Hope you all enjoyed and remember we are just scratching the surface of biryani with this video. As I mentioned, there are countless variations to try so get creative! Everyone I've ordered out or made myself has always been delicious, but I think it's the texture I like the most. Absolutely addicting. The recipes I used in this video ► www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooking-techniques-recipes/35-minute-chicken-biryani Book by Madhur Jaffrey with the original recipe ► amzn.to/355LjEh (affiliate link)
@ethan have a look into recipe book of biryani by praribha karan , you will find some really easy recipes as there are roughly 200 to 250 different types from all across india and all of them dont require expensive stuff such as saffron .
Love the video and the passion for what you do. Just want to let you know that the link in your description is different than what you link here in the comments. The one in the description doesn't work . Thanks again for great videos :)
Same and it just makes practical sense as well. Why just sit there in front of the pan scrolling through ur phone or just waiting when you can quickly get all the utensils and bowls cleaned so you can eat in peace and be done with it
@@EthanChlebowski super legit, it was my favorite part. She would make them about 20g each and roast them seperately then cut them in half and toss them in the rice to finish
@@EthanChlebowski Not just meatballs. There's tons of varieties depending on which part of the subcontinent. Some variants are mild, some are more spicy and there's one that mixes the masala (cooked meat + marinade mix) with the rice rather than layering. As for the type of meat you can use just about anything from beef, mutton, venison to even fish and prawns, just the ingredients for the spice mix usually defers depending on the type of meat used. The marinade also works as the primary seasoning for the rice. Also check out Chicken tikka biryani.
Good recipe but dude...the 4 tbsp of rice left in the strainer in the sink - my mom would slap me if saw that in my kitchen. My entire life I heard "don't waste a single grain".
@@liftingisfun2350 no fear here. Just awareness of the fact that there are people in this world who would die for the scraps people leave back on their plates/kitchen ware. How lucky are we that 4 tbsp of cooked rice is disregarded when that alone could be a meal for someone for an entire week.
My mom makes a biryani in about 1.5 hours but it's a super simple recipe, and has received compliments from actual chefs. It's in the 'Bombay' style, and I've been thinking of uploading a video about it forever because I want to share or post something on Reddit. We've had Biryani every Friday in my household for 27 years. I showed her your video and she said that food colouring is a legitimate substitute for the yellow colour and rose water for the fragrance, and pre-made spice mixes you can find in local Indian stores are worth every penny.
+ I personally have been eating Biryani since I was born and have had it with saffron maybe once. I guess it's the same concept as having steak in a restaurant with some fancy sides. Definitely not a necessity.
Never thought of using a pan to cook rice but seems like a good idea for rapid cooking. Edit - Maybe a tinsy bit rose water could compensate for the "floral" taste of saffron? Some recipes use it.
Ethan, I've had biryani and other south Asian food my whole life and have probably never tasted saffron. I think for a lot of other south asian households, saffron makes no sense unless for very very special occasions, like a wedding. Try substituting saffron for yellow food colouring/turmeric + kewra(pandan)/rose/orange blossom water/a mix of both, similar colour and floral notes and much more economical! If you ever feel like having a "treat biryani" day or want to luxe up your biryani more often, use a bit of ghee and try this substitute.
This looks like a typical "Thalassery" biryani or maybe the ones you find in North India, you won't believe the numerous variations to biryani, that we have in India, every single state and their districts, have their own recipes and methods to make this dish and each one of them are incredible!
As some western guy that lived in India for several years all around the country (I miss only the very North-East), I can give my non-partisan vote to the Hyderabad's Kalyani biryani. Amazing experience... there is a place near the University that is just great. I was underwhelmed by the biryani in Delhi and Mumbai, while Northern Kerala's Biryani is also one of my favourites. Well, Kerala in general...
Brother try adding these to your recipe:- - while cooking the chicken add some turmeric and Kashmiri red chilli powder - drizzle some ghee before you put the overall dish it into the oven - put the fried onions on top before you put them in the oven - add a peeled hard-boiled egg into the rice - sprinkle some garam masala at the top of the rice - layer the rice and add some fresh coriander leaves - finally - cook in a handi or something which has a depth and not in a pan Try with these changes just once Please
@Nill Null Wow. You should see a therapist. I never insinuated wastage. There is a reason for a certain thing to be superior than the other. (the components, the process involved.) Its not a matter of elitism, it is what it is. If you enjoy eating something good for you. Ignorance won't get you anywhere. It's pathetic how you find the need to feel offended by some stranger's opinion about a dish.
@@BenNeedsATheme4aDream lmao, you don't know what you're talking about, there is no one single 'real deal'. Plenty of recipes throughout our country. This seems pretty close to what restaurants serve nowadays
@@BenNeedsATheme4aDream And it's equally pathetic how you feel the need to tout your non-western version as being inherently better. Being "authentic" doesn't mean squat.
Authentic is arguable ig, The Nizams of hyderabad developed biryani from the child of pulav but predecessor to biryani and then that spread across India and things changed, for example, in hyderabad we'd never put fruits in with biryani but it's pretty common in the north.
When you eat elaborate Indian food with several different spices, you realize why the west tried to go across the planet just looking for these spices.
Western culture stems from Britain and it isn't halfway across the planet from Indian spices. Especially since trade routes were already established. But yes it is delicious. Asian food is also insanely good. Well I guess that goes for most cultures Now that I think about it.
@@Juiceboxer0 I think he’s referring to Europeans finally making it to the americas by ship. A lot of people believe it was because they were trying to go around Africa to get to India so they could have a trade route by water. However they actually landed in America which why the original inhabitants of the americas are called ‘Indians’ even though they are not.
@@ConfessedOak They'd sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on a chicken, oven it, and eat it with a sauce. I am always amazed at how sensitive their taste buds must be.
@@Juiceboxer0 india is also located in Asia . We are South Asians . Asians are not just Chinese Japanese and Koreans . They are just the part of southeast Asia . I don't understand this term Asians use only for Southeast Asians when there are 48 countries in Asia .
Pro tip: grind the saffron strands in a mortar and pestle with granules of sugar. Then add the powder to milk. This way, you'll ve able to extract much more color and flavor. And birista (fried onion) is made by deep frying the the onions. Shallow frying is okay but deep frying absorbs much less oil and is quicker.
A note of caution for people though: some mortars are made of materials that can stain and absorb flavour. I wouldn’t put saffron near a wooden mortar used for pesto, for example.
As someone who is a super fan of biryani, I love the quicker recipe you have made, it is similar to mine and I think when time is of the essence, this works terrific, Most people who do not eat biryani regularly will say it is amazing. An authentic recipe with saffron usage is just heavenly, definitely time-consuming to make it but like you said, special occasions are made more special with it. Also Thank you for making more from South Asia. Try Tandoori chicken out next time, maybe lower-calorie version vs restaurant-style(I know it is hard to find tandoor but you are resourceful).
Bro you should definitely check out Kolkata biryani, not from the restaurants though. Kewra water is one of the main essence they put which makes it so delicious, especially with chicken chaap.
Nicely done! Would recommend after washing the rice (ie before cooking), just letting it sit in cold water for around 15 mins will help it cook faster when it comes to par boiling and make it more fluffier and each strands separate.
This is the first time seeing a foreigner tackle biryani. Kudos to you! I would recommend garam masala and ghee when you try again. Btw in India restaurant use food color to get that distinct colour long with a bit of saffron. Also look into Kolkata style one where you also add potatoes.
One small correction some places use kashmiri chillies to get that red look like ur hyderabadi ones some use excessive turmeric too like ur Ambur ones try out the Ambur one from tamil nadu it forgoes the long basmati rice for a smaller yet subtle zeerasamba rice which has a nice kick to it can be found in Ambur tamil nadu
@@Jepse89 the internet fucking told me to do it man!! They **said** that is what people in india do in the days before their wedding to have clear skin.
