First, the onions. Oh, you know they are not innocent. Sliced thin, drowned in oil, they hiss and moan until they are dark and sticky, turning sweeter with every second they sweat. You taste one and your lips burn, your tongue tingles, your body wants more.
Then the marinade: yoghurt, ginger, garlic, chili, spices. Thick, creamy, wet, it coats every piece of meat like a lover’s hands smearing lotion over hot skin. It seeps in deep, it clings, it stains, and the longer it rests, the dirtier it gets.
Rice is half-cooked, swollen, dripping, needy. And then it’s time, oh, God, it’s time. You take a pot and you start layering like sin. Rice first, soft and eager, then that filthy dripping meat in sauce, then more rice, then fried onions, coriander, mint, all sliding on top of each other, wet and heavy. You don’t stir it, you don’t rush it, you let them press into each other, sweating, steaming, moaning under a tight lid.
When the pot is opened, it explodes with hot steam that slaps your face and makes you blush. The smell is dirty, intoxicating, like you walked in on something you shouldn’t see but can’t look away from.
You scoop down deep, dragging rice and meat together, dripping sauce down your fingers, licking it off shamelessly. Every bite is wet, sticky, layered with heat and spice, and you can’t stop, you don’t want to.
This isn’t just food, darling, it’s merciless temptation, and it’ll have you screaming with every mouthful.
Tips
- Let the meat marinate overnight. The longer it soaks, the wetter and dirtier the flavour gets
- Saffron is the secret, dirty whisper. It stains the rice golden and smells like sin itself
- Never stir the pot while cooking. Let the layers grind against each other, sweating and stewing until they can’t hold back anymore
- Eat with your hands, darling, let it drip down your fingers and lick it off slow
Warning Careful, this is a scandalous mess that’ll leave you undone. One bite and they won’t just want food, they’ll want to press you down, layer you up and devour you until you are dripping, moaning and begging for more.
Ingredients
- 3 cups basmati rice
- 1kg chicken, goat or beef pieces
- 3 onions sliced
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 4 garlic cloves grated
- 1 thumb ginger grated
- 3 tomatoes blended
- 2 tbsp biryani masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 4 tbsp oil or ghee
- Handful coriander chopped
- Handful mint leaves chopped
- Pinch saffron soaked in 4 tbsp warm milk
- Salt
- 5 cups water or broth
Procedure
- Marinate meat in yoghurt, garlic, ginger, chili, turmeric, cumin and biryani masala. Let it sit and soak until it’s dripping wet and ready
- Fry onions until dark, sweet and sticky. Set some aside for garnish
- Cook marinated meat in tomatoes and spices until tender, juicy and thick with sauce
- Half-cook rice in salted boiling water until swollen and soft but not done
- Layer rice, then meat, then rice again, sprinkling onions, mint, coriander and saffron milk between. Keep going until the pot is full, then seal it tight
- Let it steam on low, trapped, hot, steamy, dripping until the rice and meat are tangled and wet together
- Open, scoop deep, mix those filthy layers and devour
