Dum Biriyani is aromatic rice cooked in lamb marinated in spices and yogurt in a clay pot sealed with wheat dough. The rice and the lamb are cooked together in layers with fresh herbs and saffron water to give an awesome flavor and texture.
Biriyani is of different varieties and methods of preparation, not to mention ingredients. Dum biriyani is a relatively easier method of making it because all you have to do is marinate the lamb in the spices and herbs, layer the partially cooked rice with the lamb, and fried onions and cook in a dough-sealed clay pot. This method is ideal if you are considering main courses for a large party.
The ‘best’ dum biriyani that I ever had was in Marrakech. We were on our way back from touring the Atlas Mountains when our driver asked us whether we wanted ‘la cuisine Indienne’. Despite the charms of Moroccan food, we were both curious and in need for something familiar. With an enthusiastic ‘Oui!’ we were whisked through the backstreets. Situated near the main souk with a rooftop view of the Kuttubia mosque, this was a surprising find. We were graciously greeted by the salwar accoutered French lady, who recommended the dum biriyani. Now, having sampled some of the best biriyanis all over India, I was a little surprised but decided to try it anyway.
The biriyani arrived in small, neat clay pots, sealed with dough. I was too famished to wait for everything to be served. When I cut open the dough on the clay pot, the enticing aroma edged with rose water was tantalizing. The al dente rice that layered the soft juicy, tender, lamb was well seasoned, without being heavy handed. This dish cheered me instantly and restored my energy!
The owner might have been French, but as I always say, anyone can cook any cuisine well if we are creative, patient, open-minded, and put a lot of love into making the dish. What was genuinely surprising about this restaurant was the quality of the food. I have found that restaurants in a tourist town generally do not overly pay attention to the quality of the food, given the transience of the population. So this experience was a pleasantly surprising one for us.
I have grown up with biriyani, this being a cuisine célèbre whenever my parents had their dinner parties. That said, my own dum biriyani is adapted from a version that I was introduced to me by a noted chef from a 5-star hotel in my hometown, Chennai, who was friends with my aunt. Watching him make this dish at my aunt’s home was incredibly instructive. He showed my aunt the techniques associated with ‘dum pukht’ that I have modified and now wish to share with you. The result is an incredible biriyani where the meat is tender, moist, and well flavored, while the rice was firm and equally aromatic.
One of the most notable features of ‘dum biriyani’ is that it does not need to be made fresh. In fact, on more than one occasion, my family and friends have commented that the day-old biriyani was more flavorful than the freshly made one. I have no idea why? As I have mentioned earlier, biriyani tends to be the result of hyperlocal techniques and flavors. My own adaptations come from having sampled ‘dum biriyani’ in many countries. I use a mélange of fresh herbs and spices that may not be available in a more traditional setting. In addition, I have adapted my ‘dum pukht’ technique to take advantage of what I have learned in other cuisines.
What is Dum Biriyani?
Often described as the epitome of Indian cuisine, this rice dish is another platform, inspiring a dazzling variety of local and hyperlocal techniques and flavors. So are the origin legends behind this complex and sumptuous dish which are dizzying. There is some consensus based on semantic similarities that this dish originated in Persia because of the Farsi phrase “birian” which means “fried before cooking” or because of the Persian word ‘berenj’ meaning ‘rice’.
It is obvious that through trade, conquest, or both, Indian biriyani has elevated this simple dish into something subtle, complex, and awe-inspiring. Once reserved for royalty and nobility, this dish now has over a dozen major variations, reflecting the making of the diverse roots of India itself. I would say that this alone makes it truly one of India’s national dishes.
