Biryani vs Pilau vs Fried Rice: What Is the Difference?

They all arrive as rice with things in it. They are not the same dish. Here is how to tell them apart and what to order.

Three rice dishes turn up on South Asian menus constantly, and most people order them almost at random. They are genuinely different things, and knowing which is which will make you order much better.

Biryani

Biryani is layered, not stirred. The rice is partly cooked separately, the meat is cooked separately in a marinade, and then the two are layered in a pot and finished together, sealed, so the steam does the last of the work. That is why the top of a good biryani looks different from the bottom, and why every scoop should give you both.

The result is aromatic rather than aggressive. Saffron, whole spices, long-grain rice. It is the safest and most impressive thing on almost any menu, and the reason it dominates catering.

Pilau

Pilau, or pulao, is cooked all together in one pot. Rice, stock, spices and often meat go in and cook as one thing. It is simpler, milder, and more of an everyday dish. Where biryani is a production, pilau is dinner.

Neither is better. They are different jobs. Pilau is what you eat with a curry. Biryani can be the whole meal.

Fried rice

Completely different lineage. Fried rice starts with rice that is already cooked, usually day-old, and stir-fries it hard and fast at high heat with egg, vegetables and protein. The technique is Chinese, and in Sri Lanka and Toronto it arrives through the Hakka Chinese tradition, which is its own excellent thing.

Which should you order?

If it is your first time at a South Asian restaurant: biryani. If you are ordering a curry and want something to eat it with: pilau or plain rice. If you want something fast, savoury and comforting: fried rice.

For catering, biryani wins almost every time. It scales, it holds heat, it looks generous, and nobody has ever been disappointed by it.

Order it in Scarborough

We are a family-run halal Sri Lankan and Indian kitchen in Scarborough. Our biryani is layered properly, which takes longer and is worth it. See biryani catering in Toronto, or browse the full catering menu.