Beef Biryani Recipe - Degi Beef Biryani

Who wouldn't love to eat Degi Beef Biryani with steaming fragrant rice, spicy juicy meat, flavourful tomato, dried plums, green spices, and hot spices? Of course no one. Biryani is a dish dear to every heart but many people think that they cannot make this kind of biryani. Do you think so too? And if so, then change your mind because today an easy recipe for Digi Biryani is being shared with you. This biryani will be shared step by step with pictures and tips so that you can get the best biryani results.

Beef Biryani Recipe - Degi Beef Biryani

What is biryani? and why is it very spicy and flavourful?

Let us know about biryani and why it is so yummy and delicious? Let's begin. Biryani is a popular layered rice and meat dish that's loved all over South Asia, especially in India and Pakistan. Now it is famous almost all over the world.

Biryani has two main components: fluffy, fragrant basmati or sella rice and a delicious saucy beef (or as per your choice of protein) curry or masala. And, it’s super delicious.

In Pakistan, Karachi is known as the city of biryanis, and biryani is made here almost every Sunday or Friday. Also, people like to eat it at festivals and feasts on holidays. For any special occasion like Eid, Rabi-ul-Awwal, 14th August, or any wedding ceremony, Biryani is a must on the main menu. And usually when Biryani is in the making zarda a sweet rice recipe is also made on the same day as dessert. it is a lovely and popular combination

In South Asia, as regions change, so do their tastes. As the biryanis of Lucknow and Hyderabad are liked in India, the city of Karachi in Pakistan is famous for its biryanis.

It’s spicy depending on the type of biryani you’re eating, but yes generally biryani is supposed to be on the spicier side.

However, if you’re not tolerant of high spice levels, then of course you can reduce the amount of spice used in this Beef Biryani recipe. I recommend that if you do not belong to south Asia then you must cut the quantities of all types of chilies to half.

Variation and types

Depending on the different regions in India in Pakistan and people's choice, biryani has so many types and variations like

Beef biryani

Chicken biryani

Fish biryani

Prown biryani

Vegetable biryani

Egg biryani

Cheese biryani

There are also different methods of making Biryani too, layered rice and meat curry known as biryani's qorma (normally biryani is made with this style) and dumpukhut biryani where the uncooked meat masala is layered with rice and cooked in a sealed clay pot on low heat for hours.

FAQS regarding this recipe

What kind of rice is the best for this recipe?

Pakistani people made Biryani with long-grain basmati rice. But in restaurants, the most popular rice that's used to make biryani is sella or golden rice

What kind of beef is better for biryani?

To make Biryani Juicy and delicious the meat is used with bones and fats.

Can I replace the beef with another kind of meat?

Of course, you can. You can make this biryani with mutton or chicken. But don't use any type of meat like fish or prawn. The cooking for the meet masala or qorma will be less though, as mutton or chicken cook faster than beef.

Can I add potatoes?

There is a huge debate in Pakistan about whether potatoes belong to biryani or not. I am a huge proponent of adding potato to Biryani because it soaks off the beautiful aromatic masala Curry flavor and it's all yummy.

But normally potato is not added in this degi beef biryani.

How to prepare authentic degi beef biryani at home?

Beef biryani is super easy to make and while it may seem many steps are involved. I can guarantee you that they are all totally worth it.

So let's get down to making beef biryani step by step. let's begin...

Beef biryani is comprised of three cooking steps

Making the beef masala or Biryani korma
Boiling the rice
The final topping and assembling of biryani

