Avoid these common mistakes while making Biryani for that restaurant like taste

When it comes to royal food, this rice-based dish is one of the most popular delicacies around the world. From being served in parties to being a comfort food, Biryani is everyone’s favourite. It is basically a combination of meat, rice and spices, which is often savoured with raita, achaar and salad. There are several factors which can make or break your Biryani. Here are some common tips which you must keep in mind while making Biryani.

Good quality Basmati rice is an ideal pick for Biryani. It is also said that long-grained Basmati rice should be picked over short-grained rice. This is because the short-grained rice can turn mushy soon because of high starch content. You must soak rice at least for 20-30 minutes before you start cooking it. Make sure you never overcook the rice.

Another important step which gives the Biryani its unique flavour and aroma is ‘dum’. You must always use dough to seal the lid of the Biryani which will help in steam formation. This steam gets evenly distributed in the sealed pot and infuses flavour in the rice.

If you often cook the meat and rice separately, then this step will add more flavour to your Biryani. You can cook the rice in water for a while till it is 40% done. After that, take it out of water and cook it in Biryani Jhol. This Biryani Jhol is made with ghee, milk, cream, butter and whole spices. Cooking rice in Biryani Jhol will give your restaurant like Biryani in no time.

Onion is one vegetable which is always used in large quantities while preparing Biryani. It is a thumb rule that onions should always be in a 1:2 ratio with rice. Properly sauteed and golden brown onions further makes the briyani flavourful.

Most people either don’t know or just skip this step while preparing Biryani. Seasoning of water for rice is as important as any other step. The water in which the rice is soaked and will be cooked later must always be on the saltier side. This helps the rice absorb the saltiness which will help in making properly flavoured rice.

If possible, it is advised to prepare your own biryani masala. Homemade masala will not only be more fresh but will also have a better aroma than the ones bought from the market. You can easily grind spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, black peppers, green cardamom, fennel seeds, bay leaves and some other spices together and make your own Biryani Masala.

Secret spices: Mace, Star Anis, Saffron and Ittar for that restaurant like aroma.