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Shorba recipe (Biryani gravy)

By swasthi , on November 7, 2019, 72 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Shorba recipe made with onions, tomatoes, spices & herbs. One of the best veg side gravy for biryani, pulao or any flavored rice dishes. It is also known as sherva or biryani shorba & is a very common dish served in South Indian restaurant restaurants. This can be served with a fish biryani, hyderabadi biryani, chicken dum biryani, Vegetable biryani, simple egg biryani or even with a simple veg pulao.

shorba sherva biryani gravy

There is a non-vegetarian version of this shorba too which I will share sometime later. I got this recipe from a chef in India who had come home to cook for my elder son’s first birthday.

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He gave me both non-veg and veg versions. There is no substitute for any ingredients and to get it right we need all the ingredients in the mentioned quantities.

This biryani shorba gravy tastes light and is spicy and flavorful and tastes entirely different from the other veg side gravy dishes like potato kurma, simla mirch ka salan, mirchi ka salan and egg masala which i shared earlier.

To make shorba or sherva, we need vegetable stock that brings in real taste to the gravy. If you are not in the habit of making your stock at home, I insist you make it, instead of using store bought vegetable stock or cubes. I have personally never used the packed stocks and do not know if that tastes good for this shorba.

sherva recipe veg shorba recipe

But making your stock is super easy and you could make it one day earlier and refrigerate it for further use. If you have only boiled potatoes water that works fine too that is how I end up making most of the times.

The vegetables that could be used to prepare the stock are peas, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, onions, celery and I have no idea about using rest of the veggies.

Preparation for biryani gravy

1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan, add onions and chilies , fry till onions turn slightly golden.

frying onions chilies to make shorba recipe

2. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till you get an aroma.

frying ginger garlic paste

3. Add tomatoes and salt, fry till they turn completely mushy.

addition of chopped tomatoes salt to make shorba recipe

4. Add grated coconut. Fry for 3 to 5 mins without burning the mix. Set this aside to cool. Grind this to a smooth puree with 1 ½ to 2 cups of vegetable stock. You could use ice cold stock to grind the hot mix if you want to cut down the cooling time. Pour the ice cold stock in the jar first and then add the hot mix.

blending onion tomato mixture
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How to make shorba

5. Heat the same pan with some more oil, add the dry spices and fry till you get a nice smell for a min.Do not burn the spices.

fry dry spices in oil for making shorba recipe

6. Add pudina / mint, sauté for a min.

addition of pudina to the gravy

7. Pour the ground mix, add red chili powder, masala powder, turmeric. Mix well. Adjust the quantity of water to bring it to the consistency you desire.

addition of garam msala chili powder to make sherva recipe
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8. When the mix begins to boil, add yogurt and simmer for at least 8 to 10 mins. If your gravy becomes too watery, you can increase the heat to high and evaporate the water, so it comes to the desired consistency.

addition of yogurt to simmering gravy for sherva recipe

If you wish to refrigerate it, for best taste, refrigerate it immediately after it cools down and before 2 hours of cooking.

Serve biryani shorba or sherva with hot biryani or pulao.

shorba biryani gravy

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Recipe card

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shorba biryani gravy

Shorba (Biryani gravy)

Shorba is a side dish which goes well with biryani, pulao and any flavored rice dishes. This is a simple South Indian style vegetarian biryani gravy made with spices, herbs and basic ingredients.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings4
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

  • 2 tbsp Oil
  • 1 large onion thinly sliced
  • 2 medium tomatoes cubed
  • 2 green chilies slit
  • ¾ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 4 tbsp coconut (fresh grated)
  • 3 tbsps mint finely chopped (pudina)
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp biryani masala powder
  • 1½ to 2 cups water or stock
  • 1½ tbsp curd (yogurt) (avoid sour tasting one)

Whole spices

  • 1 small bay leaf (tej patta)
  • 1 strand mace (javithri)
  • 3 green cardamoms (elaichi)
  • 2 petals star anise (biryani flower)
  • 3 cloves (laung)
  • 1 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
  • ½ tsp shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
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Instructions

Preparation

  • Add half the oil to a hot pan, fry onions and chilies till the onions turn golden.
  • Add grated ginger garlic or paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
  • Add chopped tomatoes, sprinkle salt, fry till the mixture turns mushy.
  • Add coconut and fry for 3 to 5 mins or until you get a good aroma. Cool this and blend with vegetable stock or water to a smooth puree.

Making biryani shorba

  • Heat the pan again, add remaining oil. Fry the dry spices until they sizzle. Add mint and fry for a minute.
  • Add the blended onion tomato mix to the pan, add red chili powder, turmeric, masala powder, and more salt if needed. Stir until everything blends well. Add more water to bring it to the desired consistency.
  • Bring this to a boil, add yogurt and stir well. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the gravy reaches the consistency.
  • Serve shorba or sherva with biryani, pulao.
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Notes

  1. Mirchi bajji variety can be used for a special flavor.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Shorba (Biryani gravy)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 114 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 93mg4%
Potassium 109mg3%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 245IU5%
Vitamin C 5.6mg7%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

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About swasthi

I’m Swasthi shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthis recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Comments

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  2. A.J. says

    September 1, 2020

    Hello!

    Thanks for the recipe! Defenitily going to try it out! Quick question; does it matter much when I use dried coconut instead of fresh grated? Kinda hard to get here.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 1, 2020

      Hi,
      Welcome! It should be okay to use dried coconut.

