India · Indian cuisine of Hyderabad
Hyderabadi dum biryani
Fragrant basmati rice and tender marinated mutton cooked together in a sealed pot, layered with crisp fried onions, mint, saffron and ghee, so that the meat juices steam up through every grain.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | India
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
original Original text, written in English.
Read this recipe inespañol · translationfrançais · translationEnglish · original
- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 30 min
- Cooking
- 70 min
- Resting
- 130 min
- Total
- About 230 min
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Cuisine / tradition: Indian cuisine of Hyderabad (IN) — declared by the author
- Main dish
- Celebration
- Slow-cooked
Ingredients
For 6 servings
- 450 g onions, thinly sliced, for the fried onions (birista)
- 150 ml neutral oil, for frying the onions
- 900 g bone-in mutton or lamb shoulder, in 4 cm pieces
- 200 g plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp raw papaya paste (meat tenderiser)
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 tbsp biryani or shahi garam masala
- 4 piece green chillies, slit
- 4 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 4 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp salt, for the marinade
- 5 piece cloves, for the marinade
- 8 piece green cardamom pods, for the marinade
- 1 piece cinnamon stick, for the marinade
- 500 g aged basmati rice
- 3 l water, for boiling the rice
- 1 tbsp salt, for the rice water
- 1 piece bay leaf, for the rice water
- 2 piece black cardamom pods, for the rice water
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 60 ml warm milk, for the saffron
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp rose water (optional)
- 150 g plain flour, for the dough seal
Method
- Step 1. Fry the onions in the 150 ml of oil over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden and crisp. Drain, keeping the oil, and spread the onions on paper to crisp.⏱ 20 min
- Step 2. Mix the mutton with the yogurt, papaya paste, ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, green chillies, coriander, mint, lemon juice, salt, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, half of the fried onions (crushed) and 3 tablespoons of the onion oil. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. Bring to room temperature 1 hour before cooking.⏱ 120 min
- Step 3. Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain. Bring the 3 litres of water to the boil with the salt, bay leaf, black cardamom and a few of the whole spices. Add the rice and boil for about 4 minutes, until it is about two-thirds cooked: it should break when pressed but keep a white core. Drain at once.⏱ 4 min
- Step 4. Dissolve the saffron in the warm milk. Grease a heavy, wide pot with 1 tablespoon of ghee and spread the marinated mutton in an even layer at the bottom.
- Step 5. Cover the meat with half of the rice, then half of the remaining fried onions and a little coriander and mint. Add the rest of the rice, the remaining onions and herbs. Drizzle over the saffron milk, the rose water and the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted ghee.
- Step 6. Mix the flour with a little water into a firm dough and roll it into a rope. Press it around the rim of the pot, cover with a tight lid and press the lid down to seal.
- Step 7. Cook over high heat for 5 minutes, until steam begins to push at the seal, then lower to the lowest heat (on a griddle if possible) and cook for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes without opening.⏱ 45 min
- Step 8. Break the seal carefully, away from your face (the steam is scalding), and lift the lid only a little at first. Check that the meat is cooked through at the centre and very tender (a piece pressed with a spoon falls apart); do not rely on the 45 minutes alone. If it is not, close the pot again and cook on the lowest heat in stages of 10 minutes, watching the rice at the bottom (keep the griddle under the pot) and each time opening carefully, away from your face, because of the scalding steam. Fluff the rice from the sides to the middle, mixing a little of the meat and the bottom layer with the rice, and serve hot with raita.
Story and cultural note
Hyderabadi dum biryani is described in the sources as the classic Nizami style of kacchi (raw meat) biryani: raw marinated meat and par-boiled rice are layered in one heavy pot, sealed and cooked on low heat so that the juices of the meat steam into the rice. The core spices are cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, star anise, shahi jeera, garam masala, chilli and saffron, and the fried onions, called birista, are essential. The pakki method, where the meat is cooked first and then layered with the rice for a short dum, is a more forgiving variation. Sources differ on the proportion to which the rice is boiled (50 to 70 percent) and the cooking time.
Tips for success
Do not overcook the rice before the dum: two-thirds cooked is right, as it finishes in the steam. Marinate the meat as long as possible, ideally overnight. Seal the pot well and cook on the lowest possible heat; a griddle under the pot protects the bottom layer. Do not open the pot during the dum, and rest for 10 minutes before breaking the seal. The 45 minutes are indicative, not a guarantee: judge the dum by the tenderness of the meat.
Serving and presentation
Bring the sealed pot to the table and break the dough in front of the guests. Fluff the rice gently from the edges, serve in layers so that every plate has rice, meat and onions, and offer cool raita and a salad of onion and cucumber.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
ContainsMilkGluten (cereals)