"I will finish the Biryani in the next two days" BIG MOOD lol. Biryani barely ever lasts beyond two days in our house since we don't wanna eat anything else but it when we make it
The question you pose in the intro is a question I’ve had many times when trying to cook something authentic. Other cooking channels don’t address these things. Thanks for your work and love your approach teaching us.
@@alMeraki it's actually just a packet full of all the spices needed for biryani. So you won't have to go and find individual spices and then powder them. Just like people use garam masala, which is actually a combination of 5-6 spices. So nothing instant about them really.
I love how you cook such a wide variety of dishes from around the world and give us simpler versions, they should play your shows around the world! ps. Respect for using that genuine Iranian saffron, that stuff is EXPENSIVE
I loved this (and both recipes!) The honesty in the taste test evaluation lends tremendous credibility to the things you do. Stick with it, because trust is the one thing you can’t get quickly online.
@@heinzarniaung2915 lol wut plus Indian food isn't really like other "south Asian" food besides Pakistan and bordering countries and Pakistan used to be part of India and Indias ethnic representation is typically "Indian" but whatever lol it doesn't REALLY matter
@@joekerr4273 india is british colonial entity. There is no ethnicity called indian. It is a nationality like America or Australia unlike for example persian, arab or French or german, Japanese etc etc
@@rhna8298 Then you can say Indians belong to Indo-Aryan Ethnicity and Dravidian Ethnicity, while being Indians as nationality. I get it, that ethnicity and nationality gets mixed.
@Mario Fonseca yes thats outsider describing an area. The people living in so-called hindustan(which itself a name given by foreigners) never thought of themselves as one single entity. Our ancestors never identified themselves as hindustani or Indian prior to British colonialism. It was only after British colonialism that the natives of South Asia began to refer themselves as Indians.
I made biryani just last week, it's a comforting weekend ritual esp now as we're avoiding dining out. I'd love to try your version, it looks great! A few notes if anyone's planning to make biryani and has extra time: 1) it's ok to use bone in chicken, and cook rice separately as the chicken cooks. This will save time, and in the end all you have to do it layer the chicken and rice (and heat it through on low after you add the toppings, for around 10 min) 2) other toppings that slap: chopped mint, fried cashews, a generous spoonful of ghee, fried almonds/currants/raisins/plums/apricots 3)serve biryani with raita! that's just chopped cucumber+tomato+onion mixed with yogurt. That completes the dish IMO :) 4)I hate spending loads of time chopping onions into small pieces so I thinly slice them and reduce them to a glorious golden sticky mess, into which I add ginger garlic paste+tomatoes+chicken+spice powders+yogurt and cook under the chicken is done 5)saffron has no substitute unfortunately, it really, really elevates the dish I promise! But it's really subjective, some people won't even notice 6)when boiling rice, add spices to the water once it comes to a rolling boil, this will kick ass in terms of flavor. I add black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cumin, a bay leaf or two, a stick of cinnamon. Then after a minute or two, I add the basmati that's been twice washed & soaking for an hour to the water. It takes about 15 min to cook. Leave it slightly underdone as it will continue cooking later. If you're squeamish about finding whole spices in your rice, make a small baggie with some muslin and add that to the rice. It can fished out later. 7) if you don't like chicken, other things you can sub: eggs, prawns, firm fish, lamb, mutton, beef, paneer, mixed veggies, unripe jackfruit. The cooking times differ of course Please do experience biryani if you haven't yet, I promise you, it'll change your life!
Ethan that’s waaaaay too much saffron. You are suppose to grind it and pour boiling water over it (for the essential oils). Look at some Persian chiefs cooking with saffron.
@Aravind Krishna you do not need the essential oils for biriyani, you do not steep the saffron. You mix it with milk. Some recipes might ask for it but most north indian ones don't.
I am from Hyderabad, India where Biryani is almost like a staple dish. After moving to australia I've been having Western food mostly and I'm so surprised to find you making Biryani. Definitely gonna try your version and thank you so much for sharing such amazing recipes to the whole world. Do try *Haleem* and I would also love to see your less calorie version of it. Cheers.
Hey Ethan! I wanted to know if you had a video detailing your life from an Unhealthier weight, to your now much healthier lifestyle whilst maintaining that love for cooking and food. Would love to hear the whole story and your experience!
Hey Ethen, I'm half iranian and have been making persian rice for years now, little tip with the safran, get all you have and pestle and mortar the hell out of it with a bit of sugar and turn it into a powder, could use a coffee grinder also then you can actually measure how much you use as it'll be a powder. goes a lot further and better colour is released as its been pre agitated by grinding up.
Never seen chicken prepared this way for biryani. Never seen a restaurant using saffron in biryani. The dish you made looks good and I am sure it is tasty.
Here's a recipe you might like Ethan: Layered lamb and tomato rice with crispy rice crust. 1 1/2 - 2 hour recipe. Ingredients: 500g ground/minced lamb, basmati rice (idk how much to suggest), salt, pepper, onion, garlic, 4-6tbsp tomato paste/puree, water, 1 lamb/beef/chicken stock cube, 1-2tsp turmeric, ground cumin, ground nutmeg, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder (Or Iranian spice mix in place of the spices), lemon juice/white wine vinegar. Optional ingredients: carrot, peas, red food colouring. Wash rice 4 times, drain in colander and set aside. In a saucepan fry half a large onion until it's lightly browned, and add 500g lamb, fry until browned and add garlic, tomato paste/puree, water, 1 beef/lamb/chicken stock cube, turmeric, ground cumin, ground nutmeg, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice/white wine vinegar, cook for 10 minutes. (You may add chopped carrots from the start if you'd like, and/or frozen peas at the end of cooking). Parboil rice in heavily salted water until it has a slight bite to it, just slightly underdone, drain immediately and spray a bit of cold water over the rice to cool it down a touch, but not too much or you'll wash off the salt. Fill a saucepan with enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan, a few tablespoons of water, a 1/2 tsp of turmeric, and heat up on low heat, and when hot, add a bit of the rice, and a bit of the tomato lamb sauce, then some rice, alternating until you run out of rice and tomato lamb sauce. Heat on medium heat with lid on for 10 minutes or until steaming, then lower the heat to the lowest heat possible with the lid covered with a tea towel for 1 hour. Rice crust should be crispy and yellow. Serve with yogurt, and a vinaigrette dressed salad. I think I included all of the ingredients from my recipe, it may be missing one or two, so use it as a guide. I'm not a chef, but my Dad is from Iran and I've made my own take on one of his favourites. Tip: Try substituting oil for lamb, beef, chicken fat (or even ghee or clarified butter) for extra favour if you have any.
Dude you are amazing, as someone who is recently learning Indian cooking, I too feel many things are messy and complicated. Please break down more recipes in simpler ways like this
Becareful when talking about "ground coriander" & "Ground cumin" because more often than not they mean the ground coriander seeds. There is also "ground coriander" which is made from the stems or even dried leaves.
Great effort! Here are few suggestion that can improve the flavour even more in the quick version. Mint and coriander leaves are a must in biryani and we put it with the chicken to wilt and then add the rice on top of it. Also, using diluted coconut milk for parboiling rice renders a creamy flavour to the biryani.
I just subbed after I got a suggestion for this channel. I feel like your approach is like a buddy as opposed to a chef that lords over people and thinks that he is better than everyone. Very friendly and I will be making this soon!
One of the best one pot meals ever. I like all versions. Easiest I’ve tried was chicken mixed in store bought biriyani masala, oil and ready made fried onions topped with rice slow cooked in oven.
@@shirokun4742 yeah I don't get the hang up over saying Indian food, it's offensive to list off other desi countries as though all the ethnic groups in India are just Indian (where Bengalis and Punjabis also live), you can call something Indian without referring to the Republic that's named after it. Same thing with EU and Europe.
Different from how my family or restaurants in Pakistan cook it. The lady must be from a different region in South Asia, try our biryani as well lol. My mom's co workers are crazy about her biryani. Try Shan Biryani Masala it's prepackaged spice mix, will cut the cooking time.
