Egg Biryani

5 from 1 vote

Egg Biryani is a flavorful and colorful rice dish loaded with fragrant spices and tender, boiled eggs. With this tried-and-tested recipe, learn how to make the most flavorful egg biryani.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Pakistani

Keyword: anda biryani, egg biryani

Diet: Gluten-free, Nut-free

Method: Stovetop

Servings:

Author: Meeta Arora

Ingredients

6 large Eggs boiled

Saffron

2 tablespoon Warm Milk
10-12 strands Saffron (Kesar)

Parboiled Rice

1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice rinsed and soaked in water for 20 minutes
6 cups Water
1 tablespoon Salt
1 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
4 Cloves (Laung)
4 Green Cardamom (Elaichi)
1 inch stick Cinnamon (Dalchini)
1 Star anaise

Frying Eggs

2 tablespoon Oil
1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
1/4 teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder)
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Biryani

2 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
2 cup Yellow onion about 300 grams, peeled and thinly sliced
6 cloves Garlic minced
2 teaspoon Ginger freshly grated
2 Green Chili Pepper finely diced
1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
1 tablespoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder mild, or use 1 teaspoon paprika and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne , adjust to taste
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Salt
2 large Tomato finely diced or pureed
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt thick full-fat, whisked
1/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Mint leaves (Pudhina) fresh, chopped
1/2 cup Cilantro leaves (Corainder) fresh, chopped
1 tablespoon Lime or Lemon juice
1/2 cup Birista / Fried onions
1 tablespoon Ghee

For Serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Boil Eggs

You can boil eggs in the instant pot or on the stovetop. Here is the recipe for instant pot hard-boiled eggs . To boil on the stovetop, place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the eggs cook, covered for 12 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and let them cool down for 10 minutes.
Remove the shell, then make 2-3 shallow slits on the surface of the eggs and set aside.

Parboiled Rice

Add water to a large pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Add salt, whole spices, and basmati rice (after draining the soaking water). Cook for 6 minutes, then drain the water immediately and spread the rice in a large plate or bowl. The rice will be about 70% done at this stage. Don't overcook the rice. Check by taking a grain between your fingers; it should break easily but is still not completely done at the center.

Saffron

Soak saffron strands in warm milk. Set this aside for 10 minutes.

Frying Eggs

Heat a large pan or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in it. Add the eggs to the pan. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt.
Stir and saute until the eggs are coated with the spices and slightly blistered on the outside, about 2 minutes. Remove eggs and set aside. This helps the eggs to retain their shape when cooking the biryani.

Make the Biryani Sauce

In the same pan used for eggs, add 2 more tablespoons of oil and let it heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
Add sliced onions and saute for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown in color. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
Add ginger, garlic, and green chili peppers. Saute for another minute.
Add the tomatoes and dry spices - turmeric, coriander, red chili, garam masala and salt. Stir them well and saute them for 3-4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Add the whisked yogurt and keep stirring for 1-2 minutes until it is well incorporated. You can increase heat to medium-high once the yogurt is incorporated. Cook until the oil starts to separate from the gravy. Now add some water to make a gravy consistency. Stir and cook for a minute.
Add half of the mint and cilantro leaves and lime juice. Stir them into the masala.
Now add the fried eggs we had kept aside before. Arrange them in the pan around the edges and at the center.

Layer the Biryani and Cook

Spread half of the fried onions on top of the eggs. Then, spread half of the chopped mint and cilantro leaves.
Now, layer the parboiled rice evenly on top. Using a spatula, flat the surface. Now, drizzle the ghee over the rice. Then, drizzle the saffron milk all over the rice. Spread the rest of the fried onions, mint leaves, and cilantro leaves on top.
Cover with a tight lid and cook on the lowest flame for 15 minutes. You can also wrap a kitchen towel on the lid to get that tight-fitting lid to keep the steam inside while cooking the biryani. This process is called "dum" which is basically cooking on low heat. (See notes)
Remove from heat and let the biryani rest for 5-10 minutes. When serving, dig deep to get all the layers with the yellow rice, white rice, and eggs in one scoop. Garnish with fried onions and cilantro leaves. Serve with raita and salad!

Video

Notes

Fried Onions: This is the most tedious part of the recipe. You can fry and store the onions ahead of time in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can substitute with store-bought onions or shallots if you like. Ensure that gluten-free ones are obtained and are not mixed with other ingredients before frying.

Basmati Rice: I like to cook biryani using premium extra long-grain basmati rice. If you use other rice, the biryani will not be as fragrant.

Cooking Biryani: If you don't have a heavy-bottom pan, place a tawa or griddle below the pan with biryani. This helps to diffuse the heat and ensures the bottom layer of biryani is not overcooked or burnt. You will need to turn up the heat to medium.

Don't like whole spices in the final dish? If you don't want whole spices when serving the biryani, add them to a spice pouch and then add them to the water to boil the rice.

Storing leftovers: You can store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This biryani will also freeze well.

Nutrition