Being welcoming and extremely hospitable is a hallmark of Bangladeshi culture. Visitors and friends are always welcome to drop in, sometimes even unannounced. Open doors, sheer hospitality, and friendly disposition are an integral part of the society. Add tons of mouthwatering food shared by the guests and host with chic-chat, laughter, love, and you have a complete picture of sociable Bangladeshis.
Naturally, I am very passionate about highlighting Bangladeshi cooking. When I started to think about my guest post on Chef Dennis’s blog, Kachchi biryani appeared to be the perfect dish to share with all of you, as I would have prepared if I were to welcome each of you in a large group to my home over dinner. Kachchi biryani is usually a featured dish for weddings and social gatherings and celebrations. Layers of meat, rice and potatoes are infused with warm and delectable blends of aromatic spices to prepare kachchi biryani. Whether it is a tender piece of mutton, potato, alubokhara(prune) or the rice itself, each spoonful is a mouthwatering surprise. I find this grand biryani to have lesser prep time because all the ingredients are put in layers and then in the oven instead of cooking the rice and meat separately and then combining (leaving me with less pots to clean afterwards also).
The term “kachchi” means raw referring to the biryani ingredients being combined raw in layers instead of first cooking the meat or rice separately. Traditionally, kachchi biryani is cooked in clay oven and the cooking pot is usually sealed with flour dough to allow the biryani to cook in its own steam. The sealed pot is not opened until the biryani is ready to be served. Several years ago when I was just starting as a novice cook, I was told many a times that kachchi biryani cannot be made in conventional oven or it wouldn’t taste as good. However, over the years, through trial and error, I have pretty much perfected the preparation. First time, I kept the biryani in the oven for 3.5 hours worrying about undercooked meat. Now I turn off the oven after 1.5 hours. Also, in my never ending quest to find an easier way, my spin to the recipe is to skip the sealing process with dough and instead just use a lid that perfectly fits the cooking pot; saves time and no sticky fingers and a lot less messy kitchen. The result is still a flavorful, divine kachchi biryani.
Cooking kachchi biryani is a labor of love and each time it is perfectly paid off when family and friends gather around the table to bond, enjoy and laugh together while savoring delicious, mouthwatering Biryani. It is a perfect celebration food for small family get-together as well as large gatherings.
A simple salad or a colorful one is sufficient as a side for kachchi biryani but traditionally; shami kabab and chutney are served alongside. To complete the meal, add traditional Bangladeshi chal kumrar morobba, pranhara or pumpkin halva as dessert.
I hope you will give kachchi biryani a try and find out firsthand how flavorful and delectable this biryani is and enjoy as much as my family and friends does.
Share, enjoy, laugh, bond and have a fabulous Friday.
- 2 lb mutton
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 teaspoon garlic paste
- 3-4 dry red chili
- 2-3 stick of cinnamon, half inches each
- 4-5 green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon mace
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 6-8 allspice (optional)
- ½ teaspoon caraway seed (optional)
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- ¾ cup ghee or butter
- 5 medium potato
- pinch of orange food color (optional)
- ½ cup onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cups basmati or kalijeera rice (I use a 160ml cup to measure my rice. Adjust accordingly)
- 6 cups water
- ½ cup condensed milk
- 2 tablespoon milk
- pinch of saffron
- 10-12 alubokhara (pitted prunes)
- 4 eggs, hard boiled
- Salt, according to taste
- Steps to prepare the meat:
- Sprinkle some salt on the meat and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Wash the meat and drain all water.
- Take all the spice from red chili to caraway seed, grind.
- Take the pot where biryani will be cooked. Add the meat and yogurt, ground spice mix, garlic and ginger paste and salt. Marinate for anywhere between 30 minutes to overnight(see notes).
- Steps to prepare the onion:
- Add about 3 tablespoon of butter/ghee on a frying pan on medium heat.
- Add very thinly sliced onion and sautee until fragrant and golden brown.
- Steps to prepare the potato:
- Wash, peel and cut the potato in big chinks. Usually into 3 pieces for a medium Idaho potato.
- If using, rub some orange food color to the potato.
- Sprinkle some salt.
- Fry the potatoes until slightly golden on the same pan used for the onion.