@@hop-skip-ouch8798 color and masala. The Biryani In the video looks bland, Pakistani Biryani is full of masala search Sindhi Biryani and see the pictures. Pakistani biryani always dam in the end which adds more flavor.
@@daniyalasif1351, hmm... You have to see south indian tamil, andhra, hyderabadi biriyani for the amount of spice they add into biriyani.. Sometimes the biriyani can look like chicken curry basmathi rice too.. 😉
Forgive me if you've already covered it but I'd like to recommend my favorite chicken and rice dish, fesenjan (or, fesenjoon). It's chicken (bone-in thighs, for me) stewed in pomegranate sauce with ground walnuts over basmati. It's everything; sweet, savory, tangy, nutty, it's just perfection. And, don't forget the tahdig. Fesenjan is super easy and unbelievably delicious. Tip, if your grocery store doesn't have pomegranate molasses/ syrup, you can easily make it by simply reducing pomegranate juice in a pan. Loving your channel. Cheers!
Yeah i have to agree with others, i have never made a biryani with such little spice. Jaffrey must have been hungover when writing this one. Normally her recipes are quite good.
I've personally never found the spice amount to be that important, it just needs to have an aroma, the texture is the more important part tbh(ie chicken with rice).
@Aravind Krishna I live in India I have had plenty of biriyanis across the country and I can tell you it's the proportion of spices and the fragrance that matter more than the sheer quantity of spices
Yo, being a Pakistani, this was interesting to watch. Karachi style biryani is traditionally made with a tomato based chicken “curry”. Which you then layer in betwix the rice. But, this was fun and I’m sure tasted, *chefs kiss*
A year late but had some chicken legs in my fridge and tried the simpler version. Easy and delicious, delicious enough to never order again unless I am super busy or for special occasions. To me, it’s definitely not better than the longer version but it’s so close that I am willing to stay home and do it instead. It’s win.
I love how when you have a taste test it’s actually just you eating. So many other youtubers who taste test their recipe just kinda take a few bites which just doesn’t seem as satisfying :/
Whenever I use saffron in a recipe, I always steep it in vodka instead of milk. Alcohol is a very efficient solvent for the aromatic oils in saffron, so it enhances the flavor. The alcohol itself boils off during the cooking process, so no off taste is left. Avoid using cognac, whisky or something else: it has to be completely neutral, ie vodka or similar.
Biryani is the best Indian dish ever! Every region in India has its own version. Like in Southern India itself, some versions use coconut milk instead of water. But, everyone will agree that Biryani is synonymous with mutton. All the rest are lesser versions. Having said that, many Indian households would not use saffron when they make biryani at home. They'd just use a saffron food colouring. Turmeric, on the other hand, CANNOT replace saffron and vice versa. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Thanks for this video, btw. I'm going to try your quick version. Love your passion for Indian food. Love how you wolfed down half a plate of each. Love a good eater and to top it, he's a chef! xx
man you cooked the rice so right, it is just perfect. It is one of the important aspect while cooking the Biryani. Most of the people overcook the rice.
An Invitation to Indian Cooking is a GREAT book, everything I have ever made from it was great and it does not assume and explains everything you need to know to get started!
I LOVE Madhur Jaffrey’s recipes!!! We legit have a book in my family home that has been in our family since 1983 and it’s where we get some of our FAVOURITE recipes EVER!!!
Good job... you have a good understanding of the process...I guess this will help a lot of single students staying away from their homes and want to cook quick!
Hey Ethan, great video as always! In case you didn’t know, many homes and restaurants use saffron food colorant (in powder form) to get the saffron color instead of using actual saffron.
Aah biryani, the heavenly rice dish packed with such flavours and fragrance that no other dish seems to come close. I just could never cook it right for the life of me...
What I really liked about this video was you did the OG way and you tried a "quick n easy" way, but you admitted that the OG way was just.... well... OG... :)) You didn't try to faff on along the lines of "Oh yeah well whatever, saffron is unnecessary, and this is absolutely fine!" Good man, Ethan! And as someone who has been spoilt for many years with biryani from both the northern parts of India (mom's family) and southern parts of India (dad's family), I am definitely going to try your version! :)
> It's kinda nut's how different they are My man, Saffran and Turmeric are nothing alike. You chose it because of it's color, not to mimic the aroma / taste. No wonder they taste different
I invited my female colleague for an innocent dinner (i swear!), but this easy version turned out so amazing, she stayed the night with me. Thank you Ethan, from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you, tnx loads of times. I worked in India for almost 2 years and every time there was a festive occasion, people would ask for Biryani. So subtle in taste, almost anything you would expect from this country of extreme flavors and heat. As you travel the roads in India there are stacks and stacks of clay pots beside the road and it took me a couple of months to realize that these clay pots were for one-use only Biryani steam pots. Being covid India homesick and looking at a bunch of bbq left overs, I thought lets have a go at a biryani. I followed your (and your commenters) recipes: I added a bit of paprika and cayennne pepper to the fried onions. As we have some safron, which we never use, I nuked the milk with that and added some rose water for additional flavor. The turmeric was used in the meat marinade. Apart from the taste, for me a biryani should look like different shades of grey/brown, rather than a uniform yellow. To combine them all, I poured the marinated and fried (15 min, gently) left over bbq meats to an oven dish. In a separate dish I mixed the almost fried rice with toasted almond flakes, parboiled raisins, left over bbq'ed bell peppers and asparagus. The fried meat was covered with this rice mixture in an oven dish. As instructed, toppped it off with some onion oil, rose water and the remaining shallow fried onions. 30 minutes in the oven (clean kitchen) and served with some freshly cut cilantro. Yet another great eating/memory experience, allowing the family to open up and talk about how they are coping with the world we live in. Hope I will be able to return to India soon and please continue to provide recipes that bring families together.
In Iraq, Biryani also typically incorporates fried diced/sliced potatoes instead of thinly sliced fried onions, and also include fried nuts (usually cashew).
This is not a fried rice recipe. For Biryani, you really have to parboil the rice like what he did as the rest of the cooking happens with the chicken.
I really enjoyed watching your video. Thank you for making biryani in your kitchen. Cardamom, Cloves and Cinamom are the main common dry ingredients in most biryani dishes. Biryani should have a taste of saltiness, sour (from yogurt and tomatoes) and spicy (chilli powder), of course adjust to your liking. Ginger and garlic ratio is usually 100g/50g per 500g chicken recipe. Each person, regions are different. As long as you have those three ingredients and taste everything will be just fine. Good work!
Ok so I'll just give you a few tips to being with 1: Your major problem in this dish was the sourcing of the spices, especially saffron. First of all, you're using too much of it and it seems to be your only aromatic topping on rice. The thing is while making biryani we add rose water and/or kewra water (don't know the English name, sorry). Saffron is even expensive here in India so while marinading the chicken we like to add mint/coriander chutney with a lemon juice in it to let that aromatic powers and flavours seep in. Secondly, you're using too much saffron in just this small amount without the other aromatic ingredients to compliment and enhance the existing (but little) safforn. 2: The other thing is that you only see fried onions as a topping in this dish whose quantity wouldn't matter much like mushrooms on a pizza. The onions (red onions) are fried till they're crispy like chips and then added on top of the meat and the rice. Fried onions add this deep complex flavour when used properly. 3: You're rice game is meh. For biryani rice you need to have full and seperate grains of rice in each bite. I don't have enough information from this video to determine the exact seperation of rice but I always think that the rice could be improved upon. A few things that you could do to take rice to the next level is:- i) Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear ii) Add a few whole spices like pepercorns, bayleafs, cloves etc while par-cooking the rice iii) Add a little bit if the rice cooking water while layering the rice to essentially steam the rice as it slowly cooks in the oven 4: Getting back to aromatic toppings. There is another one called garam masala. It's just a blend of whole indian spices mixed in different ratios according to the seller. Mixing a bit of garam masala with ghee and topping the rice with it before oven cooking is another aromatic plus point. Also while marinading the chicken add a little but just a dash of the garam masala to add even more of the spice complexity in the chicken. 5: Traditionally the biryani is cooked over coals and pressure cooked (dum) to make the the meat fall apart tender. A quick substitute to that would to add chilli paste to your chicken marinade, the chilli paste which is made from smoky Mexican chillies like Ancho and Guajilo. An optional step would be the "dhungar method". Where you add a live charcoal to the marinading chicken and add some ghee on top of the coal to produce smoke. After the smoke rises, quickly cover and let it "smoke" for 15mins to impart the smoky flavour of the coal. This all just might seem extra work for a simple dinner but I completely respect you're method of making biryani. As an American and home cook who wouldn't have all these indian spices in their pantry, you have made an excellent weeknight dinner version of biryani. But for me biryani is an occasion dish, which is to be enjoyed during special days and Indian festivals. Try this extra special approach once and see the difference in the taste. Thank you and I hope that you read this!
