Aloo dum biryani | Potato biryani

Aloo dum biryani recipe cooked in the hyderabadi style. Potato biryani is a flavorful & delicious dum cooked dish made with basmati rice, spices, potatoes & herbs. Most commonly biryani is made with either chicken or mutton and is a favorite among many. This aloo biryani is amazingly delicious and will be loved if you are a vegetarian.

There are so many different kinds of vegetarian biryanis but this one is rich in taste with a great aroma of spices. The potatoes absorb all the flavors of the marinade and taste much delicious than the regular mixed veggies like carrot, beans and peas.

Traditionally dum biryani was made in clay pots and sealed with dough. Then the biryani was dum cooked on a low flame trapping the steam. This step locks in all the flavors of the spices, herbs and the marinade. Any dum cooked biryani turns our very flavorful & delicious be it vegetarian or meat based.

Tips to make aloo biryani

1. Use aged basmati rice or keema rice or jeeraga samba rice to make biryani. Other kinds of rice are not suitable to make biryani.
2. Always use a heavy bottom pot to make dum biryani otherwise there is a risk of the biryani getting burnt at the bottom.
3. Do not skip frying or parboiling the potatoes before adding to the marinade. This step ensures that potatoes are cooked through completely. Cooking potatoes with an acidic ingredient like yogurt often prevents them from soft cooking. They also take very long time.
4. Biryani is always prepared with ghee which enhances the aroma of the dish. However you may use oil if you do not prefer ghee.

If you are looking for a simple aloo biryani, you can follow any of these veg biryani recipes & easily adapt to make a simple aloo biryani.
Veg biryani in pressure cooker
Soya chunks biryani
Paneer biryani
Mushroom biryani

Aloo dum biryani

Aloo biryani

Easy aloo biryani or potato biryani made in simple dum style. Biryani is a layered rice and meat dish cooked on a slow process. This aloo biryani is made with potatoes instead of meat. This recipe yields a delicious and aromatic potato biryani.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time40 minutes

Total Time50 minutes

Servings3

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

• 3 potatoes medium sized, peeled and cubed. or 9 to 10 baby potatoes pricked with fork randomly
• 1 onion medium, thinly sliced or Fistful of fried onions (or you can use store bought)
• 2 green chilies slit
• 3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
• 3 tbsp mint leaves chopped
• 8 strands saffron ,soaked in 2 tbsps milk
• 3 tbsps oil or ghee

whole spices

• 1 bay leaf or tej patta
• 2 green cardamoms or elaichi
• 2 inch cinnamon or dalchini
• 4 cloves or laung
• ½ tsp shahi jeera (black cumin)
• 1 star anise or biryani flower

Marination ingredients

• ¾ cup curd or dahi or yogurt
• ½ tbsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ¾ tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• ½ to ¾ tbsp biryani masala or garam masala powder
• Salt to taste

for cooking rice

• 1 tsp oil optional
• 1 ½ cups basmathi or any long grain fragrant rice
• 1 bay leaf or tej patta
• 2 inch cinnamon or dalchini
• 3 green cardamom or elaichi
• ¼ tsp shahi jeera or jeera (black cumin)
• Salt to taste

How to make the recipe

Preparation

• Add 3 tbsps of ghee or oil in a pan and fry potatoes till they are almost cooked. It takes around 10 mins. Set these aside and fry the onions until golden like fried onions. Set these aside as well. You can also par boil the potatoes and use, if they are from cold storage, otherwise they will be uncooked in the biryani.
• Pour 3/4 cup curd to a mixing bowl. Add red chili powder, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, fried onions, salt and biryani masala. Mix this very well and check the spice and salt. If needed add more.
• Next add the cooked or fried potatoes to the marination ingredients. Marinate for at least 30 mins or until the rice gets cooked. Keep this aside.

Cook rice for aloo biryani

• Wash and soak rice for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Add bay leaf, shahi jeera, cardamoms, cinnamon, salt and oil to 4 cups of boiling water. When the water begins to boil rapidly, add the drained rice. Cook until it is done al dente or 90% cooked, not mushy. Drain off the rice and set aside.

Layering

• Pour ghee to the biryani pot or pan. Saute green chilies, bay leaf, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, shahi jeera and star anise for a minute.
• Add the marinated potatoes along with the yogurt, cook till the oil begins to separate and potatoes are tender, just cooked and not mushy. At the end a thick gravy should be remaining. Lower the flame.
• On another burner, heat a tawa for dum process.
• Sprinkle coriander and mint leaves to the cooked mixture. Layer rice evenly, then the fried onions, again the coriander and mint leaves, pour the saffron milk evenly all over.

Making aloo biryani

• Seal the rim with an airtight lid or foil, for the steam to be trapped inside.
• Transfer the potato biryani pot to the hot tawa. Cook for 10 to 12 mins on a medium to low flame. Switch off the stove. Leave the pan covered for another 10 to 20 minutes for the flavors to enhance.
• Serve aloo dum biryani with a raita.

NUTRITION (estimation only)

Calories: 710kcal | Carbohydrates: 113g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 1117mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 33.2mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 9.5mg

If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.

Preparation

1. Saute potatoes in 3 tbsp ghee on a medium to low flame. The potatoes must be almost cooked, else they remain uncooked in the aloo biryani. In the same pan, fry the onion slices to make fried onions. On a medium heat fry the onions until they turn golden to brown in color. Then remove them to a plate.

2. Add curd, chili powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and biryani masala to a mixing bowl. Mix and check if there is enough salt and spice. Then add fried potatoes and fried onions. Mix well. Set aside at least for 30 mins to one hour.

3. Wash and soak rice for at least 30 mins. Drain them. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add in the spices (for rice), 1 tsp oil, salt and soaked basmati rice.

4. Cook till the rice is 90% cooked and drain away excess water to a colander.

How to make aloo biryani

5. Heat the remaining Ghee or oil in a non-stick pan. Add the green chilies, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and shahi jeera. Sauté till the spices crackle.

6. Add the marinated mixture along with the potatoes and cook till the potatoes are fully soft cooked.

7. If needed can sprinkle water little by little to cook the potatoes. Do not cook the potatoes till mushy. Check if the potato is cooked fully by piercing a sharp tipped knife. Thick gravy should be left at the end of this step. Simmer the flame.

8. Top the potato gravy with coriander and mint leaves.
9. Spread a layer of rice evenly.

9. Sprinkle the fried onions, coriander leaves and mint leaves.
10. Pour the saffron milk evenly all over.

11. Close the lid of the pan or clay pot, making sure the lid is airtight, so that the steam doesn’t escape.

12. Place this pan/ pot on a hot flat tawa. I used an old dosa tawa. Cook for 10 to 12 mins on a very low flame. This helps in preventing the biryani from getting burnt beneath.

13. Once the flame is off. Set the pot aside without opening the lid for 15 mins and then serve.
Serve aloo dum biryani with raita.