Secret Ingredient In Hyderabadi Biryani

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Hyderabadi Biryani

Food in Hyderabad, India

Biryani

Secrets

Hyderabad, India

Cooking

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Food Why are the biryanis prepared by Muslims tastier?

What is that secret ingredient in Hyderabadi Biryani that is prepared in Biryani joints across Hyderabad? I have been following various websites and articles related to Hyderabadi Biryani. I have also perfected the art of preparing Hyderabadi Kachi Biryani over the years. But I still lack something. My biryani never tastes and smells like the ones served in famous Biryani joints across Hyderabad like Paradise, Bawarchi, Sadaf, etc. What am I missing?

What makes hyderabadi biryani so special? Where can I find the best vegetarian version of the Hyderabadi Biryani? What are some original Muslim recipes for biryani? Is Hyderabadi biryani overhyped? How do I make Hyderabadi Biryani at home?

4 Answers

Where can I get good and spicy Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani in Mumbai?

Smriti Lamba, learnt coastal cuisine from a Malvani lady... Written 8 Oct

it is a long story to tell. but today i have vowed that i would draw the curtain out.

Is eating biryani regularly good for your health? How do I judge a good Biryani?

we all know that biryani is a historical invention by the turkic soldiers(an early medieval ethno-linguistic conglommeration of numerous tribes, living in western and central Asia, broadly speaking, the uzbeks, turks, tartars, the uyghurs) in 10–11th century A.D , who due to the shortage of time and scope, used to make a hotch-potch of rice and meat which they slowly cooked in an earthen pot. but basically nobody knows what spices they used to add into this hotch-potch or even if they used to add salt to this.!!!.

Why is Hyderabadi biryani at its best only in Hyderabad rather than any other city?

by a historical process it reached India and underwent many experiements in theturkoafghan royal households. later in the 18th century it saw optimized experiments in the royal kitchens of the Mughals, the Nizams, the Nawabs of Lucknow, the royal principalities of the far South. and it became renowned as Biryani. it also journeyed towards west of Asia, reached Iran, from India it went further toSouth-east Asia and saw other types of innovations. but today we can proundly say that our indian biryani is the best culmination of this process of relentless experimentations of the bawarchis, who poured all thier in-born talent to make it dearest to us, so much so, that even today, our biryani is vibrant with life, every housewife in every indian household craves to make biryani in any sort of gatherings. today the word biryani represents India. curiously all the spices which a north indian or a south indian chef uses for biryani came from South east Asia or Indonesian archipelago or the isand of Molucca which the european explorers used to call 'spice island’. in the indian spice market, a list of brand is there which sells ready-made biryani masala. but personally i dont prefer them. Three staple ingredients 1. very fine textured and long grained basmati 1 kg