Technique of Dum Biriyani:
Dum biriyani is made using a specific technique called ‘dum pukht’. This phrase essentially means ‘to breathe and cook’. It is a hybrid technique of steaming, braising, and baking. Prepared in a traditional clay or copper pot, known as a ‘handi’, layers of rice and meat are sealed with a dough base cover and cooked over a low flame. The low flame helps the meat and rice to absorb the flavor of the spices. Meanwhile, the dough seal (pardah or veil) allows the food to breathe and organically seals the aroma within the handi. Traditionally, as the pardah absorbs the flavor of the rice, it also gets cooked and is used as a serving pastry for the biriyani.
Difference between dum biriyani and Hyderabadi biriyani:
So, is there a difference between ‘dum’ biriyani and Hyderabadi biriyani? That is like comparing apples with oranges. As I have said, ‘dum’ is short form for ‘dum pukht’ and it is a technique that has been used in several different regional variations of biriyani. It is also used in a variety of other dishes. What distinguishes the Hyderabadi version of the ‘dum’ style is the specific combination of spices and herbs influenced by the Mughal, Turkish, Arabic, Telugu, and Maratha cuisines.
Also, what’s the difference between a biriyani and pulao? Pulao is cooked as the rice and vegetables absorb the moisture from water or stock. Most biriyani, on the other hand, uses Basmati or some times parboiled rice, which is then drained, and layered with protein.
Serve Dum Biriyani with these dishes (appetizer, dessert, and side dish):
Ingredients:
- Whole spices: The whole spices (cloves, cardamom, etc) in this recipe can be purchased at any Asian store.
- Saffron: This spice is essential to the dum biriyani to give it both its flavor and color.
- Yogurt : Yogurt gives it the sour taste that is a good balance to the spices, herbs, and lamb.
- Kewra water: This is also available in Asian stores.
- Shah jeera: Also known as black cumin seeds can be substituted with cumin seeds.
- Garam masala: Available in Asian stores in powdered form.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh mint and coriander are essential – do not use dried herbs.
These ingredients are unique to many Indian dishes and are necessary to make dum biriyani.
How to make Dum Biriyani?
- Grind all the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Wash, drain the lamb and mix the lamb with this spice marinade.
3. Mix the lamb with the chopped herbs.
4. Rub the marinade into the lamb and marinate the lamb for at least 6 hours overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
5. The following day, sauté the sliced onions in a clay pot or Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Caramelize the onions by sautéing for about 5-7 minutes. Keep most of the onions aside for the biriyani and reserve some for garnish.
6. In 2 tablespoons of warm water, add the saffron strands and let them soak for 10 minutes. Keep this aside. In the same clay pot, heat the clarified butter or ghee. Do not let it burn. Add the shah jeera and season it.
7. Add the lamb with the marinade and cook on medium heat.
8. Cook the lamb for 10 minutes or until it thickens.
9. Wash the Basmati rice in a sieve and keep aside.
10. In a separate pot, boil water in a pot. Add 3 cups of the washed basmati rice with bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, mace, black and green cardamom, salt, and sesame oil.
11.Boil the rice until it is only 70% cooked or partially cooked for 4 minutes. The rice must be grainy to touch.
12. Drain the rice and keep aside.
13. In the clay pot, layer the drained rice. Drizzle some ghee, saffron water, kewra water, and the cooked lamb.
14. Then, repeat the layers again with fresh herbs and finally, top with caramelized onions, mint, and fresh coriander.
15. Seal the lid of the clay pot with the wheat dough rolled into a long narrow roll 1″ thick. Coil the roll on the brim of the pot. Place the lid firmly on the wheat roll and cook on low heat for 22 minutes. (I also made some individual dum biriyani in small clay pots where I rolled the wheat dough like a tortilla and sealed it on top). Turn off the heat and let the dum biriyani rest for 10 minutes. Cut the roll and lift the lid. Open the pot and serve the dum biriyani warm by scooping from the bottom up.
