This authentic Indian egg biryani is deliciousness in one pot. Serve it with raita and pappadums for a tasty weeknight meal.
When it comes to biryanis, nothing can beat a good chicken biryani. But whenever I want a lighter version of this meat loaded delicacy, I always turn into a vegetarian or eggitarian. So I've come up with my favorite super easy homemade and ultra delicious egg biryani.
The basic cooking process of all the biryanis is very similar. And with the right recipe, anyone can make one easily.
I decided to make biryani masala powder from scratch for this recipe. All you need are a few spices that are very familiar to you, and you use regularly in your cooking. This is the same masala powder I used for Hyderabadi chicken biryani. Add all the spices to the grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind to a coarse powder.
To give the eggs extra flavor, I marinated them in a mixture of yogurt and spices. You can shallow fry the eggs if you've time. Otherwise, add it straight to the rice.
To be exact, making this egg biryani is simple, easy and fun. If you want to make a meatless biryani, this is the way to go. Garnish it with fried onions, raisins and cashew nuts for a sophisticated look.
Are you ready to make this egg biryani? The recipe is right below.
Egg Biryani
This egg biryani is a one pot wonder. Serve it with raita and pappadums.
Ingredients
Marinate Eggs:
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- ¼ cup yogurt
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric (turmeric powder)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
Saffron milk:
- 5 strands saffron
- ¼ cup milk
Biryani Masala Powder:
- 4-5 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3-4 cardamom pods
- ¾ teaspoon black cumin seeds
- 12 black peppercorns
Cook rice:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (cardamom powder)
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 6-10 cups water
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Egg Biryani:
- 2 tablespoon ghee or oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 4 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 green chilies, chopped
- 1 sprig mint leaves
- 3 sprigs coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 1 cup natural yogurt
- biryani masala powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ghee
Garnish:
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ cup cashew nuts
Instructions
- Soak biryani rice for 20 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
- Make few slits on the eggs. To marinate eggs, place them in a bowl, and add yogurt, ground turmeric, garam masala and red chili powder. Toss well. Set aside.
- To make the biryani masala powder, place cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin seeds and black peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind to a coarse powder. Set aside.
- To cook rice, place a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat oil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cloves. Sauté, stirring constantly, for a minute. Pour in water. Add cardamom powder and lemon juice. Season with salt. Stir. Increase heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as water comes to a boil, add rice. Stir gently. When cooked (do not overcook rice), drain and set aside. (Make sure all the water from the rice is drained out completely)
- To make saffron milk, place saffron and milk in a small bowl. Stir. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- To make egg biryani, heat 1 teaspoon ghee and 1 tablespoon oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat. Add onions, and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Drain on an absorbent towel. Set aside. Add raisins, and fry until they are plump. Drain on an absorbent towel. Set aside. Add cashew nuts. Fry until browned. Drain on an absorbent towel. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil or ghee to the same casserole. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon, and fry for a minute. Add onions, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Add ginger and garlic. Saute for a minute. Stir in green chilies, mint leaves, coriander leaves, yogurt, biryani masala powder, ground turmeric, ground coriander, garam masala and red chili powder. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread rice on top the prepared masala. Pour in saffron milk. Drizzle with ghee.
- Cover with tight lid. Place the pan over low flame and cook (in other words “dum”) for 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer egg biryani to a serving dish. Place eggs on top.
- Garnish with fried onions, cashew nuts and raisins. Serve with raita, pickle and pappadums.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 607Total Fat 33gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 222mgSodium 291mgCarbohydrates 83gFiber 9gSugar 19gProtein 25g
Like this egg biryani recipe? Then join Nish Kitchen on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. Watch exclusive recipe videos on YouTube. Check out other delicious biryani recipes:
- Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
- Easy Chicken Biryani
- Beef Biryani
- Chicken Tikka Biryani
- Butter Chicken Biryani
- Keema Biryani
- Veg Dum Biryani
Serve this biryani with:
- Carrot Cucumber Raita
- Grapes Apple Mint Raita
- Pomegranate Raita
- Lemon pickle
- Celery Pickle
- Mango pickle
CHCooks says
I am craving for some right now! So good, Rose 🙂
Aruna says
The egg biryani looks so so delicious!
Amrita says
This looks so yummy and flavourful
Traditionallymodernfood says
Biryani is my fav:-) looks super yum..love it
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Biryani looks so rich and flavorful, Rose. My husband loves anything egg, so would make this for him!