Biryani at Home: Layering, Dum, and Patience

How to coax restaurant-quality biryani out of a home kitchen.

Biryani looks complicated because it is really two dishes finished as one: spiced, marinated meat and partly cooked fragrant rice, layered together and steamed until they meet in the middle. Understand that and the rest is detail.

Soak good basmati, parboil it with whole spices until it is seventy percent done, and keep it loose. Marinate the chicken in yogurt and spice for as long as you can. Fried onions, saffron milk, and fresh herbs are not optional; they are the soul.

The final step, dum, is where patience pays off. Seal the pot and let the lowest heat finish everything in its own steam. Open it at the table and let the aroma do the talking.