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Classic Parda Biryani

By MiNDFOOD

Classic Parda Biryani
Bake your own golden, crust-sealed chicken or lamb biryani and serve up a piece of history at your next gathering.

Discover the ultimate kitchen showstopper with our aromatic Parda Biryani recipe, designed to elevate your culinary skills and impress any dinner guest. This spectacular dish features fragrant basmati rice layered with tender, slow-cooked meat and traditional spices, completely enclosed in a sheet of dough (or “parda,” meaning veil) to perfectly trap the steam and lock in the rich flavours while cooking. Parda Biryani is a cherished culinary classic across India and beyond. 

Classic Parda Biryani recipe

Makes 6-8 serves

Ingredients

  • 1kg deboned lamb leg, cut into 3-4cm cubes
  • 3 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 ½ tbsp biryani masala
  • ¾ tsp chilli powder
  • ¾ tsp turmeric, plus extra for drizzling
  • 4 green chillies, seeded and chopped
  • 20g fresh coriander, chopped, plus extra to serve
  • 4 onions, sliced
  • 100ml canola oil
  • 100g butter, melted
  • 500g basmati rice
  • 250ml full cream plain yoghurt, plus extra to serve
  • 45ml lemon juice
  • 400g brown or white bread flour
  • 2 tsp salt

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200oC (180oC fan forced). Place the lamb, ginger, garlic, biryani masala, chilli powder, turmeric, chillies and coriander into a large, non-reactive bowl, mix well to coat the lamb. Cover and set aside to marinate in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Return to room temperature when you are ready to cook.
  2. Sprinkle the sliced onion with a little salt and leave to stand in a colander for 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
  3. Heat the oil and butter together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onion from the saucepan, drain the onions on paper towel. Set aside. Reserve the butter mixture.
  4. Remove the lamb from the marinade, allowing the excess to run off. Reserve the marinade.
  5. Add some of the reserved butter mixture to a medium ovenproof casserole dish over a high heat and brown the meat in batches on the stove top. Return all of the meat to the casserole dish and add the reserved marinade as well as half of the cooked onion and the yoghurt. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 30-40 minutes.
  6. While the meat is cooking, prepare the rice. Wash the rice and drain. Put it into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and drain well. Spoon the rice over the meat in the casserole dish.
  7. Spread the remaining onions over the top of the rice. Mix a pinch of turmeric with 45ml of hot water and drizzle it over the onions. Top with the lemon juice and 30ml of the butter mixture.
  8. Meanwhile, make the dough. Mix the flour and salt with enough cold water to form a firm, manageable dough. Knead until soft and smooth. Roll out onto a lightly floured surface so it will be large enough to cover the casserole dish. Cover the dish then press the dough down around the edges to seal.
  9. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let it stand for 10 minutes, then break the dough open to serve. The meat should be tender. Serve biryani with yoghurt mixed with chopped coriander.

By Taverne Agency

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