Lucknowi Biryani Awadhi Dum Rice

Method

1. 1

   Marinate the meat: Mix meat pieces with yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala and salt. Add half the fried onion, crushed between your fingers. Mix well. Marinate for minimum 2 hours, overnight is better.

2. 2

   Cook the marinated meat: Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a heavy pot on medium. Add the marinated meat. Cook on medium-high heat for 8 minutes, stirring and turning pieces, until the yogurt moisture evaporates. Reduce to medium-low. Cover and cook for 25 minutes (chicken) or 40 minutes (mutton) until the meat is nearly fully cooked. The masala should be thick and cling to the meat with very little liquid remaining.

3. 3

   Parboil the rice: Bring 6 cups water to a rolling boil with whole spices, salt and lemon juice. Add drained soaked rice. Cook on high for 5 to 6 minutes until the rice is 70 percent cooked — firm in the centre, soft on the outside. Drain immediately. Spread on a tray to stop cooking.

4. 4

   Prepare saffron milk: Soak saffron strands in warm milk for 10 minutes until the milk turns golden.

5. 5

   Layer the biryani: In a heavy pot, spread the cooked meat masala as the bottom layer. Spread half the parboiled rice over the meat. Scatter mint leaves, coriander leaves and half the remaining fried onion. Drizzle half the saffron milk. Sprinkle 1 tbsp rose water and 1/2 tsp kewra water. Add the remaining rice as the top layer. Drizzle remaining saffron milk. Add remaining fried onion, mint and coriander. Pour 2 tbsp ghee over the top. Add the remaining rose water and kewra water.

6. 6

   Seal the pot: Create a seal around the rim of the lid with a dough rope (wheat flour + water kneaded stiff) or cover tightly with foil then put the lid on. The seal traps all the steam inside for dum cooking.

7. 7

   Cook the biryani on dum: Place the sealed pot on high heat for 5 minutes. Then reduce to the absolute lowest heat. Place a flat griddle or tawa under the pot if available — this distributes heat evenly and prevents the bottom from burning. Cook on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes.

8. 8

   Rest sealed for 10 minutes: Remove from heat. Do not open the lid. Let rest sealed for 10 more minutes.

9. 9

   Open and serve: Break the seal and open the lid. A fragrant cloud of steam with rose water and kewra will escape. Using a wide flat spoon, gently lift and mix the layers once or twice from the bottom — very gently so the rice grains stay intact.

10. 10

    Serve: Serve immediately in a large bowl or on a platter. Accompany with raita (yogurt with cucumber and onion), mirchi ka salan and sliced raw onion with lemon.

11. 11

    Note: Awadhi Biryani from Lucknow is fundamentally different from Hyderabadi Biryani in approach. The Awadhi style uses very restrained spicing — the fragrance comes from saffron, rose water and kewra (screwpine water). The meat is nearly fully cooked before layering. The result is a biryani where the rice and meat are distinct and separately flavoured yet infused with each other through the steam. The technique comes from the Nawabs of Awadh who valued refinement in cooking over intensity of spice.