While a lot of people say a dish without meat is not a biryani and a lot more say a dish which is not layered and dum cooked is not a biryani. However the truth is that there is no one way it is made. But yes an authentic biryani is said to have meat and is always layered & dum cooked.

About Biryani Rice

Biryani Rice is a fake version of the authentic biryani as it has no meat, not layered and is not dum cooked. Down in the Southern parts of India this is one dish that is immensely popular in the budget & medium scale restaurants. It is also called as kuska or plain biryani. India is a diverse nation and every dish is made in many regional ways. So you will find a biryani rice referred to as Kuska in some regions and the recipes vary widely. This biryani rice is simply flavor packed and can be eaten without any sides. But in restaurants it is usually served with a gravy known as salna. A lot of people also eat this with Kurma or even with Onion Raita. Vegetarians eat with a vegetarian side and meat lovers serve it with chicken salna or chicken kurma or any meat based gravy. To make biryani rice, all the biryani essentials like premium quality rice, whole spices, mint leaves, coriander leaves, onions and yogurt are used. Tomato is one unusual ingredient that is used here mostly because the dish tastes bland without it. Since there is no much chopping or blending work involved this recipe is super quick to make. You can make this biryani rice in a regular pot, stovetop pressure cooker or in an instant pot. More Rice recipes Chicken biryaniVeg biryaniEgg biryaniPotato biryaniPaneer dum biryani

How to Make Biryani Rice (Stepwise Photos)

  1. Wash and soak rice for about 20 to 30 mins. Meanwhile prepare the onions and tomatoes. After 30 mins drain the rice completely to a colander. Set this aside.
  2. Heat oil in a pot or pressure cooker. Add bay leaf, star anise, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, shahi jeera and mace. Saute until the shahi jeera splutters.
  3. Add sliced 3/4 cup onions and fry until golden.
  4. Add 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and fry until it smells good.
  5. Make sure the raw smell of garlic goes away.
  6. Add tomatoes and yogurt. Stir to prevent burning.
  7. Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp red chili powder, little turmeric, handful of mint, coriander, salt and 1 tsp biryani masala powder (optional). For the kuska rice, most ppl do not use biryani masala powder.
  8. Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and oil begins to separate.
  9. Add 3 1/2 cups water. Bring it to a boil.
  10. Add drained rice. Mix well.
  11. Cook on a medium flame until very little water is left. Refer the picture. Lower the flame completely. Cover the pot or pressure cooker with a lid and cook for exactly 5 to 6 mins. I used a pressure cooker.
  12. When the rice is done, open the lid and fluff up. Serve with raita or with any of the biryani gravy. This rice goes very well with any veg or non veg gravy. Some serving suggestions for vegetarians aresoya chunks kurmabagara bainganmirch ka salanshorbaNon-vegetarians can serve this withchicken curryegg curry Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Biryani Rice Recipe first published in November 2014. Updated & republished in July 2022.

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