Homemade Pakistani Beef Biryani Recipe [Instant Pot]

Name: Homemade Pakistani Beef Biryani Recipe [Instant Pot]
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: PT-480261H7M11S
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: Masala▢3 tablespoons oil▢; 1 large onion thinly sliced; ▢600 grams beef cubes▢; 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste; ▢2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped; 1/2 cup yogurt▢1 inch stick of cinnamon▢; 2-3 pieces of cardamom▢; 4-5 black peppercorn▢; 1-2 cloves lavang▢Salt as per taste▢4 tablespoons Shan Biryani Masala▢2 cups water▢; 1 large potato cut into; 2 inch cubes; ▢2.5 cups basmati rice soaked in water for 30 minutes; ▢1 teaspoon cumin seeds; ▢Few slices of lemon; ▢2 to 3 leaves of fresh mint; ▢Salt; ▢2 tablespoons oil; ▢6-8 cups of water; dum▢1/4 cup milk▢; Few drops yellow food color dissolved in a little bit of water; ▢Handful of chopped coriander▢; 1-2 tablespoons of ghee butter or oil

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What could be better than fragrant basmati rice layered with spicy and delicious beef curry? Do you, on the other hand, feel intimidated to make biryani at home?

That is, until now. Learn how to make my favorite Pakistani Beef Biryani at home today, with simple step-by-step photos and instructions.

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WHAT IS BIRYANI? AND IS IT SPICY?

Let’s talk about Biryani and why it’s so delicious. Biryani is a popular layered rice and meat dish popular throughout India and Pakistan.

Biryani is made up of two main ingredients: fluffy, fragrant basmati rice and a delicious saucy beef (or other protein) curry or masala. It’s also very tasty.

It’s also the Pakistani equivalent of Sunday roast, as it’s almost always made once a week, either on Friday (mostly) or Sunday in most Pakistani households.

When making Biryani, Zarda, a sweet rice recipe, is usually made on the same day as dessert. It’s a lovely and well-liked combination.

Alternative Beef Biryani Recipe Video

VARIATIONS & TYPES

There are so many different types and variations of biryani throughout Pakistan and India:

Biryani with Chicken
Beef Biryani (which we’re making today – yum!)
Biryani with Prawns
Biryani with Fish
There’s even vegetarian biryani!

There are also different ways to make biryani, such as layered rice and meat curry (which we’re making today) and dum pukht biryani, which is made by layering uncooked meat masala with rice and cooking it in a sealed clay pot on low heat for hours.

Whatever type of biryani you make, I can assure you that it will be delicious!

INGREDIENTS IN BEEF BIRYANI

1 pound stewing beef or beef cubes
onions
tomatoes
potatoes
chilies verdes
spices in their entirety
spice powders for the basics (feel free to use a box mix instead)
rice basmati
paste of ginger and garlic
lemon or dried plums (my personal preference)
yoghurt
cilantro
mint
color of biryani
lemon

MAKING THE AROMATIC RICE

Biryani rice is unique in that A.) we add some fragrant spices to make it all biryani licious and B.) it must be parboiled (not fully cooked)

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the water and spices and bring to a boil until the rice is just cooked, or as we say in Urdu aik kani.

When you can press the rice between your thumb and index finger and it isn’t completely mushy in the middle, it’s done. The pasta should be al dente.

WHY USE THE INSTANT POT?

A Beef Biryani is only enjoyable to eat when the flavorful meat is gently pressed. Pressure cooking the meat is a great way to flavor it while also saving time.

That being said, I’ve been making this biryani on the stovetop for many years, simmering the meat for 45-55 minutes.

For one major reason, I only use the Instant Pot for the meat portion and not the rice.

The first is that I’ve discovered that different brands of basmati rice cook in different amounts of time, and when I share a time, I want it to be perfect.

There’s nothing worse than making a delicious masala only to have your rice become mushy.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I COOK THE RICE?

This is a frequently asked question of mine. As you can see, I deviate from the norm here. Traditionally, rice should be cooked until it is slightly al dente, with a white dot in the center.

That isn’t necessary, in my opinion, with this biryani. I cook it a little longer, just until it’s cooked through, but it’s still not tender enough to eat. That saves me 20 minutes of ‘dum’ time.

HOW DO I GIVE BIRYANI ‘DUM’ IN THE OVEN?

The term ‘dum’ refers to the process of combining flavors and creating a cohesive dish by steaming the masala and rice together.

I truly believe that baking it in the oven is the best way to accomplish this. Simply layer the Beef Biryani in an oven-safe dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake at 300F for 25-30 minutes.

If you’ve prepared and refrigerated it ahead of time, add five minutes. Plus, you can serve it right in the dish.

HOW TO COOK THE BEEF FOR BIRYANI

You can cook the beef ahead of time and only need to prepare the rice before your meal; otherwise, it will take at least 3 hours to prepare – unless you cook the beef in a pressure cooker to speed up the process. However, if you use a traditional stovetop, it will take some time.