2. raw mutton cut from the hinder leg raan 11/2 kg

3. ghee or clarified butter 350 g

Now comes the question what ingredients we should use in the water. well, salt and the seasoning are most important ingredients. Interestingly and much contrary to our general belief, during the mughal time, people did not know the use of ginger, garlic, green chillies, turmeric and cumin and coriander seeds. Since that time experimentation went on in the royal kitchen and new spices were added as the time passed on. Europeans brought newly discovered spices from their new discovered islands in south-east Asia and many vegetables from South America. Like potato, tomato, chilli, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and so on and traded the spices to the rajas and maharajas, not to talk about the mughals who was the supreme authority of the time. These spices were delightfully adopted by the royal bawarchis who could bring new aroma to their pilafs or pulao and biryani. The sumtotal of those spices could lend a unique aroma and a rich flavour to the dish. take note of the spices for the marination of spices, boiling the rice and seasoning the biryani. i would off course explain later step-by-step what to use when and in what quantity. because quantity is something which always baffles our indian housewives. volumes have written on biryani but they are often misleading and have written on a more personal experience of the author. it is now time to remove those darkness. salt. it seems curious why i started with salt which appears to be almost an insignificant ingredient. but as Shakespeare said, salt is like love, if neglected, it can create blunder. especially in case of biryani, the improper use of it can lead to a result that can be proved catastrophic. more so because in biryani you can not redo anything like we do in Quora. if you try to mix salt afterwards, then your rice would be messed up. and rice is the mainstay of biryani, the most prized ornament. kindly be careful in the matter of mixing salt. dont forget it, dont overdo it and dont try to redo it if the mistake has already been committed. so here the one go and one chance theory prevails. remember to add salt to the water which you are boiling for the rice. add more than sufficient salt to the marinated mutton. but after all these instructions, it is a metter of profound experience and time, how much to add in water and how much in mutton marinade. use discretion if you lack experience. other regular indispensible ingredients follow behind. spices and other seasonings. 1.ginger 5 cm 3\4 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination and 1\4 to be used into the potli masala 2.garlic 30 to 40 cloves 3\4 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination and 1\4 to be coarsely crushed to be used into the potli masala 3.onion 12 large 10 very finely chopped, salted and fried crispy golden-brown, drained and kept aside. the remaining 2 to be coarsely crushed to be used into the potli masala 4,cumin seeds 2 tablespoon. half to be ground with others as instructed for the marination. the other half to be coarsely ground for the preparation of the potli masala. 5.coriander seeds 2 tablespoon. half to be ground with others as instructed for the marination. the other half to be coarsely ground for the preparation of the potli masala. 6.green chilli 12–14 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination 7..raw papaya one small chopped with the skin on, chopped and ground to a fine paste along with part of the spices which are to go for the marinaton of the mutton. it is actually a meat tenderizer. it secrets a enzyme ‘papin’ which is responsible for loosening the protein tissue of the animal meat. 8. lemon one large deseeded and the juice extracted. to be added for the marination of the mutton. it also acts as a tenderizer. 9. yoghurt 250–300 gm which also acts as a tenderizer. to be entirely 10. green cardamom 15–20 one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice. 11. black cardamom 5–6 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination 12. kebab chini 5–6 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination 13. cloves 10–12 one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice. 14. cinnamon stick 8 cm one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice. 15. chakr phool or star anise 2 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination 16.black stone or dagar ka phool 2 to be ground with others as instructed for the marination 17.black pepper 15–20 one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice. 19.white pepper or safed mirch or dekhni mirch 10 one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice. 20. nutmeg one large to be ground with others as instructed for the marination 21. shah zeera 3–4 tablespoon heaped one third for the marination of the mutton, one third for tampering the ghee, remaining one third for preparing the yakhni for the rice. 22. mace 4 petals to be ground with others as instructed for the marination 23. saffron half gm mildly roasted on tawa but not burnt and dissolved in a bowl of hot milk 24. kewra water or screwpine water according to taste. but one thing you should take care in this respect, that even a teaspoon would lend a ghastly, obsessive and intense aroma which everybody may not stand 25. rose water or gulab pani according to your mood and taste 26. mithha ittar to be used discreetly as even a drop of it pervades intense fragrance.4–5 drops would be more than sufficient. 27. fresh mint and coriander leaves, seperate the leaves from the twigs and chop them, mix them and store in a bowl. carefully refrigerate it as they have chances to loose their fragrance if kept in open air in the room temperature. now follow the recipe of a standard Hyderabadi biryani.—1. take one third of the garam masala...pound them very coarsely. in a heavy bottomed degchi heat one third ghee and tamper the ghee with this garam masala. 2. Fry all onions till golden brown, sieve them, place them on kitchen paper for soaking the extra oil, seperate them with a slotted spoon. crush half of the onion with your hands. 3. take one third of the garam masala, yoghurt, raw papaya with the skin on, all the green chillies, ginger and garlic and one third of the yoghurt. put all the ingredients into a coffee grinder andmake them into a very smooth paste. apply to the mutton along with coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, a pinch or two meetha ittar, few drops of rose water and kewra water, half of the mint and coriander leaves, plenty of salt, rest of the yoghurt, with half of the ghee that you have already tampered with garam masala.. mix them real good and let the mutton marinate in these spices for at least three to four hours in the biryani degchi.

in the water where we boil the rice, no exotic spices are used. only some basic spices whichwe use everyday in the form of garam masalas. exotic part comes while marinating the mutton, which i unfold in the later paraghaphs. i would only relate how to make fragrant water to make a fragrant rice. mutton is omitted. though if you desire to add, you can do. that would off ocourse bring out a a rich taste. remember, for the best result, you basmati should be at least one year old, to assure its greatest length, and less starch that means minimum stickiness Kindly take note——in a muslin cloth one puts coarcely crushed onion, ginger, garlic, dry red chillies, green cardamom, shah zeera, cumin seeds and coriander seeds, black and white pepper. Tie the cloth to confine the ingredients into a knot in a way so that it could leave long tail behind. Now add them in the rapidly boiling water. Kindly take note——Dry red chilli 10 Shah zeera two tablespoon Green cardamom 10 Black cardamom 2 Cloves 5 Cinnamon one large stick Black pepper 15 White pepper 10 Onion 2 large Garlic 15 flakes Ginger 3 cm Cumin seeds 10 seeds Coriander seeds 15 seeds Ghee 100 gm Salt according to the taste or as sufficient to make the rice properly salted. Properly wash the rice with several splashes of water and drain and keep aside. Wash gently so not to break the grain or not to spoil the texture. 6. when the rice gets 30% cooked, add half of the rice on the mutton, sprink some saffron with milk, sprinkle some rose water, screwpine water, mint leaves, coriander leaves, some pinches of meethi ittar according to your discretion...sprinkle fried onion. add the other batch of 80% cooked rice and again add all the seasonings and the leaves etc. 7. cover the lid and tighten it with a loarge ring of dough. let it cook on high flave for first 10 mnts, then 20 mnts on medium flame, then cook it slowly for 15 mnts on very slow flame, preferably on a tawa....then open the lid and your house will be surrounded with heady aroma..serve it with a yoghurt salad

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Why are the biryanis prepared by Muslims tastier? What makes hyderabadi biryani so special? Where can I find the best vegetarian version of the Hyderabadi Biryani? What are some original Muslim recipes for biryani? Is Hyderabadi biryani overhyped?

