The easy and authentic style of making Egg Biryani

Introduction

This delicious biryani recipe is loaded with spicy red chilli powder, fried onions, fresh garam masala, and creamy butter. Once the ingredients are combined, you have to let the rice sit for at least 4 hours. But, don’t worry—it’s totally hands-off after you mix it! While the rice is marinating, you have time to make the garnishes. Fresh mint, coriander, and a spicy lime pickle complement the rich flavours of this dish beautifully.

How to make Egg Biryani

Biryani is an Indian dish that will make your taste buds dance. It’s a fragrant, flavorful rice dish cooked with spices, herbs, and lots of love. In south India, three types of biryani are commonly made: mutton biryani, chicken biryani, and egg biryani.

Mutton biryani is the spicier of the three and is usually served with a sauce. Chicken biryani is a tender, boneless chicken preparation mixed with rice flavoured with spices, fried onions, garam masala, and sometimes cream.

Egg biryani is a spicier and heartier variation made with marinated eggs, fried onions, and whole black pepper. The spiciness comes from the red chilli powder and garam masala.

How to marinate the eggs for Egg Biryani?

First, crack an egg and check its freshness by looking at its water content. You want the eggs that are not fresh by any means and have a blank, dry area around the yolk. These are the perfect eggs for marinating and cooking biryani because they don’t change the texture or taste of the rice.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t marinate the eggs for Egg Biryani in the same way as you would for egg curry! In curry, you want to balance the assertiveness of the egg with a ton of spices and herbs; here, you want to enhance and showcase the natural flavour of the egg.

Make a quick marinade by combining salt, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, and desiccated Mysore mango powder (if you have it; you can substitute by adding a combination of lime juice and mild acid like pineapple). Pour this over the whole eggs and mix quickly. Don’t focus too much on the texture of the egg white or yolk; just make sure both are evenly covered with the marinade. Now, use a tub of butter to marinate the eggs in batches. You’ll want to throw out the marinade after each batch because it has already absorbed its maximum amount of fat.

How to cook Biryani in an oven?

You can preheat your oven to 150 F (80 C) and cook the marinated rice in a metal tray covered with a sheet of aluminium foil. Use wooden picks to keep the egg pieces in place. Make sure you place the Spices, fried onion, and butter along the edges. Let the biryani cook in the oven for about 30 minutes, and then transfer it to a serving plate. Just before serving, open the foil to release some of the moisture.

How to make Egg Biryani in a pressure cooker?

After marinating the Spices, fried onions, and egg, add them to a pressure cooker fitted with the pan (lower) cover. First, pour 2 cups (500 mL) of water and then add the rice on top. The water is here to help cook the rice; there is no water in the final dish. 

Next, add three tablespoons of oil (any vegetable oil) and allow the rice to fry in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes. At this point, the rice will appear brown, but this will not be visible after the biryani is cooked. This browning process is essential because it adds a unique flavour and enhances rice grains by releasing their starch. 

Add all the spices (including the turmeric) at this point and cook for another 2 minutes. Next, add three-four mango pickles (or lime juice) to tart up the aromatics, then add 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix well and close the pressure cooker lid.

Next, introduce an extra step that most traditional biryani recipes include:

1. Turn the heat to high.
2. Once steam starts coming out of the top vent, stop the process and steam cook the biryani for 5 minutes.
3. Keep the biryani cooking for 20 to 25 minutes on a low flame.
4. After this time, open the cooker, mix in the melted butter (or ghee) and cover again for 5 minutes.

This final stage is what makes our Egg Biryani melt-in-the-mouth creamy.

How to make Egg Biryani in a pan?

In a traditional biryani recipe, the Spices, fresh herbs, and onion are fried in oil before adding the washed rice. This releases the starch in the grains to give the cooked rice a distinctive texture and flavour. Instead of oil, you can use butter as it releases starch easily and has other flavour-enhancing properties too.

Meanwhile, boil half a cup (125 mL) of water and add rice to it after letting it fluff for 2 minutes. Keep stirring the rice until all the grains are separated by size, and you can see the naked white grains among evenly sliced fried onions. Next, add half a tablespoon of oil along with salt, turmeric and red chilli and turn the heat to high. Once the rice is parboiled, spread onto a pan and let the rice fry for 2 minutes whilst constantly moving around. This will release starch and give the cooked rice its traditional brown colour and distinctive texture.

Add all the spices (including the turmeric) at this point and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add a tablespoon of lime juice (instead of pickle to avoid adding too much salt) and 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix well and close the lid of the pan. You can also cook the biryani in a microwave oven as an alternative to a pan after following all the steps mentioned above.