Hyderabadi Egg Biryani
With saffron, fried onions, complex spices, and aged basmati, egg biryani is a beautiful and elegant treat from the rich and flavourful culinary traditions of Hyderabad. While this dish is a bit complex to organize, it's not all that difficult to make - just make sure to read through thoroughly (especially if you're new to making biryani, or to dum cooking) before you get started!
- Prep time
- 1 hr
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 5-6 threads saffron
- 1/2 cup milk
- 15 oz basmati rice ((~2.25 cups) preferably aged)
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ghee (or oil)
- 1 Indian bay leaf (tejpat)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 green cardamom pods (lightly crushed)
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ((see note))
- 1 cup chopped tomato (fresh or canned)
- 1/4 cup fried onions ((see note))
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp biryani masala ((see note))
- 2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp mint (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup plain yogurt (curd)
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 hard boiled eggs
- 2 tsp biryani masala
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp mint (finely chopped)
- 1 cup fried onions
- 1 tbsp oil or ghee
Instructions
- 1
Wrap the saffron in a small piece of aluminum foil, then toast in a hot frying pan for about 30 seconds.
- 2
Add the toasted saffron to the milk and set aside.
- 3
Rinse the basmati very well, and drain thoroughly.
- 4
Soak the rice in fresh water for ~30 minutes. If you're ready to parboil the rice, continue to the next step; otherwise, cover the rice and set it aside.
- 5
Add the water and spices to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add rice, stirring regularly but gently. Boil until the rice is about 75% cooked; approximately 7 minutes. Drain thoroughly and rinse gently with cold water. Pick out and discard the large spices.
- 6
Heat the ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the gravy spices (cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, black pepper) briefly.
- 7
Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for about 1 minute.
- 8
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- 9
Add the fried onions, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander, turmeric. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- 10
Stir in the biryani masala, cilantro, mint, salt, and yogurt (curd). Mix well, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- 11
Add water to the pan, then return to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add salt to taste.Note: Do not clean out your pan when you're finished! You can transfer your gravy to a separate bowl if you wish, but you want to leave the leftover gravy in the pan for frying the spiced eggs (see below).
- 12
(Note: you can boil the eggs any way you prefer - this is my favourite method)Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the eggs, the cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave eggs for 7-8 minutes for somewhat soft yolk, 9-10 for fully set yolk. Transfer cooked eggs to a bowl of cold water.
- 13
Peel and halve eggs after they've cooled.
- 14
Combine the salt and masala. Dip the cut face of the eggs in mixture.
- 15
Fry the eggs in the gravy pan with 1 tbsp of ghee (or oil) until crispy.
- 16
Oil the bottom of the cooking pot. Assemble the layers in the following order:1) 1/3 of the rice2) 1/3 of the herbs and saffron milk3) 1/2 gravy and onions4) 1/3 of the rice5) 1/3 of the herbs and saffron milk6) Eggs7) Remaining gravy and onions8) Remaining rice9) Remaining herbs and saffron milk
- 17
Dum cook the biryani (see note) for 5 minutes over high heat, then 20-25 minutes over low heat.
- 18
Uncover the rice immediately before serving. I like to mix the biryani a bit, but take care not to overdo it. Serve with raita, chutney, bread, etc.