Sunil Godithi, A Time Traveller ... One second at a time Written 3 Sep 2015

MSG at most places nowadays... Traditionally it's the right quality of meat, fried onions and final sprinkling of ghee+cooking water (from rice) and saffron milk. The one great home cook's secret was Koya and rose water 4.1k Views · View Upvotes

Aarohi Dhingra, Content Writer Written 2 Apr 2015

I am sharing you the recipe of Hyderabdi dum biryani which I got from Mothers’Zone. Try to cook biryani with this method, may be you get same taste and smell like authentic Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe Ingredients: Chicken: ½ kg Rice: 1 ½ cups Bay leaves: 2 Green cardamoms: 10 Black peppercorns: 20-25 Cinnamon sticks: 3 (1 inch each) Caraway seeds (shahi jeera): ½ tsp Cloves: 10 Onions: 4-5 (finely sliced) Ginger garlic paste: 3 tbsp Turmeric powder: ½ tsp Coriander powder: 2 tbsp Chili powder: 1 ½ tbsp Yogurt: 1 cup Black cardamoms: 2 Saffron: few strands (mixed in ¼ cup of milk) Pure ghee: 4 tbsp Fresh coriander leaves: 2 tbsp Fresh mint leaves: 2 tbsp Oil 1 tbsp + for deep frying Salt: according to taste Preparation Method: Soak rice in plenty of water for about ½ an hour. Now heat water in a deep pan and add the bay leaves, few green cardamoms, seven to eight peppercorns, one cinnamon stick and cook the rice till three fourth is done. Now drain the excess water and spread the rice on a plate and let it cool. Next, heat sufficient oil in a kadhai and deep fry the onion slices till golden brown in color. Remove and keep it aside. Grind the remaining cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, cloves, green cardamom and caraway seeds to a fine powder and keep it aside. Take the chicken pieces in a bowl and add ginger, garlic paste and salt and mix well. Add the powdered spices, red chili powder, half of the fried onions, yogurt, coriander leaves, half of the mint leaves and a tablespoon of oil and mix well. Let it marinade for about two hours in the refrigerator. Heat two tbsp of ghee in a pan and add the remaining cinnamon sticks and black cardamoms and fry till a nice aroma is released. Now add the chicken pieces and cook on high heat for a few minutes. Now reduce the flame and cook covered till the chicken is almost done. Heat the remaining ghee in a thick bottomed pan and spread a layer of rice and spread the chicken over the rice. Sprinkle some mint leaves and spread the remaining rice and chicken and sprinkle saffron milk. Cover and cook in low flame till the rice is done. A sweet fragrance will be released. Serve hot with raita of your choice. 7.6k Views · View Upvotes

Anonymous Written 10 Jun

As per my experience, here are some common mistakes: Refined Oil just will not do. Cook in Desi Ghee or Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil i.e. Vanaspati/Dalda. Use Kashmiri / Bydagi chilli powder. Dont skimp on Caramelized Onions - the raw weight must around 50% of the meat. Fry the onions in Ghee/Vanaspati only. Reuse the leftover Ghee/Vanaspati to oil the Biryani utensil and add some to the marinade. Use a mix of Coriander and Mint / Dhaniya Patta and Pudina in the marinade and in the rice while layering. Drizzle some sweetish water on the rice while putting it for dum - rose water, kewra water, or lightly sweetened milk. Now a days you get Biryani essense. You could try that, but it raises the spice level. A biryani is ideally only mildly and not highly spiced. Still, it is worth an experiment, since I’ve seen almost all the catering cooks using it. 1.6k Views

Related Questions How do I make Hyderabadi Biryani at home? Where can I get good and spicy Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani in Mumbai? Is eating biryani regularly good for your health? How do I judge a good Biryani? Why is Hyderabadi biryani at its best only in Hyderabad rather than any other city? Could someone provide a good biryani recipe? What are the two things which we should keep in mind while preparing the Biryani? How is the typical flavor of biryani created? Is it a mixture of spices? If so, what is it? Or is it some other ingredient/ingredients. What is the recipe of Hyderabadi Haleem? Why is the hyderabadi biryani green all over the country except in hyderabad? What's the secret of Paradise Biryani, Hyderabad? Why is Hyderabadi Biryani so famous in India and the world over? What is an authentic biryani recipe? What is the recipe for veggie biryani? Which is the original birthplace of biryani?

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