Sindhi Biryani is the most popular dish of Sindhi cuisine. If you are craving masala wali spicy chicken biryani with potato (aloo) then this recipe is for you. It is extremely exciting for me to cook this biryani as it's full of vibrant colors and literally I was starving due to the heady aroma of steaming biryani rice.
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If you are in love with South Asian cuisine then you must be familiar with Biryani which is the most famous and demanding rice recipe for lunch and dinner. People love to prepare biryani for their special occasions and other festive moments. In Pakistani cuisine, biryani is the top-rated dish that people love to eat anytime anywhere.
About Sindhi Biryani
Chicken Sindhi biryani is itself a treat for biryani lovers! I belong to Karachi but I love to make Sindhi biryani as I feel it gives the taste that I want. Meat (chicken, beef, mutton, lamb) cooked with homemade biryani masala with the flavor of ginger garlic, brown onion, tomatoes, and yogurt makes a perfect flavor of biryani korma. Then layering and steaming with boiled rice by adding boiled potatoes and fresh herbs makes it super delicious.
Pakistani biryani can be prepared in different ways by combining meat curry (korma) and rice. In Hinz cooking recipes, you can find different types of 'biryani recipes' but I thumb up this recipe due to its special flavor, masala, and spices. It's a 'Chicken Sindhi Biryani' that you can prepare in your kitchen in no time. It's a simple, easy, and authentic Sindhi biryani recipe as is taken from a 'Sindhi' cook who is famous to make Sindhi biryani in a local restaurant in Hyderabad.
If you like Hyderabadi dum biryani, Bombay biryani, Karachi Biryani or Delhi biryani then you must like the flavor of Sindhi biryani. It's also famous by the name of 'masala wali biryani'.
How to Make Sindhi Biryani
It's easy and simple to make Chicken Sindhi biryani with homemade biryani masala. I have prepared this recipe without marination so it would be easy to quickly prepare. If you like then you can marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic, spices, and garam masala for 7 to 8 hours. Otherwise, you can follow the recipe to quickly prepare chicken masala and then rice layer to make the perfect flavor of Sindhi biryani.
Step 01: Prepare Chicken Masala
In a pan, pour 1 tablespoon oil and heat it up. Add whole garam masala (Black pepper, cloves, bay leaves, green cardamom, cumin seeds) in oil and let it pop for a few seconds. As it gets aromatic add sliced onion and stirs the pan until it turns to golden brown color. Now add ginger garlic paste and cook it for about 3-4 minutes. Now time to add chicken and cook at on high temperature for about 5 minutes until the chicken starts to change color from white to golden pink. Season with red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Cook the spices for 5 minutes to get rid of spice rawness. Now add yogurt and stir the pan until the yogurt blend with curry and turns into gravy form in homogenous texture. As the oil comes up over the surface of the pan then add tomato cubes. Mix it well and add water (250 ml). Sprinkle Garam Masala Powder and salt in curry and give it a good mix.
Cover the pan and cook for about 25 minutes to fully cook the chicken. After 25 minutes, uncover the pan and check the masala. If it's watery then cook it at a high temperature to evaporate extra water. Make sure the masala curry should be thick and oil need to float over the curry.
Step 02: Prepare Biryani Potatoes
Take two potatoes, peel the skin, and cut the potatoes into cubes. Take ½ liter of water and place the cubes in water to boil it. Sprinkle salt and a pinch of yellow food color in the pan. Cover the pan for about 25 minutes to cook on low/medium heat. (Note: On the safe side, check it in between to avoid any time of burning).
Step 03: Rice Preparation
Take Basmati rice in a bowl and add wash it with tap water. Soak the rice in water for about 15 minutes.
In a deep pan, add 3-liter water and boil it on high heat. Add some whole garam masala (cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks). Boil the water with garam masala for about 15 to 30 minutes to make it aromatic. Add soaked rice and cook for 7-8 minutes until the rice becomes soft. Make sure to cook rice (80%) rest will be done on the steaming (‘Dum’) step. Fully drain the water using a strainer and keep the rice in the pan.
Step 4: Layering
Take a pan and add half section of rice in the pan. Add salt and mix it well using a spoon. (If you added salt during rice boiling then avoid this step). Now pour the chicken curry over the 1st layer of rice. Then place the remaining rice over the curry as a next layer. Adjust salt on 2nd layer. Add boiled potatoes over the rice and keep it on side of the pan using the spoon. Generously spread the crispy brown onion over the rice as a top layer. Place plums over the rice that become foamy after steaming.
In a small bowl, add rose water (50 ml) and, edible biryani food color (yellow) and mix it well. Pour the mixture over the biryani to make the dual-color texture of rice.
Spread green chilies, chopped coriander, and mint over the rice. Also, add a few drops of fresh lemon juice (optional).
Now all set to steam the rice.
Step 5: Steaming (Dum)
Properly cover the biryani lid for 25 minutes. Initially keep the temperature high for about 5 minutes then turn it to low.
Now Sindhi Biryani is ready to serve with Biryani Raita. It seems like a lengthy process to make Sindhi biryani but it is so simple and easy to cook if you follow the recipe steps in the video.
Sindhi Biryani Video
In my recipe video, you can watch step by step process to make this biryani with ease and convenience. The recipe language is in Urdu/Hindi to facilitate local people to quickly follow the process.
Making time: 1 hour | Difficulty: Beginners | Language: Urdu | Watch Time 5:46
Expert Tips
- Use premium quality basmati rice.
- Always boil rice till 80% and rest of the rice will cook on dum. If the rice boiled 100% then the biryani will be mushy in texture.
- Never steam for long time as it can make biryani mushy.
