Nizami Heritage

📷 EarthSpice Kitchen · New Delhi

📍 Hyderabad, Telangana · Nizami Era

Dum
Biryani

Raw marinated mutton and 70%-cooked basmati, sealed in one pot and left to steam — the Nizami kitchen's slowest secret, seasoned with our biryani masala.

★★★★★

4.8 · 3,210 ratings

Prep

minutes

Cook

minutes

Servings

people

Skill

Advanced

level

Adjust servings

Start Cooking

Ingredients For 4 people

For the Marinade

750 g
Mutton, bone-in curry cut
young goat, shoulder and ribs
1 cup
Thick curd
full-fat, whisked smooth
3 tbsp
EarthSpice Biryani Masala
the backbone — don't substitute
2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste
freshly ground
0.5 tsp
Turmeric powder
2 tsp
Red chilli powder
adjust to taste
1 cup
Birista (fried onions)
from 3 large onions, divided
0.5 cup
Mint and coriander leaves
chopped, divided
2 tbsp
Lemon juice
1.5 tsp
Salt

For the Rice

400 g
Aged basmati rice
washed, soaked 30 minutes
4
Green cardamom pods
lightly crushed
1 tsp
Shahi jeera
2
Bay leaves
1 tbsp
Salt
for the boiling water

For the Dum

4 tbsp
Ghee
melted, divided
1 pinch
Saffron strands
soaked in 3 tbsp warm milk
1 tsp
EarthSpice Garam Masala
sprinkled over the top
—
Atta dough
to seal the lid

To Serve

—
Mirchi ka salan
—
Burani raita
—
Lemon wedges, sliced onions

Why This Recipe Works

Kacchi method — the raw marinated mutton cooks in its own juices beneath the rice, so the steam carries meat stock up through every grain.
Par-boiling the rice to exactly 70% means it finishes in the same time the mutton takes to turn tender. No mushy rice, no chewy meat.
EarthSpice Biryani Masala goes into the marinade, not the rice, so the spice works into the meat for hours before it ever meets heat.
A dough-sealed lid traps every bit of steam. Nothing escapes, so the saffron, ghee and birista perfume the whole pot from the top down.

Instructions

7 steps

Marinate the Mutton

In a wide bowl, combine 750g mutton with the curd, 3 tablespoons of EarthSpice Biryani Masala, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, lemon juice and salt. Crush in half the birista and half the mint and coriander. Massage it into every piece, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

⏰Take the marinade out 30 minutes before layering. Fridge-cold meat at the bottom of the pot won't cook through in the dum.

Wash and Soak the Rice

Rinse 400g aged basmati in cold water 4–5 times, swirling gently with your fingers, until the water runs clear. Cover with fresh water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain just before boiling.

💡Aged basmati (at least a year old) has less surface starch. It stays separate and elongates instead of breaking.

Par-boil to 70%

Bring 3 litres of water to a rolling boil with the cardamom, shahi jeera, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the drained rice and cook for 4–5 minutes, until a grain pressed between your fingers breaks into three pieces with a firm white core. Drain immediately.

✦The water should taste like the sea. This is the only chance to season the rice — it gets no more salt after this.

Layer the Handi

Brush the base of a heavy-bottomed pot with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Spread the marinated mutton in an even layer, scraping in every bit of marinade. Spoon the hot rice over it loosely — don't press it down. The steam needs gaps to travel up through the grains.

💡Use a pot of at least 4 litres. Crowded rice turns sticky; it needs headroom to steam.

Finish the Top Layer

Drizzle the saffron milk over the rice in streaks, then the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee. Scatter over the rest of the birista, mint and coriander, and finish with 1 teaspoon of EarthSpice Garam Masala. The patchy white-and-gold top is the look you want.

Seal and Dum

Roll the atta dough into a rope and press it around the rim, then press the lid on to seal. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes until you hear the base sizzle and see steam push at the seal. Move the pot onto a hot tawa, turn the flame to its lowest and cook for 50 minutes without opening.

🔥The tawa underneath is what stops the mutton layer from scorching during the long, slow phase. Don't skip it.

Rest and Serve

Turn off the heat and leave the pot sealed for 10 minutes. Break the seal at the table. Serve with a flat spoon, digging down from the edge so every plate gets both the saffron rice and the mutton from the base, with mirchi ka salan and raita alongside.

🍽️Never stir a dum biryani. Lifting from the side keeps the layers — and the grains — intact.

Order the Spices

Earthspice

Biryani Masala - 100g

₹240

Same-day Delhi NCR

Earthspice

Garam Masala - 100g

₹120

Same-day Delhi NCR

Earthspice

Green Cardamom - 50g

₹320

Same-day Delhi NCR

Earthspice

Turmeric Powder - 100g

₹50

Same-day Delhi NCR

Chef's Notes & Storage

🥩

Meat choiceYoung goat from the shoulder and ribs is non-negotiable for kacchi. Older, tougher mutton won't turn tender in a 50-minute dum — pressure-cook it 2 whistles first if unsure.

❄️

Make aheadMarinate the night before and fry the birista a day ahead — store it airtight. On the day, it's just rice, layering and dum.

🍗

Chicken versionSwap in 1 kg bone-in chicken, marinate 2 hours and cut the slow dum to 25 minutes. Same masala, same layering.

♨️

Reheat properlySprinkle 2 tbsp water, cover tightly and steam on the lowest heat for 8–10 minutes. Microwaving dries the grains and splits them.