Ghee and kewra! Saffron although other wordly, you won't miss it! I am sure most indian households don't use saffron even on special occasion basis. Props to you for the perfect rice preparation, not breaking the rice grains is the hardest thing to nail when learning how make biryani.
He was just parboiling it though to make the oven time faster. There’s really no point in bothering with making sure water is absorbed when the point is only to partially cook it-and that makes it a touch easier to make the recipe. Also, not every cuisine cooks rice like Asians do 🤷♀️
Briyani to me is not a day work but two, it is prepping all the ingredients and marinade the chicken today for tomorrow's cooking. It is tiring and time consuming but way worth the effort made.
1) Soak the rice. It cooks it quicker and makes it less starchy. 2)Don't read Madhur Jaffrey. She bastardizes indian cooking. There are far better Indian cooking channels on RUclips who will teach you much better indian food than Madhur Jaffrey ever can.
Hope you all enjoyed and remember we are just scratching the surface of biryani with this video. As I mentioned, there are countless variations to try so get creative! Everyone I've ordered out or made myself has always been delicious, but I think it's the texture I like the most. Absolutely addicting.
The recipes I used in this video ► www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooking-techniques-recipes/35-minute-chicken-biryani
Book by Madhur Jaffrey with the original recipe ► amzn.to/355LjEh (affiliate link)
Nice
@ethan have a look into recipe book of biryani by praribha karan , you will find some really easy recipes as there are roughly 200 to 250 different types from all across india and all of them dont require expensive stuff such as saffron .
Love the video and the passion for what you do. Just want to let you know that the link in your description is different than what you link here in the comments. The one in the description doesn't work . Thanks again for great videos :)
Wow ccc
🇰🇭❤️❤️🇰🇭
Low-key love that you always emphasize cleaning dishes during the dead time. A subtle but necessary jab at bad roommates everywhere.
My wife overhead the video and said this is her favorite recipe now 🤣
this is exactly why I make recipes that finish in the oven, that way, I clean up and set my plate while I am forced to wait for the food.
I prefer to clean up when I’m completely done.
Same and it just makes practical sense as well. Why just sit there in front of the pan scrolling through ur phone or just waiting when you can quickly get all the utensils and bowls cleaned so you can eat in peace and be done with it
Biriyani is like a fingerprint, no two house makes the same.
Haha that's brilliant! 😄
So true
Yesyesyes this is accurate in India
I agreee
thats most indian dishes
Ahhh yes, the foods of my people. My grandmother makes biryani with roasted almonds, raisins, meatballs, and chicken thighs.
oo I like the idea of using a meatball!
@@EthanChlebowski super legit, it was my favorite part. She would make them about 20g each and roast them seperately then cut them in half and toss them in the rice to finish
Almonds and raisins would fit perfectly. That made me also consider dried plums and figs.
@@EthanChlebowski Not just meatballs. There's tons of varieties depending on which part of the subcontinent. Some variants are mild, some are more spicy and there's one that mixes the masala (cooked meat + marinade mix) with the rice rather than layering. As for the type of meat you can use just about anything from beef, mutton, venison to even fish and prawns, just the ingredients for the spice mix usually defers depending on the type of meat used. The marinade also works as the primary seasoning for the rice. Also check out Chicken tikka biryani.
Why we all forgetting mutton biryani?
Olive Oil?!? Noooo. Ghee, please. You’d be surprised how much a little ghee can go to enhance the flavor of your fried onions! ☺️
They don't really understand the magic of Ghee. 😁
@@ranjanbiswas3233 Ghee is literally the best thing in the world.
He said olive oil part was mistakenly said bro. But yea ghee adds more richness than neutral oils.
Not everyone has easy access to ghee😂😂
@championchap everyone doesn't know that 😂😂
The best biryani in the world is the one my mom makes and no one can tell me otherwise
facts bro the mother's biryani just hits different
the food your family makes is always better, that's just how it works
nah u gotta try my mom's dude
She has the X factor.
My mom has the best-not just in my opinion, but literally by everyone who eats it. Strangers? Relatives? Friends? All say its the best
Good recipe but dude...the 4 tbsp of rice left in the strainer in the sink - my mom would slap me if saw that in my kitchen. My entire life I heard "don't waste a single grain".
Poverty mindset
@@liftingisfun2350 or grateful mindset.
@@taniariasmith can be grateful without acting in fear
@@liftingisfun2350 no fear here. Just awareness of the fact that there are people in this world who would die for the scraps people leave back on their plates/kitchen ware. How lucky are we that 4 tbsp of cooked rice is disregarded when that alone could be a meal for someone for an entire week.
@@taniariasmith well said
My mom makes a biryani in about 1.5 hours but it's a super simple recipe, and has received compliments from actual chefs. It's in the 'Bombay' style, and I've been thinking of uploading a video about it forever because I want to share or post something on Reddit. We've had Biryani every Friday in my household for 27 years.
I showed her your video and she said that food colouring is a legitimate substitute for the yellow colour and rose water for the fragrance, and pre-made spice mixes you can find in local Indian stores are worth every penny.
+ I personally have been eating Biryani since I was born and have had it with saffron maybe once. I guess it's the same concept as having steak in a restaurant with some fancy sides. Definitely not a necessity.
I would love to hear this version
Yeah no one in India adds saffron. Only the higher end and more popular restaurants. Rarely anyone adds it at home. Turmeric does a good job
@@nottsoserious Yeah, many add that red or orange food colour. My mom avoids it. One morsel in your mouth and you don't care about the colour.
Just upload the video! More recipes are always good.
“Let’s give these a taste test.” Ploughs through half of each plate.
😂🤣
"I'm not having a glass of wine, I'm having six, it's called a tasting and it is cultural." -Randy Marsh
no other way to taste sadly
Its realistic 🙂
😂😂😂
Never thought of using a pan to cook rice but seems like a good idea for rapid cooking.
Edit - Maybe a tinsy bit rose water could compensate for the "floral" taste of saffron? Some recipes use it.
A tiny drop of Kewra water does the trick better, rose would lean towards sickly sweet
@@cygne991 Seems about right. Have ruined biryani by adding few drops extra of rose water. 😅😂
@@dimsumboy22 Wow, that was seriously uncalled for
@@dimsumboy22 tf you mean
@@dimsumboy22 I thought risotto is a white dish
Ethan, I've had biryani and other south Asian food my whole life and have probably never tasted saffron. I think for a lot of other south asian households, saffron makes no sense unless for very very special occasions, like a wedding. Try substituting saffron for yellow food colouring/turmeric + kewra(pandan)/rose/orange blossom water/a mix of both, similar colour and floral notes and much more economical! If you ever feel like having a "treat biryani" day or want to luxe up your biryani more often, use a bit of ghee and try this substitute.
It makes a huge difference. Zafran in kheer, phirni, payesh- completely changes it.
Please dont use kewra. It overpowers the flavor and leaves a weird floral aftertaste.