Ingredients for Degi Beef biryani recipe

For beef masala

Oil: 1 cup

Medium-sized onion: 3

Beef with bones and fats: 1-1/2 Kg

Ginger garlic paste: 2 Tablespoon

Bay leaves: 2

Green cardamoms: 3

Cloves: 10 to 12

Cumin seeds: 1 Tablespoon

Cinnamon sticks: 3 medium-sized pieces

Star Anis: 1

Black cardamom: 2

Black paper corn: 1 Teaspoon

Salt: 1-1/2 Tablespoon

Chilli flakes: 1 Tablespoon

Turmeric: 1/2 Tablespoon

Coriander powder: 1 Tablespoon

Red chili powder: 1/2 Tablespoon

Homemade biryani masala powder: 2 Tablespoon: 2 Tablespoon

Water: 1/2 Cup

Tomatoes: 3 medium-sized

For boiling rice

sella or golden Rice: 1 kg

Salt: 2 Tablespoon

Water: for boiling

For topping and assembling the biryani

Yogurt: 250 grams

Nutmeg powder: 1/4 Teaspoon

Mace powder: 1/4 Teaspoon

Orange food color: 1/2 Teaspoon

Homemade garam masala powder: 1/2 Teaspoon

Green cardamom powder: 1/2 Teaspoon

Tomatoes: 2

Green chili: 10 to 12

Lemon: 2

Tried plums: 10 to 12

Mint leaves: 1 bunch or 1 cup

Chopped coriander: 1/2 bunch or 1/2 cup

The process to make Degi beef biryani

Step 1: Make the beef masala or biryani qorma

Since beef is used in this recipe so beef masala will be cooked in a pressure cooker as it's just faster and easier.

Turn on the flame and put a pressure cooker on the stove then add 3/4 cup of oil to it. When the oil gets heated up add finely sliced onions and fry them until they turned golden brown.

Frying onion

Take out all the fried onion from the oil.

Fried onion

Add beef and mix it well.

Adding beef

Now add ginger and garlic paste. Mix it.

Adding ginger garlic paste

After that add all whole spices mentioned in the ingredients and also add salt, chili flakes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, homemade biryani masala powder, and a half cup of water. Mix all the ingredients very well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Adding spices

Saute meat with spices

Now add sliced tomatoes and saute for about 5 minutes.

Adding tomatoes

Saute curry

Cover the lid and cook it for about 15 minutes until the meat gets tender. Starting 3 minutes on medium-high flame and remaking time on low flame. The cooking time can vary depending on the type of meat.

Uncover the pressure cooker. The gravy of qorma should be 1 glass because sella or golden rice will be used for the biryani. Now set aside the qorma.

Cooked gravy

Thickness of gravy

Step 2: Boiling the rice

Soak sella or Golden rice for about 3 to 4 hours.

Soaking the sella rice

In a large pot bring the water to a boil. As we have used too many spices in qorma that's why we don't add any type of whole spice to water. Just add salt.

Boiling the water

Now add all soaked rice to boiling water

Boil the rice for about 6 to 7 minutes on medium flame. When the rice cook 80 % or 2 Kanni take out half quantity of water. This 80% cooked rice will be added to the qorma in the assembling process.

80% cooked rice

Now boil all remaining rice until it cooks 90% or 1 Kanni. Drain out the rice. It will be also assembled in the last process Keep aside one cup of draining water as it will be used in the final process.

Draining 90 % cooked rice

Assembling and layering the rice

Before Assembling and layering the rice we should make yogurt masala and mix green herbs tomatoes etc.

In a large bowl add Yogurt, nutmeg and mace powder, Orange food color, homemade garam masala powder, and green cardamom powder

Adding spices to yogurt

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and set aside.

Mixing spices in yogurt

Take another bowl and add sliced tomatoes, green chilies, sliced lemon, dried plums, chopped green coriander, and chopped mint leaves.

Adding things for layering

Mix all of them.

Mixing

Now add fried onions and mix them also and set aside.

Adding fried onion

Mixing

Transfer the meat Curry to a large pot Arrange all meat pieces along with the sides of the pot. The gravy should be in the center of the pot.

Arranging meat pieces

Pour the prepared yogurt masala on the meat pieces evenly.

Poured spicey yogurt

Now spread prepared tomatoes and lemon etc mixture on yogurt masala. Don't spread this mixture in the center otherwise, it could be burnt when biryani will be cooked on dum or zero flame.