Chicken Biryani — The Friday Degh, Done Right
Classic Pakistani chicken biryani with pack masala, proper rice technique and the dum that separates good from great. Serves 6.
· 1 min read
Ingredients
- 750g Basmati rice — buy at AkBaat
- 1kg Chicken
- 1 pack Biryani masala — buy at AkBaat
- 1 cup Cooking oil — buy at AkBaat
- 3 large Onions, sliced
- 1 cup Yoghurt
- 3 medium Tomatoes
- 4 pods Green cardamom — buy at AkBaat
Instructions
- Soak rice 30 minutes. Fry onions golden in oil; set half aside for garnish.
- Brown chicken with remaining onions, add masala pack, tomatoes and yoghurt; cook covered 20 minutes until oil separates.
- Boil soaked rice in salted water to 70% done (grain bends, doesn't break); drain.
- Layer: half rice, all chicken salan, remaining rice; top with fried onions and cardamom.
- Seal the pot (dum) on lowest flame 20 minutes. Rest 10 before opening — the steam finishes the grain.
- Fold gently from the sides to serve; never stir from the top.
Biryani is Pakistan's Friday ritual and its most argued-about dish. This version uses the pack masala honestly — the blend is solved; your job is rice and dum.
Serving Suggestions
Raita (yoghurt + chat masala), sliced cucumber-onion salad, and a cold drink round the plate. Dawat scale: sella rice, doubled quantities, and the trifle for after.
Storage
Refrigerates 2 days; the flavour deepens overnight. Reheat covered with a splash of water — microwave dries the grain. Freezing works for the salan alone, never the assembled pot.
The Technique Notes That Matter
The 70% boil is the whole game — grain should bend, not break. Oil separation before layering is the second checkpoint. Everything else is preference.