- Steps to prepare the rice:
- Wash rice and drain all water.
- Boil 6 cups of water. Add salt.
- Add the rice.
- Turn off the stove at the first sight of water boiling again (bubble forming on the water) after adding the rice. Rice will be uncooked at this point.
- Drain the rice completely saving the drained hot water in another clean pot.
- Steps to assemble the biryani layers and cook:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Soak the saffron to the milk.
- Add butter/ghee to 1 cup of hot water that was set aside in the rice preparing step.
- Add the prepared potatoes on top of the marinated meat.
- Sprinkle some fried onion.
- Add the alubokhara(prunes), if using.
- Add half the water-butter mixture.
- Layer in the prepared rice.
- Sprinkle the saffron milk.
- Make 4-5 indentations from the rice layer through the potato till the meat.
- Add the condensed milk through the indentations.
- Sprinkle the remaining water-butter mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining fried onion.
- Add the remaining hot water in a way that water doesn’t go above the rice layer. You may not need to use all of the hot water.
- Cook in the oven for 1.5 hours.
- Add the hard boiled eggs.
- Serve with salad, kabab and chutney.
It’s best to use a cooking pot that has a tightly fitted lid.
The easiest way to grind spices is to use a coffee grinder.
When I first started cooking Kachchi biryani, I marinated the meat overnight. I have cooked it with 30 minutes of marinating with almost the same tenderness. Use your judgment depending on the meat quality and the time you have in hand.
Condensed milk can be substituted by sprinkling ½ cup of milk to the biryani layers and adding 2 tablespoon of sugar to the fried golden onion.
I use a 160ml cup that comes with standard rice cookers in the USA to measure rice. Adjust your rice measurement accordingly.
রেসিপি:কাচ্চি বিরিয়ানি
উপকরন:
২ পাউণ্ড খাসির মাংস
১ চা চামচ আদা বাটা
২ চা চামচ রসুন বাটা
৩-৪ শুকনো মরিচ
২-৩ টি দারুচিনি টুকরা, প্রতিটি আধা ইঞ্চি
৪-৫ টি ছোট এলাচ
১ চা চামচ জিরা
১/২ চা চামচ লবঙ্গ
১/২ চা চামচ জয়ত্রি
১/৮ চা চামচ জায়ফল
৬-৮ কাবাব চিনি (ঐচ্ছিক)
১/২ চা চামচ শাহি জিরা (ঐচ্ছিক)
৩ টেবিল চামচ দই
৩/৪ কাপ ঘি বা মাখন
৫ টি মাঝারি আলু
১ চিম্টি খাওয়ার কমলা রঙ (ঐচ্ছিক) চিম্টি
১/২ কাপ পেঁয়াজ, পাতলা স্লাইস
৪ কাপ পোলওর চাল
৬ কাপ পানি
১/২ কাপ কন্ডেনস্ড মিল্ক
২ টেবিল চামচ দুধ
জাফরান এর চিম্টি
১০-১২ টি আলুবোখারা
৪ টি ডিম, সেদ্ধ
লবণ, স্বাদ অনুযায়ী
মাংস প্রস্তুত প্রণালী:
১. মাংস মাঝারি টুকরা করে ধুয়ে লবণ মাখিয়ে ১৫-২০ মিনিট রেখে দিন। আবার ধুয়ে পানি ঝরিয়ে নিন।
২. শুকনো মরিচ থেকে শাহি জিরা পর্যন্ত সব মসলা গুড়া করুন।
৩. যে হাঁড়িতে বিরিয়ানি রান্না হবে, তাতে মাংস, দই, মশলা এবং লবন মাখিয়ে ৩০ মিনিট থেকে এক রাত রেখে দিন (নোট দেখুন)।
পেঁয়াজ বেরেস্তা প্রস্তুত প্রণালী:
১. মাঝারি তােপ ফ্রাইং প্যােন ৩ টেবিল চামচ ঘি/মাখন যোগ করুন।
২. পেঁয়াজ বাদামী হওয়া পর্যন্ত ভেজে বেরেস্তা করে উঠিয়ে রাখুন।
আলু প্রস্তুত প্রণালী:
১. আলু টুকরা করুন।
