Bohri Biryani Recipe with photos of each step.
Bohri biryani is one of the various delicious biryani of Pakistan made by Dawoodi bohra community. What makes bohra biryani different is that it is comparatively less spicy than Hyderabadi biryani or Sindhi biryani. Instead of red chillies and grounded garam masala, it uses green chilies for heat and whole garam masala (mixed spices) for aroma.
This is a juicy biryani recipe. Senior adults and kids would love this bohra biryani for it has all the flavors and heat of biryani with health-friendly and kids friendly spices. Serve this biryani with green chutney or raita and kachumbar salad.
My other similar recipes.
How to make Chicken Biryani (bohra style):
Bohra Biryani Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ kg (6 medium) sliced onions
- ½ kg (4 medium) potato, ,peeled and cut in large chunks
Green Masala
- 8-12 small green chilli, or 2 tablespoon green chilies paste
- 2 inch piece ginger , or 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 6 garlic cloves , or 1 tablspoon garlic paste
Spices
- 4 black cloves, (laung)
- 10 black pepper corns, (sabut kali mirch)
- 1 tablespoon cumin, (sabut zeera)
- 2-3 green cardamom, (choti elaichi)
- 1 black cardamom, (bari elaichi)
- 1 big bay leaf, (teej patta)
- 2 inch stick cinnamon, (dal cheeni)
- 2 tablespoon coriander powder, (dhanya) powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric , (hald)i powder
Other
- 1 kg chicken pieces, 1 full chicken pieces
- ½ kg (5 medium) chopped tomato
- 3-4 dried plum, aloo bukhara
- ½ cup yogurt, dahi
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
- 3-4 medium green chilies
- a pinch of saffron, dissolved in 2 tbs water.
- 1½ cup oil
- salt to taste
Ingredients for rice
- ¾ kg basmati rice
- 1 teaspoon cumin, sabut zeera
- 6-8 black pepper, sabut kali mirch
- salt to taste
Instructions
Steps for Prepping
- Wash and soak rice for 20 minutes.
- In a skillet take oil, fry onions till golden brown, dish out on kitchen towel and crush them with hands or mixer.
- In the same skillet using same oil of onions, fry potatoes till golden. Dish out and set aside.
- Make green paste of chili, garlic and ginger called green masala. Set aside.
Step for Chicken Gravy
- Take out extra oil from skillet leaving only 3 tbs. (this extra oil will be used later)
- In this oil on low flame, add dry whole spices (green cardamom, black cardamom, cumin, bay leaf, cinnamon, pepper and clove), fry lightly to release flavors.
- Now, add powdered spices (coriander and turmeric ), stir a little and add green masala and salt, fry for 1 minute.
- Add chicken and fry till the color of chicken changes, add chopped or pureed tomatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- After five minutes, add fried, crushed onions, cover and cook for 15 minutes till chicken is tender.
- Add yogurt and plum, let simmer to reduce water. The gravy will be thick but not fully dried.
- Add fried potatoes, chilies and coriander.
Steps For Rice
- On step 9, while chicken is cooking, fill a large vessel in which we will make biryani ( 12 inch diameter measuring from inside) more than half with water, add whole spices and salt.(check notes for tip). Bring water to boil.
- Once the water is boiled add soaked rice and cook for 7-10 mins, we will not fully cook but use half cooked rice(1 kanni left ). Strain the water from rice when 70% cooked.
Steps For Assembling
- Now in the rice pot add 2 tbsp of extra oil that we had saved and smear it on the base, add ¾ of rice in the pot. Add layer of chicken gravy, spreading chicken and potatoes evenly. Add a layer of remaining rice.
- On top add dissolved saffron and remaining extra oil of onion. (Cover tightly to keep steam entrapped, put it for dum for 15 minutes.
- Biryani is ready to serve.
Step by Step bohra/bohri biryani recipe
Soak rice for 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a skillet and fry onions on medium flame.
We will fry till all strands of onions separate and turn crispy golden in color.
Crush fried onions with hands. You can also use grinder if onions are soft.
