The story of Sindhi biryani: tang and aroma rising from the bottom of the pot
When you lift the lid, the first thing that reaches you is not curry powder. It is the sweetness of fried onions, the acidity of yogurt and tomato, the green scent of fresh chilies, and a little of the sweet-sour of dried plums. The rice is not one color: white parts, parts that took up the red masala, and parts stained yellow by saffron and turmeric are left in patches. Because of that unevenness, the flavor changes with each bite.
Sindhi biryani (سنڌي برياني / سندھی بریانی / Sindhi biryani) is a rice dish tied to Sindh province in southeastern Pakistan. The Sindh Tourism Development Corporation also lists Sindhi biryani in its introduction to Sindhi cuisine. The "biryani" many people know is often talked about as a plate at an Indian restaurant, but on the Pakistani side too, Lahore, Karachi and Sindh each have their own expression of rice dishes.
When you make Sindhi biryani in a home kitchen, the star is not the heat itself. Large pieces of potato, dried plums called aloo bukhara, red masala and long basmati rice: when these four come together, you get a profile unlike the usual chicken biryani. The dried plum is less a sweet dried fruit than a small point of acidity that cuts through the weight of oil and chili. The dish cooks without it, but with it you move much closer to a Pakistani table.
So that you don't have to hunt for bone-in meat, this version is built around chicken thighs, easy to buy at a supermarket. You parboil the rice in a big pot, make a red chicken masala in another pot, then layer them and steam over low heat. Using the layering idea from biryani, it connects to the same Pakistani table as chapli kebab (in Japanese) and haleem (in Japanese).
In local recipes you often see a build of chicken or other meat, basmati rice, yogurt, tomato, green chilies, mint, cilantro, potatoes and dried plums layered together. This article uses no food coloring and gets its natural red and yellow from tomato, chili, turmeric and saffron milk.
Ingredients (serves 4)
This is for 4 servings. Being a rice dish, the quantities look a little large, but this is a size that is easy to make if you are serving it on a platter. Chicken cut too small dries out during the steaming, so aim for 5 cm (2 in) pieces.
This recipe contains chicken and dairy. Store-bought biryani masala and fried onions may be produced in facilities that handle wheat, dairy, nuts and sesame. Check the ingredient label when you buy.
Ingredients that need thought when shopping
Milk, yogurt, chicken and potatoes are fine from a nearby supermarket. What is worth seeking out are three things: basmati rice, biryani masala and a thermometer. You may find dried plums as aloo bukhara at halal grocers or South Asian grocery stores. Without them, you can make it with pitted prunes, but they are sweet, so use less and make up the acidity with lemon juice.
Basmati rice is hard to substitute in this dish. Japanese rice can still be delicious as a chicken pilaf, but you won't get the lightness and long grains of a layered dish. It also gets reused in kabsa (in Japanese) and mandi, so it is easy to buy for anyone who wants to keep cooking the world's rice dishes.
You don't have to make biryani masala yourself from the start. Store-bought blends vary in salt and heat from product to product, so this recipe uses just 1 tbsp and fills in the missing aroma with coriander, cumin and black pepper. It is reassuring to be able to confirm 75°C (167°F) or higher in the thick part of the chicken. Since a rice dish is hard to see inside the pot, a thermometer helps with steamed dishes as well as roasts.
Method
Sindhi biryani is a dish where the rice is boiled separately and then layered. Cook the rice in the masala from the start and the flavors meld, but the white and red patches typical of Sindhi biryani, the presence of the potatoes and the small acidity of the dried plums get buried.
USDA FSIS gives the safe minimum internal temperature for chicken as 165°F, about 74°C. This article uses 75°C or higher as an easy figure to remember at home. If you can't tell by looks, check the thick part with a thermometer.
What to keep and what you can change in a home kitchen
What to protect in Sindhi biryani is the long rice, the acidity and the size of the potatoes. More than having every spice, what shapes the result is stopping the rice at a parboil, not making the chicken masala too watery, and not breaking the layers at the end.
Dried plums can be hard to find in an ordinary supermarket. South Asian grocery stores sometimes sell them as aloo bukhara. On days you can't get them, halve 25 g of pitted prunes and add 1 tsp of lemon juice. Prunes are sweet with mild acidity, though. Use too many and it leans toward dessert sweetness, so don't replace 8 plums one for one.
The potatoes taste more like Sindhi biryani when they are not cut small. Cut to 2 cm (3/4 in) cubes, they disappear into the rice and become just another filling. When large halved potatoes show in the dish, you get the satisfying bulk typical of Pakistani biryani. Bone-in meat is closer to the local style, but chicken thighs are plenty for a home kitchen. If you mix in bone-in drumettes, use 6 drumettes and 300 g of chicken thighs, and check the temperature carefully before the dum.
It is easier to eat if you don't settle the heat entirely in the pot. Two green chilies give aroma, but on days when someone in the family dislikes heat, use 1. If you serve lemon, red onion, raita and sliced green chilies separately at the table, everyone can adjust the heat around the same pot. Unlike a rich stew such as nihari (in Japanese), Sindhi biryani is eaten for the lightness of its rice. Opening it up with acidity and herbs rather than adding heat makes it easier to keep eating to the end.