২. কমলা রঙ আলুতে মেশান। (ঐচ্ছিক)
৩. আলুতে লবণ মাখিয়ে পেঁয়ােজর ঘিয়ে ভেজে নিন।
চাল প্রস্তুত প্রণালী:
১. চাল ধুয়ে পানি ঝরিয়ে নিন।
২. ৬ কাপ পানিতে লবন যোগ করে ফুটিয়ে নিন।
৩. ফুটানো পানিতে চাল দিন। ফুটে ওঠা মাত্র চুলা বন্ধ করুন।
5. চালের পানি ঝড়িয়ে গরম পানি পরিস্কার পাত্রে সংরক্ষণ করুন।
বিরিয়ানি স্তর এবং রান্না প্রণালী:
১. ওভেন ৩৫০ ডিগ্রী ফারেনহাইটে প্রি-হিট করুন।
২. দুধে জাফরান যোগ করুন।
৩. চাল ঝড়ানো ১ কাপ গরম পানিতে মাখন / ঘি যোগ করুন।
৫. মাংসের উপরে ভাজা আলু যোগ করুন।
5. কিছু ভাজা পেঁয়াজ (বেরেস্তা) ছিটিয়ে দিন।
৬. আলুবোখারা ছড়িয়ে দিন।
৭. অর্ধেক পানি-মাখন মিশ্রণ যোগ করুন।
৮. চাল ছড়িয়ে দিন।
৯. দুধ ও জাফরান ছিটিয়ে দিন।
৯. চাল স্তর থেকে মাংস পর্যন্ত কয়েকটি গতর্ করে কন্ডেনস্ড মিল্ক যোগ করুন।
১০. অবশিষ্ট পানি-মাখন মিশ্রণ ছিটিয়ে দিন।
১১. বাকি পেঁয়াজ ভাজা ছিটাইয়া দিন।
১২. অবশিষ্ট গরম পানি এমনভাবে যোগ করুন যেন পানি চালের উপর না ওঠে। কিছু পানি অবশিষ্ট থাকতে পারে।
১৩. দেড় ঘন্টা গরম ওভেনে রেখে নামিয়ে নিন। সেদ্ধ ডিম যোগ করুন।
১৪. সালাদ, কাবাব এবং চাটনির সাথে পরিবেশন করুন।
প্রয়োজনিও কিছু টিপস্ এর জনে্য দয়াকরে আটির্কেল অথবা ইংরেজি রেসিপির নোট সেকশন টা একটু দে্যখে নেবেন।
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What a nice, inviting dish, Lail! A dish that make any celebration worthy for sure. Wishing you a great holiday!
Thank you, Denise. Wish you happy holiday, as well.
Yes, This is too delicious and yummy for our country people.. Lail.. I’ve taken your recipes and links to show another! .
Glad you agree Atiqur! Thanks for sharing the recipe links.
Congratulations on your guest post! What a marvelous dish..and it’s garnished so gorgeously! Love the beautiful egg…just a work of art!!!
Thanks a lot, Liz.
What an incredibly delicious guest post 🙂
Cheers
CCU
Thank you.
It’s a pleasure to meet you Lail! This is a very beautiful one pot meal and I’d love to try it.
Thank you for stopping by Sandra. I am glad you want to try this recipe. Feel free to reach out if you have any question.
My kind of comfort food, really 🙂
Yes, Kiran. Biryani is truly a comfort food.
Lail… The Biryani looks great! But I’m surprised seeing condensed milk in it. Won’t it make the Biryani really sweet?
N – for 2 pounds of meat and 4 cups of rice, the condensed milk quantity is low so the biryani is not sweet at all.
Lail, your guest post was a delight to read, your photos were stunning, and your time-saving tips were appreciated. Nice to “meet” you on Chef Dennis’ blog!
Kim – Thank you so much for stopping by and your kind words. I am glad that you loved the biryani post. I look forward to knowing you as well.
A wonderful guest post and scrumptious dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thanks, Rosa.
Biryani looks great Lail! I didn’t know Bangladesh had a kachchi version. I make the Hyderabadi version, same technique. different spices. The addition of condensed milk is interesting. In all, it looks delicious and next time I am in Dallas, I am so stopping by!