Yes kewra/ator is a good cheap alternative but you have to use a very small amount it's one of those less is more type of ingredient
zafran or safron is used widely in arab biriyanis. Here safron is pretty cheap, we even put in our teas and milks as well.
Saffron makes a big difference
This looks like a typical "Thalassery" biryani or maybe the ones you find in North India, you won't believe the numerous variations to biryani, that we have in India, every single state and their districts, have their own recipes and methods to make this dish and each one of them are incredible!
Malayali represent!
@@JibyJosephM Yaaaay! 🙌
@Madhav Ignihir Kudos to that, I meant to say 'district' :)
As some western guy that lived in India for several years all around the country (I miss only the very North-East), I can give my non-partisan vote to the Hyderabad's Kalyani biryani. Amazing experience... there is a place near the University that is just great. I was underwhelmed by the biryani in Delhi and Mumbai, while Northern Kerala's Biryani is also one of my favourites. Well, Kerala in general...
nothing comes close to southern biryani!
Brother try adding these to your recipe:-
- while cooking the chicken add some turmeric and Kashmiri red chilli powder
- drizzle some ghee before you put the overall dish it into the oven
- put the fried onions on top before you put them in the oven
- add a peeled hard-boiled egg into the rice
- sprinkle some garam masala at the top of the rice
- layer the rice and add some fresh coriander leaves
- finally - cook in a handi or something which has a depth and not in a pan
Try with these changes just once Please
Wouldn't the (already fried) onions burn in the oven if they're on top?
@@Yoroiful No bro it wont burn. The moisture of the rice wont let it burn.
Because inside the pot it will generate steam.
There's no authentic chicken biryani it is made differently in every part of India. Your version looks equally good
...nope. This is a very western version. Ill pass. But I guess people who havent tried the real deal will be happy with this.
@Nill Null Wow. You should see a therapist.
I never insinuated wastage. There is a reason for a certain thing to be superior than the other. (the components, the process involved.)
Its not a matter of elitism, it is what it is. If you enjoy eating something good for you. Ignorance won't get you anywhere.
It's pathetic how you find the need to feel offended by some stranger's opinion about a dish.
@@BenNeedsATheme4aDream lmao, you don't know what you're talking about, there is no one single 'real deal'. Plenty of recipes throughout our country. This seems pretty close to what restaurants serve nowadays
@@BenNeedsATheme4aDream And it's equally pathetic how you feel the need to tout your non-western version as being inherently better. Being "authentic" doesn't mean squat.
Authentic is arguable ig, The Nizams of hyderabad developed biryani from the child of pulav but predecessor to biryani and then that spread across India and things changed, for example, in hyderabad we'd never put fruits in with biryani but it's pretty common in the north.
When you eat elaborate Indian food with several different spices, you realize why the west tried to go across the planet just looking for these spices.
Western culture stems from Britain and it isn't halfway across the planet from Indian spices. Especially since trade routes were already established. But yes it is delicious. Asian food is also insanely good. Well I guess that goes for most cultures Now that I think about it.
@@Juiceboxer0 I think he’s referring to Europeans finally making it to the americas by ship. A lot of people believe it was because they were trying to go around Africa to get to India so they could have a trade route by water. However they actually landed in America which why the original inhabitants of the americas are called ‘Indians’ even though they are not.
and then they continued to call beans on toast a breakfast
@@ConfessedOak They'd sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on a chicken, oven it, and eat it with a sauce. I am always amazed at how sensitive their taste buds must be.
@@Juiceboxer0 india is also located in Asia . We are South Asians . Asians are not just Chinese Japanese and Koreans . They are just the part of southeast Asia . I don't understand this term Asians use only for Southeast Asians when there are 48 countries in Asia .
I don't think I've ever seen Ethan wolf down any dish without pickled onions faster than he did with Biryani! He must really LOVE it!
Pro tip: grind the saffron strands in a mortar and pestle with granules of sugar. Then add the powder to milk. This way, you'll ve able to extract much more color and flavor.
And birista (fried onion) is made by deep frying the the onions. Shallow frying is okay but deep frying absorbs much less oil and is quicker.
A note of caution for people though: some mortars are made of materials that can stain and absorb flavour. I wouldn’t put saffron near a wooden mortar used for pesto, for example.
Warning: don't use the mortars used in battlefields.
@@adityashankar5723 Well Ok!!!😂
@@adityashankar5723 ugh i hate when my friend accidentally used that
Just used a coffee grinder, and no sugar.
As someone who is a super fan of biryani, I love the quicker recipe you have made, it is similar to mine and I think when time is of the essence, this works terrific, Most people who do not eat biryani regularly will say it is amazing.
An authentic recipe with saffron usage is just heavenly, definitely time-consuming to make it but like you said, special occasions are made more special with it. Also Thank you for making more from South Asia. Try Tandoori chicken out next time, maybe lower-calorie version vs restaurant-style(I know it is hard to find tandoor but you are resourceful).
Wow 😮 xxx
I agree. Also are you Bengali by any chance?
@@adityaruplaha Bangladeshi Bengali so stuff is slightly different than West Bengal.
Bro you should definitely check out Kolkata biryani, not from the restaurants though. Kewra water is one of the main essence they put which makes it so delicious, especially with chicken chaap.
Nicely done! Would recommend after washing the rice (ie before cooking), just letting it sit in cold water for around 15 mins will help it cook faster when it comes to par boiling and make it more fluffier and each strands separate.
This is the first time seeing a foreigner tackle biryani. Kudos to you! I would recommend garam masala and ghee when you try again. Btw in India restaurant use food color to get that distinct colour long with a bit of saffron. Also look into Kolkata style one where you also add potatoes.
One small correction some places use kashmiri chillies to get that red look like ur hyderabadi ones some use excessive turmeric too like ur Ambur ones try out the Ambur one from tamil nadu it forgoes the long basmati rice for a smaller yet subtle zeerasamba rice which has a nice kick to it can be found in Ambur tamil nadu
Potatoes really add magic to the biriyani and you can't tell me otherwise.
Gotta say I appreciate a man who taste tests two dishes side-by-side by practically eating two full meals haha
The turmeric milk spilling onto the towel gives me anxiety, turmeric is SO quick to stain things
Wow 😲 ccc
I tried washing my face with turmeric and water for like a month and all that happened was face and my bathroom sink turned distinctly yellow.
My grater has been stained with turmeric for months, still have no idea how to get rid of it.
@@barbara-holley why on earth anyone would wash its face with turmeric?
@@Jepse89 the internet fucking told me to do it man!! They **said** that is what people in india do in the days before their wedding to have clear skin.
My favorite part in his videos.. is when.. He is in front of the food, trying to talk but salivating the whole time.
Ingredient Report:
Mayo and Pickled onions were not seen in this video.
This has been your ingredient report.
Lol dammit
Replace the yogurt with mayo and the fried onion with pickled onions and we are back to normal
Yeah, imagine slapping mayo and pickled onions on this dish 😂
Wow 😮 ccc
I don't get the joke.
Ethan spills food compilation:
0:07
1:28
1:32
4:39
5:40
6:01
6:47
Ethan: “I got a little carried away”
Me: Notices half the plate on each is gone “yea u could say that”
7:52
"I will finish the Biryani in the next two days" BIG MOOD lol. Biryani barely ever lasts beyond two days in our house since we don't wanna eat anything else but it when we make it
The question you pose in the intro is a question I’ve had many times when trying to cook something authentic. Other cooking channels don’t address these things. Thanks for your work and love your approach teaching us.
Hey, there exists something known as Shan Biryani Masala. Look into it and your quick version will become quicker.
He is not _the instant type_
Watch his other videos then you'll get an idea
@@alMeraki it's actually just a packet full of all the spices needed for biryani. So you won't have to go and find individual spices and then powder them. Just like people use garam masala, which is actually a combination of 5-6 spices. So nothing instant about them really.
