Biryani Karachi

★★★★4.8· 876 ratings

·Serves 4

About this Dish

Karachi's biryani is distinct from Hyderabadi — spicier, more assertive, with a characteristic use of potatoes and yellow food colouring. The meat is marinated in yoghurt and spices, layered with partially cooked rice and sealed for the dum cook. Student Biryani, a Karachi institution since 1969, serves thousands of portions daily.

IngredientsServes 4

🍗Chicken thighs and drumsticks, 1kg bone-in pieces

🥔Potatoes, 3 medium, peeled and halved

🍚Basmati rice, 500g, soaked for 30 minutes

🧅Onions, 3 large, thinly sliced

🥛Full-fat yoghurt, 200g

🌶️Biryani masala (shop-bought or homemade), 3 tablespoons

🌿Fresh mint and coriander leaves, large handful each

🍅Tomatoes, 2 large, roughly chopped

🟡Yellow food colouring, ¼ teaspoon dissolved in 3 tablespoons warm milk

🫙Ghee or neutral oil, 6 tablespoons

Method

Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and fry the sliced onions, stirring often, for 15–20 minutes until they are deep golden brown and crispy. Remove half the onions and set aside for layering.

Add the tomatoes to the pot with the remaining onions and cook for 5 minutes until they break down, then stir in the biryani masala and cook for another 2 minutes until the oil separates. Add the chicken pieces and potatoes, coat them well in the masala, then stir in the yoghurt and cook on high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the gravy thickens and the chicken is half cooked. Season generously with salt.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil, add the soaked and drained rice, and cook for 6–7 minutes until the rice is about 70% cooked — it should still have a firm bite in the centre. Drain immediately.

Spread the chicken and potato masala evenly across the bottom of the pot. Layer the partially cooked rice over the top, then scatter over the reserved crispy onions and the fresh mint and coriander leaves.

Drizzle the yellow food colouring mixture over parts of the rice in an uneven pattern — you want patches of colour, not uniform yellow. Dot a tablespoon of ghee over the surface.

Seal the pot tightly with foil and then press the lid on firmly. Cook on high heat for 3 minutes to build up steam, then reduce to the lowest possible heat and cook for 25–30 minutes until the rice is fully cooked and fragrant. Let it rest, still sealed, for 10 minutes before opening.

Serve by scooping down through all the layers so each portion gets rice, chicken, potato and crispy onions together. Accompany with raita and a wedge of lemon.

Other Types of Biryani