- Make sure the chicken curry should not be water before adding in rice. It need to show oil in pan and completely cooked.
- Aloo bukhara (dried plums) makes a perfect flavor in biryani so don't skip it.
- Use big pieces of potatoes to add in biryani. Avoid cubes or small pieces.
Serving
As the biryani is a complete meal so you can simply serve it with biryani raita and veg salad. It makes a perfect combination.
If you are arranging a lunch or dinner table with biryani as the main dish then add Shami kebab or Potato kabab along with biryani, salad, and raita.
More Biryani Recipes
Pakistani Chicken Biryani | Hyderabadi Biryani | Mutton Biryani | Beef Biryani | Chicken Tikka Biryani | Chickpea Biryani
Q & A
What's the difference between Sindhi biryani and Pakistani biryani?
Sindhi biryani is a traditional recipe from Sind province that is prepared with tomatoes and potatoes. It's a masala wali biryani with fluffy rice and soft plums. The flavor is a little bit different from Pakistani biryani which is purely prepared with meat korma without the addition of potatoes and other veggies.
May I prepare Sindhi Biryani with Lamb/mutton or beef?
Yes, you can follow the same recipe to prepare with lamb/mutton or beef. The cooking time of meat curry will increase.
The best rice to make Sindhi Biryani?
Long grain Pakistani basmati rice is the best to make Sindhi biryani.
Why Boil potatoes in a different pan rather than cooking in curry?
It's the most common question that people ask but I always recommend boiling potatoes in a different pan as it looks clean and vibrant. If you cook in curry then it will turn dark in color and the taste of boiled potatoes will mix with curry.
What is homemade biryani masala?
It's a spice powder that you can use to make biryani. Here is the step-by-step recipe to make homemade biryani masala.
Can I make it with Shan Sindhi Biryani Masala?
Yes, you can make it with readymade biryani masala. It will surely add flavor and save your time in the kitchen.
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Sindhi Biryani
Materials
- 600 gms Chicken
- 2.5 cups Rice
- 10 pieces Boiled Potatoe Cubes
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 sliced Onion
- Whole Garam Masala:
- Green cardamom (6), cinnamon sticks (3×3), black pepper (10), cloves (6), cumin seeds (1 Tsp), Bay leaves (2)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 1 big Tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 3 Green Chilies
- ½ bunch Fresh Coriander chopped
- 50 ml Rose water
- 2 pinches Biyani food color
- 1 tablespoon Crispy Brown onion
- 10 Plums (Aloo Bukhara)
- Salt – To Taste
- 250 ml Water
Instructions
- Preparation of Chicken Masala for Sindhi Biryani
- In a pan, pour 1 tablespoon oil and heat it up.
- Add whole garam masala (Black pepper, cloves, bay leaves, green cardamom, cumin seeds) in oil and as it gets aromatic
- Next, add onion sliced and stir the pan to make the onion golden brown.
- Add Ginger garlic paste and cook it for about 3-4 minutes.
- Then add chicken on high temperature and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken color changes to white/golden
- Now, add spices ( red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder).
- Cook the spices for 5 minutes.
- Add yogurt and stir the pan until the yogurt mixes with curry and turn into gravy form.
- As the oil comes up over the surface of the pan then add tomatoes.
- Mix it well and add water (250 ml).
- Add Garam Masala Powder and salt in curry and mix it well.
- Cover the pan and cook for about 25 minutes to fully cook the chicken.
- After 25 minutes, uncover the pan and check the masala. If it’s watery then cook it on the high temperature to evaporate extra water.
- Masala curry should be thick and oil need to float over the curry.
- Preparation of Biryani Potatoes
- Take two potatoes, peel the skin and cut the potatoes in cubes.
- Take ½ liter of water and place the cubes in water to boil it.
- Also, add salt and a pinch of yellow food color in the pan.
- On a medium heat, cover the pan for about 25 minutes.
- On a safe side, check it in between to avoid any time of burning.
- Preparation of Rice
- Take Basmati rice in a bowl and add wash it with tap water.
- Add water in the bowl to soak the rice for 15 minutes. Do this step.
- In a different pan, add 3-liter water.
- And also add some whole garam masala (cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks).
- Cook the water for 15 – 30 minutes to make it aromatic.
- Add rice and cook for 7-8 minutes until the rice becomes soft.
- Make sure to cook rice (80%) rest will be done on ‘Dum’ step.
- Drain the water using stainer and keep the rice in the pan.
- Biryani Layering Process
- Take a pan and add the half section of rice in the pan.
- Add salt and mix it well using a spoon. (If you added salt during rice boiling then avoid this step).
- Now pour the chicken curry over the 1st layer of rice.
- Then place the remaining rice over the curry as a next layer.
- Adjust salt on 2nd layer.
- Add boiled potatoes over the rice and keep it on side of the pan using the spoon.
- Sprinkle crispy biryani recipe over the rice.
- Spread the soft plums over the rice.
- In a small bowl, add rose water (50 ml) and, biryani food color (yellow) and mix it well.
- Pour the mixture over the biryani to make the dual texture of rice.
- Add green chilies and chopped coriander and mint.
- Also, add a few drops of lemon juice (optional).
- Add green masala (green peppers, mint and fresh coriander).
- Now biryani is ready to set for ‘Dum’.
- Steaming (Dum)
- Fully cover the biryani for 25 minutes.
- Initially turn the flame high for 5 minutes.
- Then slow down the flame and turn to a minimum to produce steam in biryani.
- After 25 minutes, biryani will be ready to serve.
Hinz
Here is famous Sindhi biryani recipe with video to make in your kitchen. If you like Sindhi cuisine then you must like this aloo wali chicken sindhi biryani.