Lucknowi Dum Biryani
Pakki biryani: meat and rice cooked separately, then sealed and finished on dum
Allergens in Lucknowi Dum Biryani: milk, gluten.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 800g on the bone Mutton
- 3 cups, soaked 30 min Basmati Rice
- 1 cup, whisked Yogurt
- 3, sliced and fried to birista Onion
- 2 tbsp paste Ginger
- 2 tbsp paste Garlic
- a good pinch in 1/4 cup warm milk Saffron
- 6 Cardamom
- 2 Black Cardamomoptional
- 2 pieces Cinnamon
- 6 Cloves
- 2 Bay Leafoptional
- 1/2 tsp Maceoptional
- 1 tsp Kewra Wateroptional
- a handful Mint
- 5 tbsp Ghee
- for sealing the lid Attaonly seals the lid and is discarded, so the dish stays gluten-freeoptional
- to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, oven
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Awadhi biryani is subtle by design. Where Hyderabadi is fiery, this is perfumed. Resist adding chilli powder or turmeric; the colour should be white and gold, not red.
- Rice is boiled to 70% before layering. Fully cooked rice turns to paste on dum.
Method
- Cook the mutton with yogurt, ginger, garlic, half the birista, the whole spices and salt until tender and almost dry, about 45 minutes. This is the korma base.
- Boil the soaked rice in heavily salted water with a bay leaf until it is 70% done. The grain should still have a firm core when pressed.Drain the moment it reaches that stage; it keeps cooking on dum.
- Layer: meat at the bottom, rice over it, then the saffron milk, remaining birista, mint, kewra and ghee across the top.
- Seal the lid with a rope of atta dough, or cover tightly with foil and a lid.
- Cook on the lowest possible heat for 25 minutes (over a tawa if your burner runs hot) or in a 160C oven.
- Rest 10 minutes before breaking the seal, then lift from the bottom with a flat spoon so the grains stay whole.
Safe temperatures: Whole cuts of mutton, beef and pork are done at 63°C / 145°F, rested 3 minutes. A long braise passes that well before the meat is tender. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat covered with a sprinkle of water so the rice steams rather than fries. Freezing makes the grains brittle.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Lucknowi Dum Biryani (342 g) is about 635 calories, or 186 calories per 100 g.
High protein: 36 g a serving, 23% of the calories
| Per serving342 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 635 kcal | 186 kcal |
| Protein | 36.5 g | 11 g |
| Carbohydrate | 83.7 g | 24 g |
| of which sugars | 4.5 g | 1 g |
| Fibre | 2.4 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 15.8 g | 5 g |
| of which saturated | 8.6 g | 2 g |
| of which unsaturated | 5.9 g | 2 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for mutton. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Gluten-free Indian recipes · Awadhi/Lucknowi recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.