Biryani layering
How biryani builds flavour in layers: whole spices, marinade, fried onion, saffron milk and sealed cooking.
Also: layered rice, biryani spices, pakki and kacchi biryani
Biryani is built in stages, each carrying spice. Meat is marinated in yoghurt with chilli, ginger, garlic and garam masala. Rice is boiled with whole spices, such as bay leaf, cardamom, clove and cinnamon, until nearly cooked. The two are layered in a heavy pot with fried onions, mint, coriander, ghee and saffron-infused milk, then sealed with dough and cooked over low heat, the dum method. Kacchi biryani cooks raw marinated meat with the rice, pakki uses cooked meat. Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, Malabar and Sindh each have a style, with potatoes in Kolkata and coconut in Kerala. The aroma when the seal is broken is part of the event.