@@alMeraki That dude sure made you look like an idiot lmO
I love how you cook such a wide variety of dishes from around the world and give us simpler versions, they should play your shows around the world!
ps. Respect for using that genuine Iranian saffron, that stuff is EXPENSIVE
He used to much though. He should’ve ground the saffron first, that way you could use less but have the same amount of flavor.
I loved this (and both recipes!) The honesty in the taste test evaluation lends tremendous credibility to the things you do. Stick with it, because trust is the one thing you can’t get quickly online.
BRING IN THAT SOUTH ASIAN FOOD REPRESENTATION YESSIR 😌
South asian food is worth it no matter how many hours you spend in the toilet
@@heinzarniaung2915 lol wut plus Indian food isn't really like other "south Asian" food besides Pakistan and bordering countries and Pakistan used to be part of India and Indias ethnic representation is typically "Indian" but whatever lol it doesn't REALLY matter
@@joekerr4273 india is british colonial entity. There is no ethnicity called indian. It is a nationality like America or Australia unlike for example persian, arab or French or german, Japanese etc etc
@@rhna8298 Then you can say Indians belong to Indo-Aryan Ethnicity and Dravidian Ethnicity, while being Indians as nationality. I get it, that ethnicity and nationality gets mixed.
@Mario Fonseca yes thats outsider describing an area. The people living in so-called hindustan(which itself a name given by foreigners) never thought of themselves as one single entity. Our ancestors never identified themselves as hindustani or Indian prior to British colonialism. It was only after British colonialism that the natives of South Asia began to refer themselves as Indians.
I made biryani just last week, it's a comforting weekend ritual esp now as we're avoiding dining out. I'd love to try your version, it looks great! A few notes if anyone's planning to make biryani and has extra time:
1) it's ok to use bone in chicken, and cook rice separately as the chicken cooks. This will save time, and in the end all you have to do it layer the chicken and rice (and heat it through on low after you add the toppings, for around 10 min)
2) other toppings that slap: chopped mint, fried cashews, a generous spoonful of ghee, fried almonds/currants/raisins/plums/apricots
3)serve biryani with raita! that's just chopped cucumber+tomato+onion mixed with yogurt. That completes the dish IMO :)
4)I hate spending loads of time chopping onions into small pieces so I thinly slice them and reduce them to a glorious golden sticky mess, into which I add ginger garlic paste+tomatoes+chicken+spice powders+yogurt and cook under the chicken is done
5)saffron has no substitute unfortunately, it really, really elevates the dish I promise! But it's really subjective, some people won't even notice
6)when boiling rice, add spices to the water once it comes to a rolling boil, this will kick ass in terms of flavor. I add black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cumin, a bay leaf or two, a stick of cinnamon. Then after a minute or two, I add the basmati that's been twice washed & soaking for an hour to the water. It takes about 15 min to cook. Leave it slightly underdone as it will continue cooking later. If you're squeamish about finding whole spices in your rice, make a small baggie with some muslin and add that to the rice. It can fished out later.
7) if you don't like chicken, other things you can sub: eggs, prawns, firm fish, lamb, mutton, beef, paneer, mixed veggies, unripe jackfruit. The cooking times differ of course
Please do experience biryani if you haven't yet, I promise you, it'll change your life!
As someone who lives in the middle east, this is great
Rip
India≠Middle East
@@darthsidious2788 yes but indian dishes are very popular in the middle east, and are very very similar in style
@@darthsidious2788 is Pakistan considered “Middle East”??
@@georgegutierrez1194 Pakistan is in south Asia - part of the Indian subcontinent.
Suddenly everyone has become a master chef in the comment box XD
When this guy uploads I like the video the second I see all the RUclips player sub sections. Man puts in the work and it shows!
Absolutely True.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’m crying over here on how Ethan Chlebowski went in on that first plate. I felt that in my soul!!😂😂😂
Ethan that’s waaaaay too much saffron. You are suppose to grind it and pour boiling water over it (for the essential oils). Look at some Persian chiefs cooking with saffron.
Never too much saffron I say, it looks amazing
@Aravind Krishna you do not need the essential oils for biriyani, you do not steep the saffron. You mix it with milk. Some recipes might ask for it but most north indian ones don't.
Yeah he would've had a more yellow looking rice and more saffron flavour if he grinded it.
Wow 😲 xxx
@Aravind Krishna milk tenderizes it but ive only seen yogurt in biryani and the saffron is steeped in water for the oils and color
I am from Hyderabad, India where Biryani is almost like a staple dish. After moving to australia I've been having Western food mostly and I'm so surprised to find you making Biryani. Definitely gonna try your version and thank you so much for sharing such amazing recipes to the whole world. Do try *Haleem* and I would also love to see your less calorie version of it.
Cheers.
Hey Ethan! I wanted to know if you had a video detailing your life from an Unhealthier weight, to your now much healthier lifestyle whilst maintaining that love for cooking and food.
Would love to hear the whole story and your experience!
You summarized the cons of Indian cooking in the first 30 seconds of the video. Indian cooking is such a daunting task for young professionals.
Hey Ethen, I'm half iranian and have been making persian rice for years now, little tip with the safran, get all you have and pestle and mortar the hell out of it with a bit of sugar and turn it into a powder, could use a coffee grinder also then you can actually measure how much you use as it'll be a powder. goes a lot further and better colour is released as its been pre agitated by grinding up.
Yes but no sugar.
Never seen chicken prepared this way for biryani. Never seen a restaurant using saffron in biryani. The dish you made looks good and I am sure it is tasty.
Here's a recipe you might like Ethan:
Layered lamb and tomato rice with crispy rice crust. 1 1/2 - 2 hour recipe.
Ingredients:
500g ground/minced lamb, basmati rice (idk how much to suggest), salt, pepper, onion, garlic, 4-6tbsp tomato paste/puree, water, 1 lamb/beef/chicken stock cube, 1-2tsp turmeric, ground cumin, ground nutmeg, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder (Or Iranian spice mix in place of the spices), lemon juice/white wine vinegar.
Optional ingredients: carrot, peas, red food colouring.
Wash rice 4 times, drain in colander and set aside.
In a saucepan fry half a large onion until it's lightly browned, and add 500g lamb, fry until browned and add garlic, tomato paste/puree, water, 1 beef/lamb/chicken stock cube, turmeric, ground cumin, ground nutmeg, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice/white wine vinegar, cook for 10 minutes. (You may add chopped carrots from the start if you'd like, and/or frozen peas at the end of cooking).
Parboil rice in heavily salted water until it has a slight bite to it, just slightly underdone, drain immediately and spray a bit of cold water over the rice to cool it down a touch, but not too much or you'll wash off the salt.
Fill a saucepan with enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan, a few tablespoons of water, a 1/2 tsp of turmeric, and heat up on low heat, and when hot, add a bit of the rice, and a bit of the tomato lamb sauce, then some rice, alternating until you run out of rice and tomato lamb sauce.
Heat on medium heat with lid on for 10 minutes or until steaming, then lower the heat to the lowest heat possible with the lid covered with a tea towel for 1 hour.
Rice crust should be crispy and yellow.
Serve with yogurt, and a vinaigrette dressed salad.
I think I included all of the ingredients from my recipe, it may be missing one or two, so use it as a guide.
I'm not a chef, but my Dad is from Iran and I've made my own take on one of his favourites.
Tip: Try substituting oil for lamb, beef, chicken fat (or even ghee or clarified butter) for extra favour if you have any.
Sounds killer! I can almost smell the lamb and tomato sauce.
Sounds good ☺️
Wow 😯 xxx
Dude you are amazing, as someone who is recently learning Indian cooking, I too feel many things are messy and complicated. Please break down more recipes in simpler ways like this
I think one of the major ingredients is fresh mint leaves. They give a very nice aroma
Just asking, do all Biryanis have mint? Ik there are many different types of Biryani such as hyderabadi biryani, reshmi biryani, mughlai biryani
@@DramaQueenD13 Like I am familiar with Hyderabadi Biryani. Don't know about others. But adding mint leaves gives a nice aroma.
