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EveryMasala

Regional blends

Biryani masala

A fragrant blend of whole and ground spices for layered rice and meat.

Biryani masala is a perfumed blend used to season biryani, the layered rice and meat or vegetable dish of the subcontinent. It leans sweet and floral, with mace, cardamom and cinnamon, and styles differ by city.

What goes in

Cumin: 23%23%Coriander seed: 23%23%Cardamom: 15%15%Cinnamon: 15%15%Mace: 8%Clove: 8%Star anise: 8%13parts

Parts by volume of the whole spice. The ring shows each part's share.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Ratios and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional-style way.

  1. Step 1: Toast Dry roast the cumin and coriander.
  2. Step 2: Toast Toast the cardamom, cinnamon, clove and star anise for a short time.
  3. Step 3: Rest Cool the toasted spices fully.
  4. Step 4: Grind Grind with the mace to a fine powder.
  5. Step 5: Blend Combine and sieve.
  6. Step 6: Bloom Bloom a spoonful in hot ghee with fried onion at the start of cooking the meat.
  7. Step 7: Store Keep the remainder in a closed jar.
  8. Cumin: 23%23%Coriander seed: 23%23%Cardamom: 15%15%Cinnamon: 15%15%Mace: 8%Clove: 8%Star anise: 8%
    Finished Biryani masala, by share.

Styles

Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Kolkata and Sindhi biryanis use different mixtures. Some cooks use whole spices tied in a cloth, others a ground powder, and many do both.

Layers of aroma

Fried onion, saffron milk, rose water and mint are often added in layers, and the masala adds the underlying warm and floral note.

Where it is used

Chicken biryaniMutton biryaniVegetable pulao

The spices in it

CardamomFloral.CuminThe dried seed of a small parsley-family herb, used whole or ground in many world cuisines.CorianderThe leaves and dried seeds of an annual Mediterranean herb used in cuisines worldwide.CinnamonThe dried inner bark of Cinnamomum trees, prized for its sweet warmth and essential oil.CloveThe dried flower bud of a tropical tree, prized for its intense warmth and numbing bite.

Also part of it, and being written: Mace (Delicate.), Star anise (Anise.).

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Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryMasala desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are an illustrative, traditional-style ratio, not a standard: every family and maker blends differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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