In the same oil fry potatoes till cooked, sprinkle salt too. Flip sides so all sides are golden.
Remove extra oil, leaving only 2-3 tablespoon in skillet. Fry whole spices. make sure flame is low and oil is not very hot or the spices will burn. Fry for 1 minute.
Add dry powdered spices, give a stir. Then add green chili, garlic and ginger paste.(hara masala). Fry for 1 minute.
Add chicken,and fry so the color of chicken changes. Add tomatoes. We don't like the skin of tomato so I removed skins and puree it. You can simply use chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add fry onion give it a stir for 5 min, add whipped yogurt. Cover and cook for 15-20 mins or till chicken is tender.
Simmer till you have thick gravy, add whole chiles and chopped coriander.
Fill ¾ of a large and thick based skillet, add rice spices and salt. Bring it to boil and add soaked rice. Keep checking the rice, we need 1 kanni rice that are semi cooked to 80%.
Strain the rice, and in the same skillet add the extra onion oil that was saved. Smear it on the base and add a layer of rice. We will put less than ¾ of rice in the bottom layer and leave rest to cover on the top layer.
Add layer of chicken gravy. Make sure to distribute chicken pieces and potatoes evenly. Add remaining rice to top of chicken gravy in a layer to cover it. Add food color dissolved in water. Keep the biryani for dum for 10-15 minutes. Steam should be visible in the pot when lid is removed.Give a standing time of 5-7 minutes and then serve with achar , chutney, salad and zeera raita.
For making bohra mutton biryani
- First of all in a skillet put meat, dry spices and hara masala with salt and oil. Cover the meat and cook till tender.
- Saute tomato in a pan and add crushes fried onions.
- Cook ( bhunna) tomato and onions till oil is separated. Add cooked meat and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Follow rest of the step as it is.
Areeba says
This was awesome. The only change I made was add juice of one lemon. Thanks for sharing!
Recipe 52 says
Thanks for the feedback, keep coming!
rahul says
what is the difference between sindhi biryani and this biryani
Recipe 52 says
Hi Rahul,
Bohra Biryani uses green chillies for spices.
Sindhi biryani uses red chilli and a bit more garam masala. Another, difference is adding lemon, tomato slices, mint leaves when layering the rice.
akbar anees says
Salam, why are you using aloo bukhara ? could I skip it ?
Mariam Sodawater says
Hi Akbar, aloo bukhara is to add tanginess, you can skip it, and it won't effect the flavor much.
Mariam Sodawater says
I checked both links, they are definitely great insight for a newbie in cooking. And hats off to you and even congrats. As making a good biryani in first try is an achievement. ?
Rose Mary Antony says
My classmates came home during this christmas vaccation and unfortunately my mom was not there. So i thought of making some biryani for them and yes i choose your site because you have well presented here with pictures. I made it accrodingly and it was a success. My mother can't even believe that i made(I'm a person who never enters kitchen :P)
One thing i noticed while making biryani is that no one can make a perfect biryani even if he is an expert chef .There are many facts to b kept in mind while trying out these kind of recipes like layering,spicing etc..Only after reading some good articles i did an attempt on your biryani and then only it came a good success.
Will share with you some good read on those tips which I came across:
http://recipesandhealthtips.weebly.com/tips/how-to-make-perfect-biryani
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/leisure/10-tips-to-the-perfect-biryani-plus-two-quick-recipes-1.983095
Mariam Sodawater says
Thank you so much dear on such a detailed review. You really made my day. ?
Anonymous says
The bohri biryani turned out perfect. Thank you buddy.
Umm-e-Aimen Taaha says
Enjoyed your birthday by making this biryani today it was delicious. I dont use color so i used saffron. Thanks for sharing wonderful recipe and Happy Birthday to you .
Mariam Sodawater says
? Thank you dear friend. So sweet of you.
Mariam Sodawater says
Thank you so much sweetheart. ?
Umm-e-Aimen Taaha says
Mouth watering i am definitely gonna try this recipe... Feeling Hungry ?