curry over the rice and mix gently. Add salt to taste if you like. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top to garnish!
The Shan Biryani recipe recommends adding mint leaves together with fresh coriander to the dish. Mint would add a lovely flavor if you have it available!
Get your taste buds ready for an amazing and delicious chicken biryani!
1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die
Biryani is one of the foods listed in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. This Indian rice dish is an ultimate food experience, and it is #30 in my quest to try each and every one of the foods in the book. 🙂 More about this later!
By the way, basmati rice is also on my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project list, based on the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. I'm working my way through these 1,000 Foods and posted about basmati rice here.
Even if this was a "cheat" biryani, I'm totally elated with it and happy to dine on the leftovers for days. YES! This is a very economical dish as you will make enough to feed an army!
I hope that you might give this a try...I believe you will love it too!
Some Other Indian Dishes That You May Enjoy!
1,000 Foods to Eat Project
Please follow along with me on this quest to try the 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, from the book by Mimi Sheraton! Join me in this journey and discover new foods, experiences, and cuisines which I hope will add inspiration, fun, and joy to your life! For a list of the foods tried so far visit the 1,000 Foods to Eat Project page.
If you'd like to follow along and be a part of the 1,000 Foods Project, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here. 🙂
Cheers! Grace
Chicken Biryani
Equipment
- large skillet or pot to cook the chicken and curry sauce
- large pot to cook the rice
Ingredients
- 1 bx Shan Biryani Spice Mix
- 2 onions large and very thinly sliced
- 5 tablespoon ghee split; can sub olive oil or canola oil
- 2.5 lbs Chicken (meat on bones) - cut into small portions if possible buy a whole cut up chicken for use in this recipe
- 3 tomatoes medium sized diced
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup plain and natural yogurt
- 1 cup chicken broth
- salt optional add to taste
- mint leaves chopped; optional garnish
Basmati Rice
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 3.5 cups water to cook the basmati rice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- yellow food coloring optional but fun!
Instructions
- Heat 4 tablespoon of ghee in a very large skillet (one that you can cover with a lid) or large pot on medium high heat. Fry the onions approximately 10-15 minutes or until softened and golden brown stirring every so often. Be careful not to let the onions burn.
- Remove the onions and place on a plate. Then add the remaining tablespoon of ghee, and then the chicken and the Shan Biryani Spice Mix, and cook for around 5 - 10 minutes. Leave undisturbed for a bit and turn every so often to ensure all sides of the chicken are browned.
- Return the onions to the skillet. Add 1 cup natural yogurt and 1 cup chicken broth. Stir and reduce heat to to a simmer, and then cover and continue to cook until the meat is tender. Because the chicken should be cut up into small portions, it should only take around 10 min or so for the meat to be cooked to tender. AT THIS TIME REFER TO STEP 5 SO THAT YOU CAN START PREPARING YOUR BASMATI RICE 🙂
- Return the heat to medium high, and add the tomatoes. Heat on med high for around 5 min or so. Once done you can leave this covered on a very low heat setting until your basmati rice is ready.
- Meanwhile prepare your basmati rice. Heat your stove to medium and add olive oil to a medium sized saucepan. Once the oil is hot, add the rice, and stir for around 1 minute, being sure to coat each grain of rice with the oil.
- Add the water, and bring to the boil. Boil rice for a few seconds, then turn your heat down to the low to medium low setting on your stove, cover, and cook for around 10-15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Check every so often to make sure the rice is still moist and not sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. After the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed, remove from the heat, and allow to rest (covered) for about 10 minutes. You can sprinkle a pinch of yellow food color at this point if you like!
- Now it's time to mix! Lay your rice out and gently mix together the chicken and curry sauce with the rice. Add salt to taste if you like. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top to garnish and mint leaves as well as an optional and delish garnish!
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