1. Cook the dum biriyani on low heat or it will get burned at the bottom of the pot.
2. The pre-cooked rice must be partially cooked as it will get fully cooked in the clay pot again.
3. Reduce the time to 15 minutes if cooking in small clay individual clay pots.
4. The lamb must be cooked so that the sauce is thick. Runny sauce from the lamb will make the rice mushy at the end.
5. Small boneless pieces if lamb are preferred so it makes it easier to eat from individual clay pots.
6. Boneless chicken can also be used with the same recipe instead of the lamb.
7. The dum biriyani is meant to be a colorful spectrum of white, orange, yellow, green and brown. So do not mix up the lamb sauce and the rice. Just layer them carefully and seal the pot.
How to store:
Leftover dum biriyani can be stored in airtight boxes and refrigerated. Re-steam the biriyani without the dough seal. You can steam it in a steamer or microwave the biriyani by sprinkling some water and heating it with a lid on top.
How to serve:
The traditional ‘dum’ biriyani is served in the pardah, which makes for a tasty plate. They can also be served in the clay or copper handi, that are usually garnished with deep fried onions (beresta) and a boiled egg on the side. Accompanying this can be a variety of condiments including a yogurt and onion salad (raita) and/or a very light meat curry (salan). Dum biriyani is served on special occasions in India.
Dum Biriyani
Equipment
- Clay pot or Dutch oven (stovetop)
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup water enough to make a dough
- a pinch salt
For the lamb marinade:
- 1½ lb boneless lamb
- 1 tbsp ginger peeled, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 Thai chili
- ⅓ cup roasted cashews
- 5 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tbsp Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1½ tsp garam masala powder
- 3 tsp salt
For the dum biriyani:
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ cup mint chopped
- 2 red onions big, sliced
- ½ tsp saffron strands
- 1 tsp shahjeera
- 3 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
- 1 cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 mace
- 2 black cardamom
- 3 green cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp kewra water
Instructions
- Grind all the ingredients for the marinade.
- Wash, drain the lamb and mix the lamb with this spice marinade.
- Mix the lamb with the chopped herbs.
- Rub the marinade into the lamb and marinate the lamb for at least 6 hours overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Sauté the sliced onions in a clay pot or Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Caramelize the onions by sautéing for about 5-7 minutes. Keep most of the onions aside for the biriyani and reserve some for garnish.
- In 2 tablespoons of warm water, add the saffron strands and let them soak for 10 minutes. Keep this aside. In the same clay pot, heat the clarified butter or ghee. Do not let it burn. Add the shah jeera and season it.
- Add the lamb with the marinade and cook on medium heat.
- Cook the lamb for 10 minutes or until it thickens.
- Wash the Basmati rice in a sieve and keep aside.
- In a separate pot, boil water in a pot. Add 3 cups of the washed basmati rice with bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, mace, black and green cardamom, salt, and sesame oil.
- Boil the rice until it is only 70% cooked or partially cooked for 4 minutes. The rice must be grainy to touch.
- Drain the rice and keep aside.
- In the clay pot, layer the drained rice. Drizzle some ghee, saffron water, kewra water, and the cooked lamb.
- Then, repeat the layers again with fresh herbs and finally, top with caramelized onions, mint, and fresh coriander.
- Seal the lid of the clay pot with the wheat dough rolled into a long narrow roll 1" thick. Coil the roll on the brim of the pot. Place the lid firmly on the wheat roll and cook on low heat for 22 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the dum biriyani rest for 10 minutes. Cut the roll and open the pot and serve warm from the bottom up.
Notes
- Caramelized onions add a unique flavor to the dum biriyani.
- Saffron water contributes to both the color, aroma, and flavoring of the rice.
Nutrition
A traditional Indian dish executed perfectly! Well done Kanchan!
Thanks, Ishani!
thanks for showing how to make the dough – I’ve always gotten stuck there.
This is SO GOOD!! I tried this recipe and its so much better than the nasi briyani we get at the even th best restaurants I have tried. But what’s even amazing is that it tested even better on the 2nd day. I have Indian friends who have said that to me before, but this is the first time I have tried to make biriyani and my family loved it. Big fan!!
I am very happy to hear that, thank you!