Kolkata biryani descends from the Awadhi kitchen, carried east when Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Metiabruz near Kolkata in 1856, and it keeps that courtly lightness — then makes the dish its own with a golden potato and often a boiled egg tucked into the layers. It is fragrant and gently spiced, with less chilli heat and a faint sweetness, and the potato is the reason no two plates at the table need argue over the meat.
How it differs — it is derived from the Lucknowi (Awadhi) style, but lighter and subtly sweet, and far milder than the robustly spiced, kacchi Hyderabadi dum biryani.
At a glance
- Prep
- 30 mins
- Cook
- 40 mins
- Total
- 1 hr 10 mins
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 750g basmati rice
- 1kg chicken, bone-in and skinless, cut into medium pieces
- 2-3 large potatoes, peeled and halved
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
- 200g plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp ghee, plus 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- Whole spices: 2 bay leaves, 6 green cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 blade of mace, a pinch of grated nutmeg
- A generous pinch of saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup warm milk
- 1 tsp kewra water
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Salt
Method
- Rinse the basmati in several changes of water, then soak it in fresh water for 30 minutes. Hard-boil the eggs if you have not already.
- Fry the potato halves in a little ghee or oil until golden at the edges, then set aside — they will finish cooking inside the sealed pot.
- Fry the sliced onions until golden and crisp, lift out, and drain on paper, keeping the fat in the pan.
- Cook the meat: in the same fat, crackle the whole spices, add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the yogurt, chilli powder, turmeric, sugar and salt. Add the chicken with a splash of water and cook gently until tender, about 15 minutes, in a light, mildly spiced gravy.
- Par-boil the rice: bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil, add the drained rice and cook for 5-7 minutes until three-quarters done. Drain well.
- Assemble in a heavy pot: a spoonful of ghee at the base, then half the meat and gravy, half the fried potatoes, half the boiled eggs (halved), half the rice, and half the fried onions, mint, saffron milk and kewra water. Repeat with the remaining layers.
- Seal the pot tightly and finish on the lowest heat for 20-25 minutes. Rest 10 minutes off the heat, then open gently and serve, making sure each plate gets its potato and egg.
Sources
Keep exploring
A lighter, fragrant biryani suits an unhurried evening table. We set ours to slow sitar with the candles lit.