Homemade Biriyani Masala Recipe for Restaurant-Style Biriyani

Biryani is a celebrated food around India. A delicious South Asian dish made with basmati rice and spices is enjoyed in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

The main catch in the dish Biryani Masala: its flavours and spices make the dish more than just a pulao. 

Now, how to make this handy ingredient at home? In this read, we will go through the recipe of homemade biryani masala for a restaurant-like taste. 

Biryani Masala: An Aromatic Flavour

Biryani masala is a blend of whole spices with other aromatic spices. This recipe requires a unique mix of spicy and tangy flavours.

Slowly dry roast all the spices until aromatic. Grind them into a fine powder, and your masala is ready. Adjust your preferred spice levels. You may use this masala to make pulao, gravies and biryani. 

Supermarkets and grocery stores have a lot of biryani masala variants. These are not only expensive but also use preservatives and high amounts of MSG. Hence, making a homemade biryani masala is always a safer, cheaper and healthier choice. 

Let’s make the homemade biryani masala:

Required Dry Ingredients for Roasting 

• Dry Kashmiri chillies (sukhi laal mirch/Kashmiri varamilagai): 2-3
• Coriander seeds (dhaniya/Vara kothamalli)
• Fennel seeds (Saunf/sombu): 1 tablespoon
• Black pepper (kaali mirch/karuppu milagu): 1 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds (jeera/jeeragam): 1.5 teaspoons
• Cloves (laung/krambu): 1.5 teaspoons
• Cinnamon sticks (dalchini/pattai): 4-5 small sticks
• Green cardamom (hari elaichi/pacha elakai): 6-7 pieces
• Bay leaf (tej patta/biryani illai): 2-3 leaves
• Stone flower (patthar phool/kalpasi): 2 small
• Star anise (Tara phool/natchathira sombu): 2
• Black cardamom (badi elaichi/karuppu elakai): 2 pieces
• Mace (javitri/jaadipathiri): 1 piece
• Nutmeg (jaiphal/jaathikai): 3-4 small pieces 

This masala can make up to 3-4 biryani servings.

Recipe of Homemade Biryani Masala

• After you collect all the ingredients, add them to a pan for dry roasting, except nutmeg.
• Keep dry roasting on low flame until fragrant or slightly golden-brown
• Turn off the gas and let the mixture cool down
• After cooling the mixture, transfer it to a mixer jar (make sure these are cool before grinding)
• Crush the nutmeg along and add to the mixture
• Keep on grinding until you get a powder. The mixture should be coarse
• Transfer to a plate and spread well. Your perfect homemade biryani masala is ready

This masala is good to use for 2-3 months when kept at room temperature. Do not keep this in the fridge. 

ALSO SEE- Elevate Your Biryani with Spice Basket’s Special Biriyani Spice Bundle

Why Go for Homemade Biryani Masala?

Homemade biryani masala has no preservatives. It’s healthy and can be made with easily available ingredients. Compare a market masala with homemade, and you’ll find a huge difference in its taste and aroma. 

This masala can also be used to prepare sabzi, curries, gravy and pulao. It’s like a secret ingredient to all popular dishes like paneer lababdar, dal makhni, chana masala, rajma, mutton or chicken curry. Trust us, this masala will give you ‘compliments to the chef’. 

Some Expert Tips

• Do not add the exact qualities of red chillies and black pepper. Adjust according to your spice tolerance.
• Clean all the spices first. You may sun-dry them before the roast
• You may sieve the masala as well if you don't prefer a coarse texture
• Make sure the powder is cooled down before storage
• Always use a dry container to store
• If you have made the masala in bulk, keep the rest in the fridge
• Other aromatic spices should be adjusted according to the quantity of dry spices
• Do not add garam masala after adding this homemade biryani masala
• Add this masala according to your taste preference. For normal taste, 1.5 tablespoons of it is enough to make 1-2 biryani servings
• The quality of the dry spices matters. Do not buy cheap ingredients; make sure the spices are original and fresh.

ALSO SEE- How to Enhance Biryani Flavour with the Right Masala and Spices

Making Biryani With Homemade Masala

The biryani recipe has two phases: marination and cooking. It’s a layered dish and requires 1.5-2 hours to cook.

Ingredients Required 

• Meat or veggies: Take about half to full kg of mutton, chicken, or mixed vegetables
• Basmati Rice: 2 cups
• Biryani Masala: 2-3 tablespoons
• Yoghurt: 1 cup
• Ginger garlic paste: 2 tablespoons
• Onions: 3 sliced
• Mint/coriander leaves for garnishing
• Ghee/oil: 4 tablespoons

Recipe for Biryani 

• Marination

Marinate the meat or veggie in yoghurt, ginger, garlic paste and coriander. Add the homemade biryani masala, salt and mix well. Keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the rice with a little salt.

• Cooking

Take a large pot and add sliced onions in ghee or oil for frying. Let them turn golden brown. Remove these fried onions and add the prepared marinated meat or veggies. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, and later add ½ cup of water. Cover and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes. 

You’ll see a thick gravy. Add rice and sprinkle the fried onions above. You may garnish with more coriander leaves or saffron-soaked warm milk to enhance the taste.

Knowing how to make restaurant-style biryani at home is a blessing. All the recipe requires is this homemade biryani masala! Ensure you get quality dry and aromatic spices, and we promise great praise from your family.