egg dum biryani

Egg Dum Biryani

It’s finally here! I am so excited to finally upload a biryani recipe on the blog. Honestly, it has been nothing short of a dream for someone like me who loves creating videos and sharing recipes. I am a huge biryani fan myself and I can eat it every day. I honestly don’t know why I waited so long to upload this egg dum biryani recipe. But better late than never!

egg dum biryani

This egg dum biryani is so amazing and super professional! I always found making biryani very intimidating before I actually started making them at home. It’s definitely not as easy as making a pasta or dal rice, but the effort is so worth it! And you know what is the best part about this particular egg biryani? It does not require any marination! So it’s way simpler than a biryani with meat.

egg dum biryani

egg dum biryani

I have tried to be as particular and detailed as possible with this recipe so that you have all the knowledge to get this right on your first trial. I have made several bad biryanis in my life and trust me, a lot of practice has got me to develop this recipe. And it’s 100 percent full proof. Just think about biryani from your favorite place and this can totally match up to that! So let me get straight to the top tips in ensuring that you get that perfectly flavourful and amazing biryani every single time.

How to Make The Best Biryani Ever

Making biryani is an art. It involves some real techniques which need to be followed no matter what. And guess what? They are not that hard! The techniques for this egg dum biryani are pretty straightforward. Let’s see what they are.

  1. Making that perfectly fluffy rice

A good biryani is one in which the rice is cooked to perfection and every single grain is separate from the other. To achieve this, you have to follow certain steps without fail.

  • Thoroughly wash your rice. Once you get your raw rice, wash it thoroughly under running water at least 5-6 times till the water that drains out is crystal clear. This step is very important as it helps to ensure that all the excess starch is removed so that you get rice that is fluffy and also not too heavy. Pro tip – Do not waste the starchy water. It is full of nutrients. Use it to water your plants.
  • Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes. Once your rice is washed, soak the rice in clean water for 30 minutes to one hour. Till step will ensure that the rice fluff up to its maximum potential.
  • Buy biryani rice, not long-grained basmati rice. To make restaurant-style biryani, make sure you purchase rice which is known as biryani rice. This rice is actually perfect for making biryani and is really thin, light, and long-grained. Buying basmati rice might not give you the same results as this rice would. There are many brands in the market that offer “biryani rice” in particular. Choose one of those.
  • Make room for a lot of water. Your rice will cook perfectly when it gets a lot of water to swim in. So make sure you fill up your pot with lots of water so that the rice gets submerged in it. In this recipe, I have used 500 grams of rice and 3 liters of water.
  • Salt your water well. This is crucial to make sure every grain of rice is well seasoned. Add enough salt in the pot of water as much as you would want in your soup. Mix it well and taste it before you add the rice.
  • Cook the rice before layering it only till it’s 70 percent done. This step can honestly make or break your biryani. When we cook the rice before layering it, make sure it’s cooked just enough that it still has a bit of a bite to it.
  • Strain the semi-cooked rice well. When you take the rice out of the water to save it for the layering, make sure you strain every bit of that excess water in which it was cooking. Leaving the rice in water will make it lumpy and stick to one another and that’s no good!
  • Be gentle when using the spoon. At all points of handling the rice, be it raw or semi-cooked, be gentle so that you don’t break the grains.
  • Use a cast iron pot or a good quality stainless steel pot/handi to cook the biryani. The last thing you would want is burnt rice at the bottom.

egg dum biryani

egg dum biryani

2. The Birista (fried onions) is the hero

While this egg dum biryani recipe uses a lot of ingredients, the one thing that makes the most impact is the birista or the fried onions. Birista refers to onions that have been fried in oil for a long time till it becomes crunchy and brown. The oil that is used to make the birista is packed with flavor. I have used the oil to flavor the biryani rice as well as the gravy. This birista is used for topping, as well as in the biryani gravy. You can buy birista as they are available in the market. But I make my own.

Here’s how I made the birista. You can also make this in advance and keep it for later use, as it is a time-consuming process.

Cut 300 grams of onions into thin slices. Separate them by crushing them with your hands. Heat 1 cup refined oil in a wide skillet. Add the onions to it. Cook on a medium flame for about an hour till the onions turn from translucent to brown and cook uniformly. the onions will be done when they turn crispy. Take them out on a paper towel and let them cool. You should be able to crush them with your hands when cooled down.  Store them or use them fresh.