I
LOVE
biryani!
Wow,delicious biryani!!
চরম! ওয়াও।
Great recipe.. But is 2lb meat enough for 4 cups of rice? Just want to make sure..
Hi Arifa. Thank you for stopping by. I should clarify that I use a cup that comes with standard rice cooker in the US which is 160ml in size. When I use that cup, 4 cups is good for 2 lbs of meat. You’ll have to adjust if you are using a bigger cup. I’ll update the note section of the recipe. Thank you for bringing up this question.
Lail thnks a lot for portraying bangladeshi cuisines because a lot of ppl dnt knw abt our famous cuisines worldwide. These recipes r definately helpng me out since m abroad nd its not easy to get d recipes frm mom. So u rock. 🙂
hi Lail
someone posted a question about when to add the garlic and ginger paste listed, I couldn’t find it in the instructions.
Dennis
I replied to your post. Also, he reached out to me, so sent him the details via e-mali too. Thank you and sorry about the confusion.
Thanks for the instructions.
Is it possible to use a tray and foil paper to seal it? I want to cook for almost 20 people and I don’t think my cooking pot
will be enough.
If you are planning to use an aluminum tray and foil to wrap it, you may have to adjust the time a little. The thin tray may heat up quicker than a cooking pot resulting the time to be adjusted. I would recommend you start checking the tenderness of the meat at around an hour and 10 minutes. From then on, check every 10 minutes so that the biryani is not burning or getting overdone. Hope this helps.
I appreciate you trying one of my recipes. Thank you so much.
I never tried kachhi biriyani recipe, As you used potatoes for biriyani, this is Lucknow style biriyani. What if I want to cook on stove-top. How many hours it will take? how about slow-cooker method?
From what I know, Lucknow biryani is “pukka” biryani meaning the rice and meat is partially or fully cooked before layering. On the other hand, for kachchii biryani, the raw marinated meat is mixed with rice. Therefore, in my opinion, the similarity is not the same.
The kachchi biryani is often cooked on open clay oven with hot coal on top of the lid to ensure the cooking pot is hot from all side. If you can create similar environment and heat the biryani will cook fine. Hope this helps.
Thank you for stopping by. I hope to see you again soon and try out some of the recipes. Cheers!
I am mainating it today. tomorrow I will cook In sha Allah. will let u know. l
Hi Rubina. I hope the kachchi biryani turned out great for you and your family enjoyed the dish. Best regards.
I made this dish today and everyone liked it. Thanks for a well explained receipe.
You are most welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed it! Eid Mubarak from my family to yours.
If you ask me what I like most then I will gladly say, I like all of your website. Two of my most favorite are Afghani Recipe site and second one is yours. Thanks to that talented cook who are working behind the page to post such information.
Thank you. So glad to hear that.
Thank you for sharing this all time favorite recipe. I can’t wait to serve it on eid.
I am so glad you found the recipe. Happy cooking and advanced Eid Mubarak. I would love to see photos of your dish. Please share on Facebook, twitter or instagram using #withaspin
Hope to see you again soon on the blog. Thank you!
Hi!! Just found your recipe and I am sure it will be perfect,I just want some informations to know!!
I live in Bangladesh, own an electric oven but not so big,but have a gas stove, how to cook it on gas stove, can you enlighten me about the flame of the gas stove??? should it be too low?? Will the time remain same if I cook it on gas stove???
Do I have to add salt again after brining the meat?? If yes how much salt do I have to add?? because the meat will not absorb that amount of salt in 15-20 minutes, and also we can not add salt according to taste because the meat already contains some amount of salt,I mean how to guess the right amount??
I want to add some greenn papaya paste to avoid risk as the meat is raw and there is fear of the meat being undercooked, can you please tell me how much green papaya paste should be added for your recipe???
Eagerly waiting for your answer!!!! Never succeeded to cook kacchi before, I hope your suggestions will make me cooked the best kacchi ever!!!!!
Thanks for this awesome recipe anyways 🙂
Hello!! So glad to hear that you are planning to try the recipe. I hope your biryani comes out delicious for you.