Heat the oil, then add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for about 20-30 seconds, or until the fragrance is released.

Cook for another 10 seconds after adding the chilli powder (or red or green chilies).

Pat the diced beef dry with a kitchen towel before adding it to the pan.

Cook until the beef is no longer pink, then add the spices, chopped tomatoes, and beef stock/broth to cover.

Place the lid on and cook over medium heat, adding more broth as needed, until the beef is tender.

Season with salt, pepper, and additional spices as desired

Pour in the yogurt and give it a good stir.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE BEEF BIRYANI

When the beef is done, you can start on the rice. Plain rice would suffice, but how about we take it to the next level and add some lovely spices to it, making it fragrant and just right to go with that delicious beef?
Rinse the rice in cold water until it is clear.
Add the rice, a pinch of salt, the cardamom pods, and the cloves to the pan.
Allow to cook until the rice is almost done but still has some texture.
Drain the water thoroughly, then transfer half of it to a dish.
Heat the oil separately, then add the onions and cook until golden brown.
Place the beef on top of the rice, then scatter the onions on top, and cover with the remaining rice.
Pour the milk and saffron mixture over the rice.
Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is perfectly fluffy.
Garnish with coriander or parsley if desired.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of rice is the best for this recipe?

The most common rice used to make biryani in Pakistan is’sella’ basmati rice. However, because I almost never have sella rice on hand, I make my beef biryani with a good quality long grain basmati rice.

Can you use ready-made Biryani Masala (spice mix) or Not?

You could make your own Biryani masala, but Shan Biryani Masala is now widely available and provides an authentic taste. As a result, I recommend using a pre-made spice mix to make the cooking process a little easier.

Can I use chicken instead of beef?

Without a doubt! However, because chicken cooks faster than beef, the cooking time for the meat masala will be reduced.

To add potatoes or not?

In Pakistan, there is a heated debate over whether Aloo (potatoes) belong in biryani. I’m a big fan of adding potato to biryani because it soaks up the wonderful masala curry flavor, and it’s all delicious yum!

Homemade Pakistani Beef Biryani Recipe [Instant Pot]

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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5 from 2 reviews

Author: Jamasine J
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

This Beef Biryani recipe features golden raisins, toasted almonds, saucy beef, warming spices, and fragrant basmati rice. It’s fantastic.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Beef Curry

Masala▢3 tablespoons oil▢
1 large onion thinly sliced
▢600 grams beef cubes▢
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
▢2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
1/2 cup yogurt▢1 inch stick of cinnamon▢
2–3 pieces of cardamom▢
4–5 black peppercorn▢
1–2 cloves lavang▢Salt as per taste▢4 tablespoons Shan Biryani Masala▢2 cups water▢
1 large potato cut into
2 inch cubes

For the Rice

▢2.5 cups basmati rice soaked in water for 30 minutes
▢1 teaspoon cumin seeds
▢Few slices of lemon
▢2 to 3 leaves of fresh mint
▢Salt
▢2 tablespoons oil
▢6-8 cups of water

For the topping

dum▢1/4 cup milk▢
Few drops yellow food color dissolved in a little bit of water
▢Handful of chopped coriander▢
1–2 tablespoons of ghee butter or oil

Instructions

For Beef Curry / Masala:

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker pot and add the thinly sliced onion. Cook until the onion turns golden brown.
When the onion has turned golden, add the beef cubes and ginger garlic paste. Cook on high heat until the beef turns color.
Now stir in the tomatoes, yogurt, and all of the spices (cardamom, peppercorn, cloves, and salt).
Add the Shan Biryani Masala as well.
Cook for 5-7 minutes on high heat, stirring constantly. 2 cups of water should be added so that the beef is completely submerged in liquid.
Bring the pressure cooker pot to pressure by covering it with its lid. Cooking time will vary between 5 and 10 minutes depending on the cut of beef and the size of the beef pieces. It took about 10 minutes to cook through the beef I used.
Now stir in the cubed potato.
Cook the beef, stirring frequently, over high heat until the excess liquid has evaporated and the oil has separated from the curry. In addition, the cubed potato should be almost cooked through.

For The Rice:

Bring the rice, cumin seeds, lemon, chopped mint, oil, and salt to a boil in a separate large pot. Cook the rice until it is parboiled (about 3/4 done). In a colander, drain the rice.

For Assembling:

Layer half of the rice in a separate large pot. Then top with the beef curry and sliced lemon and chopped coriander.
Cover with the rest of the rice.
Drizzle some yellow food coloring mixed with water over the milk.
Drizzle with melted butter or ghee.
If desired, top with additional chopped coriander and lemon slices.
Cook for 8-10 minutes on low heat, covered, until the rice is fully cooked.
Carefully combine the biryani and serve with raita.

Notes

When simmering the beef, it’s critical to give it plenty of time to become tender. If the liquid in the pan evaporates, simply add a small amount of water, yogurt, or both; stir and continue to simmer.

Category: Dinner
Method: Beef
Cuisine: Indian