3. The gravy

The taste and flavors in the gravy define a biryani. A lot goes into making the gravy for this egg dum biryani. For the creaminess, we add whisked curd and cashew paste. The biryani masala and garam masala also add a lot of flavors. And my personal touch of the chili, ginger and garlic paste gives it a super spicy kick and spin. It’s really the best!

4. The accompaniments in layering

A lot goes into making the biryani perfect. The layering involves many ingredients so make sure you do not miss out on any of the following ingredients as each one of them plays a very crucial role in making the biryani what it is.

  • Fresh coriander leaves
  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Ghee
  • Kewra water
  • Saffron infused milk
  • Starchy rice water

egg dum biryani

egg dum biryani

So those were my tips to make the perfect biryani. You can see more details in the video. Now let’s take a look at the ingredients.

Preparation time – 60 minutes

Cook time – 90 minutes

Serves – 6

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • 500 g biryani rice
  • 3 dried red chilies (soaked in warm water for three hours)
  • 20 g ginger
  • 15 g garlic
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 2 tbsp birista oil
  • Mace or javitri
  • One star anise
  • Cinnamon stick
  • Three cardamoms, slightly crushed
  • 1 tsp shah jeera
  • 3 cloves
  • 300 g onions (to make birista)
  • 2 tbsp biryani masala
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder (to fry the eggs)
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (to fry the eggs)
  • 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder (for the gravy)
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup whisked curd
  • 1 cup reserved rice water
  • 12 cashews ground to a paste
  • Fresh coriander leaves
  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Kewra water
  • Ghee (for layering)
  • Birista oil (for layering)
  • 8 tbsp warm milk
  • Few saffron strands
  • 1/2 cup hot water (for the gravy)

Directions

  1. Soak dried red chilies in hot water for three hours. Once soft, grind them with the ginger and garlic. Set aside.
  2. Thoroughly wash the rice till the water from it becomes clear. Soak in water for 30 minutes to one hour.
  3. Heat water in a wide pot. Add shah jeera, salt, birista oil, mace, star anise, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Stir well till it boils. Check the salt, add more if required. The water should be as salty as soup.
  4. Add the soaked rice to the boiling pot of water. Cook it till it’s 70 percent done. Save a cup of the rice water for later use. Strain well and set aside.
  5. Boil six eggs and poke it with a knife to make small holes for the masala to enter the eggs.
  6. Pour vegetable oil in a kadhai. Add salt, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Mix it gently and fry the eggs for 2-3 minutes till they are evenly crisp from all sides.
  7. In the same kadhai add some ghee and birista oil. Add the chili and ginger garlic paste. Saute on high flame till aromatic.
  8. Add half of the birista. Saute till it starts to melt.
  9. Season with more salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, biryani masala, and garam masala. Mix well.
  10. Add whisked curd and cashew paste, along with a cup of hot water. Mix everything together till you see the oil separates from the masala.
  11. Throw in the fried eggs and mix it all up along with some fresh coriander. Time to layer.
  12. Take a wide-mouthed pot and fill the bottom with a layer of rice. Add a second layer of eggs and gravy. Add another layer of rice on top.
  13. Drizzle ghee, saffron-infused milk, kewra water, and starchy rice water (2 tbsp each) over the rice. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, mint leaves, and top it off with birista.
  14. Repeat the process three more times. Once done, cover the pot with a lid. Make sure there is no room for air to escape.
  15. Heat an iron tawa on the gas. Once hot, lower the flame and put the biryani pot on top. Let this cook for 30 minutes. Once done, let the biryani rest for another 30 minutes.
  16. Gently take the lid off and mix all the layers of the egg biryani. Make sure you take all of it together.
  17. Serve hot with raita, salan, and salad on the side. Enjoy!

egg dum biryani

egg dum biryani

I hope you try this egg dum biryani recipe super soon! If you have any doubts, comments, or feedback, please reach out to me in comments or my social media handles.

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Happy cooking!

 

2 Comments

  1. Thanks for great content, I will also share with my friends & once again thanks a lot

     

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