      Reply
  3. Gaayathri Sathish says

    April 6, 2020

    Hi Swasthi ji… this is my first time, writing comments to any blog site.. I have to tell you that whenever I wanted to cook anything Special and score credits from my family and guests.. I just search recipe from your site😊 thanks a lot for the awesome recipes. I tried this one today and it was super hit.. everyone liked it. Just couldn’t stop myself from letting you know that I m addicted towards your cooking and your recipe has made me a better cook. Whenever I search for any recipe I just look for site which has SWASTHI’s.. I realised my whole family likes it when I follow your way of cooking.

    Thanks for sharing🥰!

    Best wishes for your continuous efforts.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      April 7, 2020

      Hello Gaayathri ji,
      Very glad to know you! You are most welcome. So happy to know this.Thank you so much. Hope you enjoy more recipes from here.

      Reply
  4. Hemant Kulkarni says

    November 10, 2019

    5 stars
    You have explained in such a simple way that it is easily understood. The photos added step by step are very helpful to get explained. Your sincerity and honesty revels in your explanation. Thank You Very Much for taking such efforts to share your knowledge that is really very helpful.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 11, 2019

      Hello Hemant Kulkarni,
      You are welcome. I do not want anyone to fail in making good food following my recipes so I do my best while I post them. Thank you so much!

      Reply
  5. Ange says

    November 5, 2019

    5 stars
    I was a bit confused about how much veg stock to use, but used about 1/4 pint and then added a few more drops of water as required. This was very (very) tasty and I will definitely be trying some more of your recipes. Thank you.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 6, 2019

      Hi Ange,
      You are welcome! Thanks for the mention somehow I forgot to mention it in the recipe card. But I did in the step by step photos. I will update it.Glad it turned out good.
      🙂

      Reply
  6. Chaitanya says

    September 15, 2019

    5 stars
    Hello ma’am, as u mentioned earlier, for non veg method, should I substitute the vegetables to chicken/mutton, and rest of the ingredients remain the same ?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 16, 2019

      Hi Chaitanya,
      After frying the spices, add the chicken / mutton along with bones. Fry for a while and then pour water. Simmer until the meat is almost very tender. Remove the meat and then continue to cook the bones for longer. After some time, remove the bones as well. Then add the ground onion tomato masala. Follow the recipe after this step. Then add the meat during the last 3 to 4 mins of cooking. You can add as many bones as possible as it is the key to a good taste. Thanks for rating the recipe.

      Reply
  7. Shreela Sen says

    July 22, 2019

    5 stars
    I have tried your recipe many times, it turns out awesome! My husband calls is ‘Kurma’ & loves that it satiates his ‘south Indian’ craving with rotis instead of rice!!!!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 23, 2019

      Thank you so much. Glad your food turns out good. Yes this is similar to kurma except we blend onions and tomatoes here.

      Reply
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  9. Xxx says

    November 18, 2018

    4 stars
    Awesome taste..

    Reply
  10. Rachael says

    December 2, 2017

    5 stars
    This is my go to recipe for biryani gravy. Absolutely delicious, thank you

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 3, 2017

      Welcome Rachael

      Reply
  11. Chandima says

    June 9, 2017

    5 stars
    I have made this several times and it tastes so good. I am going to convert this to a thermomix recipe soon. Thank you

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      June 25, 2017

      Welcome Chandima
      Thanks for trying and sharing the recipe

      Reply
  12. VV says

    March 25, 2017

    5 stars
    I have tried veg Biryani and veg shorba today and it came out very delicious. Thank you so much for posting these recipes

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      March 25, 2017

      Welcome Vv
      Thanks for sharing the outcome

      Reply
  13. Bhavana says

    February 14, 2017

    4 stars
    Hi…thank u for the egg biriyani nd shorts recipe…have tried it today nd came out really well☺

    Reply
    • Bhavana says

      February 14, 2017

      Sorry that was shorba

      Reply
      • swasthi says

        February 14, 2017

        Welcome Bhavana
        Thanks for trying

        Reply
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  15. archana says

    December 29, 2016

    5 stars
    very tasty,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      January 7, 2017

      Thanks

      Reply
  16. Pooja says

    November 20, 2016

    5 stars
    Thanks swathi loved this shorva

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      November 21, 2016

      Welcome Pooja

      Reply
  17. shea says

    August 13, 2016

    I did not have vegetable stock and wanted to make this urgently. So i simply added a few cucumber cubes to the tomato mixture , and blended it ina mixie , and proceeded with the rest of the steps, The result was a lipsmacking cucumber shorba. Maybe this is not a traditional vegetable to use for the gravy, but mine was superawesome and tasted just like a restaurant biryani gravy. thanks loved the recipe style preparation.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 16, 2016

      Hi Shea
      You are welcome
      Your version too is good. So glad to know it turned out good. Thank you

      Reply
  18. HP says

    May 19, 2016

    5 stars
    Love this one! Waiting for your non-veg shorva recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 23, 2016

      Thanks HP. Yes will share it soon

      Reply
  19. k. chittu says

    March 30, 2016

    5 stars
    Hai! Iamchittu ltried your briyani, itcame out excellently thanks foryour receipe.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      March 31, 2016

      welcome Chittu
      Glad to know it came out well. Thanks for the feedback

      Reply
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  21. Ramya v j says

    October 14, 2015

    Biryani is taste is too good like star hotels biryani

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      October 15, 2015

      Thanks Ramya

      Reply
  22. Ana says

    September 11, 2015

    4 stars
    thanks it is good to learn new recipes

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 11, 2015

      welcome

      Reply
  23. sindhu says

    September 7, 2015

    Wow. I think this gives perfect tastes ill try today only. ..

    Reply
  24. Samaira says

    September 1, 2015

    5 stars
    Bahut acha bana. Thanks very delicious with ur biryani

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 1, 2015

      Thanks Samaira, good to know it turned out delicious

      Reply
  25. meena says

    August 18, 2015

    Super

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 1, 2015

      Thanks meena

      Reply
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