Why it fails, and how to adjust
Most failures come not from the spices but from moisture. A masala that is too loose, rice boiled too long, a dum fire too strong. When these three overlap, the bottom of the pot scorches while the rice turns soggy.
| State | Cause | How to recover |
|---|---|---|
| The rice is heavy | Rice fully cooked, masala too watery | Spread it on a platter for 5 minutes to let the steam escape |
| The bottom scorches | "Low" heat is too strong, thin pot | Don't scrape the scorched bottom; transfer only the rice above |
| The chicken is tough | Cut too small, cooked too long | Keep to 5 cm pieces and stop the simmer at around 12 minutes |
| The potatoes break apart | Not browned first, simmered too long | Halve them and brown only the surface before adding |
| The flavor is flat | Not enough acidity or herbs | Add lemon juice, mint, cilantro and raita at the table |
| Too hot | Both chili powder and green chilies increased | Use plenty of raita and red onion, and halve the chilies next time |
Avoid stirring rice that has gone watery back in the pot. The grains break and get heavier still. It is better to spread it on a platter to let the excess steam out and add cilantro and fried onions on top, which restores both look and texture. If, conversely, the rice is hard, rather than putting it back in the pot with water, microwave it in a dish at 600 W for 1 minute and let it stand covered for 3 minutes; the core goes more easily.
Here are guideposts to prevent failure. If you remember Sindhi biryani only as a "spicy rice dish," you'll hesitate at the pot. Look for these four: oil seeping red at the edge of the pot, a white core left at the center of the rice, a bamboo skewer going halfway into the potatoes, and white and red still in patches after the rest. With those you can recover even if the numbers in the recipe drift a little.
How to eat it, and storage
When you eat it, it is better not to spoon raita over everything from the start. Take the first bite plain, and then add raita, lemon and red onion a little at a time. Where a dried plum turns up it is sweet-sour, and where there is potato it is dense with masala. It is more enjoyable to leave the differences in flavor on the plate than to mix everything evenly.
If you plan a menu around it, don't add too many heavy mains. On days you add a little chapli kebab (in Japanese), increase the salad and raita. To compare rice dishes, it is a contrast with the sweet carrot and raisin kabuli palaw (in Japanese) and the Gulf's machboos. Sindhi biryani is more sour, the masala is redder, and the potatoes stand out on the plate.
Aim to keep it refrigerated for 2 days. Because rice, chicken, yogurt and side dishes you serve by hand all come together, cool it once the heat has gone and divide it into single portions in shallow containers. If you freeze it, plan on within 2 weeks, and consider that the potatoes will lose some texture.
For reheating, a frying pan or pot works well. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of water over one portion of biryani and heat it, covered, over low heat for 4 minutes. Don't stir much; turn it from the bottom just once. In a microwave, heat it at 600 W for 2 minutes and check that steam rises from the center. When reheating leftovers too, USDA FSIS gives 165°F, about 74°C, as the safe guide. At home, remembering 75°C or higher makes it easier to judge.
FAQ
Q1. Can I make it with Japanese rice?
You can, but it becomes closer to a Sindhi-style chicken pilaf than Sindhi biryani. If you use 2 Japanese cups of rice, don't soak it, boil the chicken masala down well, and keep the liquid to 5 mm (1/4 in) above the surface of the rice. You won't get the lightness of the layers, so basmati is recommended the first time.
Q2. I don't have dried plums.
Halve 25 g of pitted prunes and add 1 tsp of lemon juice. Prunes are sweet, so with 35 g or more the whole dish turns sweet. Japanese umeboshi (pickled plums) have an aroma too close to Japanese cooking and aren't suited as a substitute here.
Q3. Can I make it with only store-bought biryani masala?
Yes. Use 2 1/2 tbsp of the store-bought blend and halve the coriander, cumin, red chili and garam masala. Some products contain salt, though. Start with 1 tsp of salt in the masala, and taste and adjust before layering.
Q4. Is food coloring necessary?
No. Some local recipes use color powder, but at home tomato, chili, turmeric and saffron milk are enough. Leaving patches of white, red and yellow, rather than an even orange all through, keeps you from tiring of it.
Q5. How do I change it for bone-in chicken?
You can make it with 850 g of bone-in chicken thighs or drumettes. Add 5 minutes to the simmer and check after the dum that the area near the bone is 75°C (167°F) or higher. Bone-in meat gives more savoriness, but it is hard to portion at the table, so if you serve it on a platter, provide tongs.
Q6. What side dishes go with it?
Raita, red onion, cucumber and lemon come first. Because it is a spicy rice dish, things that add acidity and coolness suit it better than side dishes that pile on oil. For a Pakistani-leaning menu, a small amount of nihari (in Japanese); for a broader South Asian one, a small samosa (in Japanese) alongside gives variety at the table.