@@ayushmanpanda thanks!
No
Becareful when talking about "ground coriander" & "Ground cumin" because more often than not they mean the ground coriander seeds. There is also "ground coriander" which is made from the stems or even dried leaves.
Great effort! Here are few suggestion that can improve the flavour even more in the quick version. Mint and coriander leaves are a must in biryani and we put it with the chicken to wilt and then add the rice on top of it. Also, using diluted coconut milk for parboiling rice renders a creamy flavour to the biryani.
I don't think you are from Delhi, nobody does that here must be from Bihar or south
Coconut milk has no place anywhere near a biryani degh!
I just subbed after I got a suggestion for this channel. I feel like your approach is like a buddy as opposed to a chef that lords over people and thinks that he is better than everyone. Very friendly and I will be making this soon!
I love how everyone is doing “my favourite chicken and rice dish videos”
I've seen Sohla's and Weissman's. Am I missing any others?
Wow 😮 ccc
🇰🇭❤️❤️🇰🇭
One of the best one pot meals ever. I like all versions. Easiest I’ve tried was chicken mixed in store bought biriyani masala, oil and ready made fried onions topped with rice slow cooked in oven.
Shout out for Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal too! The whole South Asian subcontinent really :)
and India ye
@@talhatariqyuluqatdis he exclusively says India/Indian, I'm adding to that.
South east asia too! Malaysian briyani, thai briyani, burmese briyani
@@danialroslan1531 I never had southeast Asian biriyani, I’ll be sure to be on the look out for that
@@shirokun4742 yeah I don't get the hang up over saying Indian food, it's offensive to list off other desi countries as though all the ethnic groups in India are just Indian (where Bengalis and Punjabis also live), you can call something Indian without referring to the Republic that's named after it. Same thing with EU and Europe.
Chicken Biryani is like that balance of savory spicy and sweet ish based on where you are from.
Soul food at its core. Touches my soullll
Different from how my family or restaurants in Pakistan cook it. The lady must be from a different region in South Asia, try our biryani as well lol. My mom's co workers are crazy about her biryani. Try Shan Biryani Masala it's prepackaged spice mix, will cut the cooking time.
Pirate Hunter yes, the biryani in this video doesn’t look appetizing. Mixing different types of Shan biryani masalas creates the ultimate biryani
What's different added to it? Apart from the spice from the company you mentioned.
@@hop-skip-ouch8798 color and masala. The Biryani In the video looks bland, Pakistani Biryani is full of masala search Sindhi Biryani and see the pictures. Pakistani biryani always dam in the end which adds more flavor.
@@daniyalasif1351, hmm... You have to see south indian tamil, andhra, hyderabadi biriyani for the amount of spice they add into biriyani.. Sometimes the biriyani can look like chicken curry basmathi rice too.. 😉
Shan is so clutch when making biryani
Forgive me if you've already covered it but I'd like to recommend my favorite chicken and rice dish, fesenjan (or, fesenjoon). It's chicken (bone-in thighs, for me) stewed in pomegranate sauce with ground walnuts over basmati. It's everything; sweet, savory, tangy, nutty, it's just perfection. And, don't forget the tahdig. Fesenjan is super easy and unbelievably delicious. Tip, if your grocery store doesn't have pomegranate molasses/ syrup, you can easily make it by simply reducing pomegranate juice in a pan. Loving your channel. Cheers!
Yeah i have to agree with others, i have never made a biryani with such little spice. Jaffrey must have been hungover when writing this one. Normally her recipes are quite good.
I've personally never found the spice amount to be that important, it just needs to have an aroma, the texture is the more important part tbh(ie chicken with rice).
@Aravind Krishna I live in India I have had plenty of biriyanis across the country and I can tell you it's the proportion of spices and the fragrance that matter more than the sheer quantity of spices
@@manaspradhan8041 must be a matter of preference then. I like flavour.
@@manaspradhan8041 Idk. Much of the flavour comes from thick gravy-like marinade that's loaded with spices.
@@ChefBasicswithBaz do you have a link to a video or recipe for a more traditional biryani?
Karachi, Pakistan has earned its reputation as Biryani capital, with high class tasty biryanis. Karachi Biryani, Sindhi Biryani are some of the best.
Yo, being a Pakistani, this was interesting to watch. Karachi style biryani is traditionally made with a tomato based chicken “curry”. Which you then layer in betwix the rice. But, this was fun and I’m sure tasted, *chefs kiss*
As a Indian Punjabi I was cringing when he didn’t use tomatoes
this has similarities to Hyderabadi(Deccan) biriyani
This is the only kind of biryani that matters. This dude just made dry ass rice with some chicken scattered about.
@@inderjitkainth5353 tomatoes are not added in Hyderabadi biriyani
I was born in Mumbai and the Biryani there is very similar to what you described as Karachi style.
A year late but had some chicken legs in my fridge and tried the simpler version. Easy and delicious, delicious enough to never order again unless I am super busy or for special occasions.
To me, it’s definitely not better than the longer version but it’s so close that I am willing to stay home and do it instead. It’s win.
I love how when you have a taste test it’s actually just you eating. So many other youtubers who taste test their recipe just kinda take a few bites which just doesn’t seem as satisfying :/
Saffron is easy to grow and is a really pretty flower. I have a bunch and I find it fun to harvest the anthers
Whenever I use saffron in a recipe, I always steep it in vodka instead of milk. Alcohol is a very efficient solvent for the aromatic oils in saffron, so it enhances the flavor.
The alcohol itself boils off during the cooking process, so no off taste is left. Avoid using cognac, whisky or something else: it has to be completely neutral, ie vodka or similar.
Biryani is the best Indian dish ever! Every region in India has its own version. Like in Southern India itself, some versions use coconut milk instead of water.
But, everyone will agree that Biryani is synonymous with mutton. All the rest are lesser versions.
Having said that, many Indian households would not use saffron when they make biryani at home. They'd just use a saffron food colouring. Turmeric, on the other hand, CANNOT replace saffron and vice versa. It's like comparing apples and oranges.
Thanks for this video, btw. I'm going to try your quick version. Love your passion for Indian food. Love how you wolfed down half a plate of each. Love a good eater and to top it, he's a chef! xx
I’ve had saffron in my kitchen for years didn’t even know it was expensive LMAO
just putting it out there that if youre buying saffron thats deceptively cheap, its probably fake
could have lost a lot of its flavor by now
man you cooked the rice so right, it is just perfect. It is one of the important aspect while cooking the Biryani. Most of the people overcook the rice.
Dude needs to marry into an Indian fam. Our cuisine ain’t easy to master and you’ve earned your place at every South Asian’s table.
Dont be indian uncle here
An Invitation to Indian Cooking is a GREAT book, everything I have ever made from it was great and it does not assume and explains everything you need to know to get started!
I've seen Turmeric and rose water used as a substitute for Saffron. I guess the roes water kind of imitates the floral notes of the saffron?
Yes .. rose water or also kewara water
I LOVE Madhur Jaffrey’s recipes!!! We legit have a book in my family home that has been in our family since 1983 and it’s where we get some of our FAVOURITE recipes EVER!!!
I recomend just buying a pre packaged masala thing it makes life just a little bit easier
This is the best of the best dishes … My favourite channel !
Congrats on 300k!
Good job... you have a good understanding of the process...I guess this will help a lot of single students staying away from their homes and want to cook quick!
Hey Ethan, great video as always!
In case you didn’t know, many homes and restaurants use saffron food colorant (in powder form) to get the saffron color instead of using actual saffron.
Love your kitchen and the way you ate half of both before taking a breath!
Fun fact: There's lots of varieties and variations of Biryani
Aah biryani, the heavenly rice dish packed with such flavours and fragrance that no other dish seems to come close. I just could never cook it right for the life of me...
When you said "drizzle enough olive oil" Me- 🤯
Then I read the correction 😁
What I really liked about this video was you did the OG way and you tried a "quick n easy" way, but you admitted that the OG way was just.... well... OG... :)) You didn't try to faff on along the lines of "Oh yeah well whatever, saffron is unnecessary, and this is absolutely fine!"
