Biryani Ingredients

A good biryani starts with the rice, and this page gathers what a home cook needs for it: aged basmati, sella rice, pure ghee and, when we have them in, biryani masala, saffron, crisp fried onions, kewra water and rose water. Our basmati rice shelf holds the long, slender aged grains that stay separate after cooking, while sella basmati is parboiled in the husk, which makes the grain firmer, golden and very forgiving in a large pot.

Each region cooks its biryani differently. Hyderabadi kacchi biryani layers raw marinated meat under part cooked rice and lets the dum do the rest. Lucknowi or Awadhi biryani is gentler, with the meat cooked first in a light yakhni and perfumed with kewra and saffron. Sindhi biryani brings potatoes, dried plums and a sharper heat, and Kerala biryani from Thalassery and Malabar uses short grain kaima rice, ghee and fried cashews. For most styles aged basmati gives the longest grain, while sella suits catering quantities and cooks who want grains that never break.

Wash the rice gently three or four times until the water runs almost clear, then soak basmati for thirty minutes and sella for at least an hour. Par boil in well salted water with whole spices until the grain is about seventy per cent cooked and still has a firm centre, then drain at once. Layer it over the meat or vegetables, scatter fried onions, saffron milk, mint and a spoon of ghee between the layers, and seal the lid with a rope of atta dough or foil before cooking on the lowest heat.

Ghee is what makes the top layer glossy and fragrant, so keep a tin of pure ghee beside the hob. Store saffron airtight and away from light, and keep rice in a sealed tub so it stays dry. More grains for pulao and everyday rice sit in our rice and grains department.