To be honest, I have never cooked it on gas stove but it’s possible as Kacchi biryani is usually cooked on “khorir chula”. I would keep the flame medium-low, and add hot coal on the top to mimic the “dum” cooking. Hot coal will ensure the cooking pot is receiving heat not only from the bottom but from the top too. Also, make sure your pot seals very well. Cook on medium for about 30 mins and then lower the heat and cook for about an hour or hour and half.
I’m not sure of your brining the meat question. Can you please clarify? I add salt to the meat, season the potato and also the rice to make sure everything is seasoned for the biryani. One good trick to adding salt to rice is to make sure the water is as salted as you like your rice to be. If you salt your water right, the rice will have the similar salty taste.
Green papaya paste is a meat tenderizer, I don’t know if it helps cook meat faster but makes meat softer. It is up to you if you want to add. I think meat in Bangladesh has less fat, and are less tender than what we find in the US, so it may not be a bad idea to add a spoon or two green papaya paste. I never added but I never tried cooking the biryani in Bangladesh.
I hope this helps! Feel free to ask if you have any additional question. I would love to hear back how it turns out for you. Bon apetit!
Hi there!!! thanks for such nice and quick reply.
I actually could not properly explain that brining issue, wanted to say that you said to wash the meat after brining,that’s why I thought that I have to salt the meat again, and asked how much salt to add,because the meat already has absorbed some salt and it’s hard to get the salt right :/ now you said that I don’t have to add salt again after washing meat and seems that the problem is salt.
Yes,the meat in Bangladesh is less tender and has less fat, that’s why I wanted to say the meat will not be tender enough hence I wanted to add the papaya meat, actually in Bangladesh meat is considered undercooked if not tender, that’s why I used the “undercooked” word. By the way,as the meat contains less fat do I have to add more oil to the meat marination???
Well my ammu said after I showed your comment to her,I can also use a steel bowl with very hot water and keep it on the pot so that it can cook the food from the top and also create pressure to cook quickly
I don’t have any additional question to ask because your recipe is so complete and full of tips that I don’t have to ask anything extra
Thank you!!!
tried your recipe and it was so good 😀 thanks for your awesome recipe,you can check it on my facebook 🙂
Hello Lail!! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Can you be so kind to answer my following questions:
1. The measurement you provided, can you tell me how many people per serving for the given amount ?
2. You said you cooked the biriyani in the oven, if some one wants to make in the stove, so which mark should I put in the electric stove?
3. Please mention for layering the biriyani and placing in the oven, did you use pot or foil paper tray?
4. And Last but not least, If I want to make for 6/7 people, how much rice (in rice cooker measuring cup) and how much meat should I take?
I really want make this biriyani in coming Eid – Ul- Fitr 2016, thats why I have this questions 🙂
Thanks in Advance.
Hello TM! So glad you decided to make this kachchi biryani for Eid. Here’s the answers to your questions –
1. The recipe easily serves 7-10 people.
2. To be honest, I have never cooked it on gas stove but it’s possible as Kacchi biryani is usually cooked on “clay stove”. I would keep the flame medium-low, and add hot coal on the top to mimic the “dum” cooking. Hot coal will ensure the cooking pot is receiving heat not only from the bottom but from the top too. Also, make sure your pot seals very well. Cook on medium for about 30 mins and then lower the heat and cook for about an hour or hour and half.
3. I’ve always used pot for cooking biryani. However, I know few people who make this biryani in foil.
4. I would suggest, go ahead and use the measurements in the recipe. If you have leftover, the biryani tastes even better the day after. It also freezes very well, if you have a lot of leftover. You can just take out from freezer, reheat in a non stick pan and tastes fresh 🙂
Hope this helps. I would love to see your photo of the biryani. Please hashtag #WithASpin on FB or instagram for me to see. Best regards.
“১২. অবশিষ্ট গরম পানি এমনভাবে যোগ করুন যেন পানি চালের উপর না ওঠে। কিছু পানি অবশিষ্ট থাকতে পারে।”
Can you please explain more. The water level will be up to top of the meat? I messed up several time with water.
Hello! Yes, don’t submerge the rice and the meat in water. Instead, pour the water at the same level of rice and meat. Hope this helps!
I read your article fully. I love to eat kacchi. I must cook kacchi in future by following your article
Thanks!