Good man, Ethan! And as someone who has been spoilt for many years with biryani from both the northern parts of India (mom's family) and southern parts of India (dad's family), I am definitely going to try your version! :)
> It's kinda nut's how different they are
My man, Saffran and Turmeric are nothing alike. You chose it because of it's color, not to mimic the aroma / taste. No wonder they taste different
It's trippy how similar this indian dish is to traditional Guatemalan rice and chicken dish.
5:50
Uncle Roger : COLANDER??!! Haiyaa............Use rice cooker!!!
This is not a south-east Asian dish.
I invited my female colleague for an innocent dinner (i swear!), but this easy version turned out so amazing, she stayed the night with me. Thank you Ethan, from the bottom of my heart.
5:50 DRAIN THE RICE?!?😳 - Haiyaaa
sorry sister (niece) this is not fried rice, it's biryani.
JK
no matter the ingredients or style grandma's recipe will always be the best.
I see Paul Felder's doing well after fighting
Good on him, after the wars with Hooker and Dos Anjos.
Thank you, tnx loads of times. I worked in India for almost 2 years and every time there was a festive occasion, people would ask for Biryani. So subtle in taste, almost anything you would expect from this country of extreme flavors and heat. As you travel the roads in India there are stacks and stacks of clay pots beside the road and it took me a couple of months to realize that these clay pots were for one-use only Biryani steam pots. Being covid India homesick and looking at a bunch of bbq left overs, I thought lets have a go at a biryani. I followed your (and your commenters) recipes: I added a bit of paprika and cayennne pepper to the fried onions. As we have some safron, which we never use, I nuked the milk with that and added some rose water for additional flavor. The turmeric was used in the meat marinade. Apart from the taste, for me a biryani should look like different shades of grey/brown, rather than a uniform yellow. To combine them all, I poured the marinated and fried (15 min, gently) left over bbq meats to an oven dish. In a separate dish I mixed the almost fried rice with toasted almond flakes, parboiled raisins, left over bbq'ed bell peppers and asparagus. The fried meat was covered with this rice mixture in an oven dish. As instructed, toppped it off with some onion oil, rose water and the remaining shallow fried onions. 30 minutes in the oven (clean kitchen) and served with some freshly cut cilantro. Yet another great eating/memory experience, allowing the family to open up and talk about how they are coping with the world we live in. Hope I will be able to return to India soon and please continue to provide recipes that bring families together.
"Drain the rice in a colander"
OOOOH Boy here we go again
Huh almost like india isn't east asia
*Uncle Roger has entered the chat*
@@Emperorerror indians dont drain their rice either
@@MissMalfoy77 Many do
In Iraq, Biryani also typically incorporates fried diced/sliced potatoes instead of thinly sliced fried onions, and also include fried nuts (usually cashew).
In Calcutta biryani they add a whole potato.
Mistakes:
He did not wash the starch off the rice
did not soak it for 30 mins
Did not add the ghee
I loved when he put the bay leaves on top of the rice hahaha hows the flavour gonna infuse
Love the way you pronounced 'BiRiyani'😊
Ethan: Drains rice with colander
Uncle Roger has left the chat
Uncle roger put leg down
This is not a fried rice recipe. For Biryani, you really have to parboil the rice like what he did as the rest of the cooking happens with the chicken.
@@aayushgsa
I actually get your point, even if it's a joke.
I really enjoyed watching your video. Thank you for making biryani in your kitchen.
Cardamom, Cloves and Cinamom are the main common dry ingredients in most biryani dishes. Biryani should have a taste of saltiness, sour (from yogurt and tomatoes) and spicy (chilli powder), of course adjust to your liking. Ginger and garlic ratio is usually 100g/50g per 500g chicken recipe. Each person, regions are different. As long as you have those three ingredients and taste everything will be just fine. Good work!
Ok so I'll just give you a few tips to being with
1: Your major problem in this dish was the sourcing of the spices, especially saffron. First of all, you're using too much of it and it seems to be your only aromatic topping on rice. The thing is while making biryani we add rose water and/or kewra water (don't know the English name, sorry). Saffron is even expensive here in India so while marinading the chicken we like to add mint/coriander chutney with a lemon juice in it to let that aromatic powers and flavours seep in. Secondly, you're using too much saffron in just this small amount without the other aromatic ingredients to compliment and enhance the existing (but little) safforn.
2: The other thing is that you only see fried onions as a topping in this dish whose quantity wouldn't matter much like mushrooms on a pizza. The onions (red onions) are fried till they're crispy like chips and then added on top of the meat and the rice. Fried onions add this deep complex flavour when used properly.
3: You're rice game is meh. For biryani rice you need to have full and seperate grains of rice in each bite. I don't have enough information from this video to determine the exact seperation of rice but I always think that the rice could be improved upon. A few things that you could do to take rice to the next level is:-
i) Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear
ii) Add a few whole spices like pepercorns, bayleafs, cloves etc while par-cooking the rice
iii) Add a little bit if the rice cooking water while layering the rice to essentially steam the rice as it slowly cooks in the oven
4: Getting back to aromatic toppings. There is another one called garam masala. It's just a blend of whole indian spices mixed in different ratios according to the seller. Mixing a bit of garam masala with ghee and topping the rice with it before oven cooking is another aromatic plus point. Also while marinading the chicken add a little but just a dash of the garam masala to add even more of the spice complexity in the chicken.
5: Traditionally the biryani is cooked over coals and pressure cooked (dum) to make the the meat fall apart tender. A quick substitute to that would to add chilli paste to your chicken marinade, the chilli paste which is made from smoky Mexican chillies like Ancho and Guajilo. An optional step would be the "dhungar method". Where you add a live charcoal to the marinading chicken and add some ghee on top of the coal to produce smoke. After the smoke rises, quickly cover and let it "smoke" for 15mins to impart the smoky flavour of the coal.
This all just might seem extra work for a simple dinner but I completely respect you're method of making biryani. As an American and home cook who wouldn't have all these indian spices in their pantry, you have made an excellent weeknight dinner version of biryani. But for me biryani is an occasion dish, which is to be enjoyed during special days and Indian festivals. Try this extra special approach once and see the difference in the taste. Thank you and I hope that you read this!
Ghee and kewra! Saffron although other wordly, you won't miss it! I am sure most indian households don't use saffron even on special occasion basis. Props to you for the perfect rice preparation, not breaking the rice grains is the hardest thing to nail when learning how make biryani.
"Drain the rice"
I know the frying pan is faster but please! you can just use your finger to see how much water you need
It's almost like east asia isn't the only place with a variety of rice dishes... Especially in Asia.
East Asians don’t even make the best rice
@@kiagol159 Agreed.
He was just parboiling it though to make the oven time faster. There’s really no point in bothering with making sure water is absorbed when the point is only to partially cook it-and that makes it a touch easier to make the recipe. Also, not every cuisine cooks rice like Asians do 🤷♀️
Briyani to me is not a day work but two, it is prepping all the ingredients and marinade the chicken today for tomorrow's cooking. It is tiring and time consuming but way worth the effort made.
Chicken biryani without masala? I don't know man 🤔🤔
Yeah,seems kinda.. bland,I would say
Ain't have that kick to it
Thank god someone said it. I was annoyed how people find this biryani appetizing.
So good to see you make so many Indian dishes. Remember it's India
1) Soak the rice. It cooks it quicker and makes it less starchy.
2)Don't read Madhur Jaffrey. She bastardizes indian cooking. There are far better Indian cooking channels on RUclips who will teach you much better indian food than Madhur Jaffrey ever can.
Lol wtf are you on about?
@@TykoBrian7 What the fuck am I on about?
Thank you. Jaffrey is a terrible starting point for Indian recipes.
@@brainiac1595 EXACTLY. There are so many Indian youtubers who cook real good Indian food.