An r/cooking thread on favorite rice dishes inspired me to attempt a biryani, and this was the one I chose. I used chicken breast (don't like lamb), and I didn't have saffron, rosewater, or pandan. The only other change was cutting the recipe in half (I live alone and don't eat a lot).
This. Was. Amazing. In particular, the rice was like none I can remember eating before; perfectly cooked, tender, not at all sticky or clumpy, just so soft and flavorful. Since I was using chicken breast I cut the initial stovetop cooking time for meat/spices/liquid to 20 min., and could probably have made it even shorter; the chicken was maybe a tad overcooked but marinating it in the yogurt mix for 24 hrs kept it still pretty tender. Cutting the recipe size made me nervous about rice/water ratios–it looked unnervingly soupy going into the oven for the final bake–but it came out perfectly moist and not at all wet.
I've been in a cooking slump lately, and having a hard time making myself try anything new or at all challenging. I think this has busted me out of the slump, though.
by kata_north
6 Comments
Love Nik Sharma, all his cookbooks are great.
I just got a lot hungrier
I made biryani last winter and it was one of the best things I made. Not this recipe I don’t think
A lot of my stuff smelled like biryani all week tho lol. Worth it
I love Nik’s recipes and cookbooks. His approach is meticulous and he explains some food science aspects of various recipes as well. I think his newsletter has more recipes.
I think Nik has a SE gulab jamun recipe and it’s a really tasty (albeit sweet) dessert
Nik Sharma’s recipes are so good. Ooh I’ll have to try this one bc there are no cashews! (We have nut allergies in my house)
Nik Sharma is amazing. His recipes brought me to a completely new level of home cooking. I have not made this, but I keep several of his dishes in regular rotation in my home. His masala shrimp I’ve made more than any other dish. I’d love a cookbook from him that is a little more weeknight friendly. His current cookbooks (albeit I’ve not bought his latest vegetarian one) require a lot of effort both in prep and in execution for most of the dishes. Well worth it when possible.