What Actually Makes a Good Biryani

Most biryani in Toronto is rice with meat stirred through it. Here is how to spot a real one.

Biryani is the most ordered and most poorly made dish in South Asian cooking. Most of what gets sold as biryani in this city is spiced rice with some meat stirred into it. That is not biryani, and once you know the difference you cannot unsee it.

It has to be layered

This is the whole thing. Real biryani is built in layers. The rice is parboiled separately. The meat is cooked separately in its marinade. Then they are layered into a pot, sealed, and finished on low heat so the steam finishes the rice and pulls the flavour up through it.

If everything was cooked together in one pot and stirred, that is a pilau. A perfectly good dish, but it is not biryani, and it should not be priced like one.

How to tell

Look at the pot or the tray. A real biryani is not uniform. The top is paler and more aromatic, the bottom is darker and richer where the meat sat. Every scoop should give you a bit of both. If the whole thing is one even colour, it was stirred.

The rice matters

Long-grain basmati, and the grains should be separate. Not clumped, not mushy. Each grain should be distinct enough that you can see it. Mushy biryani means the rice was overcooked before it went into the layers, and there is no recovering from that.

The marinade

The meat should taste seasoned all the way through, not just coated. That comes from marinating it properly before it ever meets the rice. If the meat is bland and the rice is doing all the work, corners were cut.

It should smell before it tastes

A good biryani announces itself. Whole spices, saffron, the fat from the meat. If you can carry it across a room and nobody looks up, something went wrong.

Ours is layered

We are a family-run halal Sri Lankan and Indian kitchen in Scarborough and we make it properly, which takes longer. It is also why it is the dish we cater most. See biryani catering in Toronto, or the difference between biryani, pilau and fried rice.

A biryani is only half the plate

In Sri Lankan homes, biryani is rarely served alone. It comes with a set of sides, and each one has a job. When you look at our biryani combos, this is why they look the way they do:

• Eggplant moju: sweet, sour and spicy. It cuts through the richness of the rice.
• Pineapple curry: sweet heat that brightens each mouthful.
• Acharu: a vinegar pickle of fruit and vegetables, for crunch and sharpness.
• Yogurt sambal: cool and creamy, it takes the edge off the spice.
• Maasi sambol: dried Maldives fish with chilli, onion and lime. Salty, sharp and very small portions.

A biryani served with nothing but raita is a different meal. The contrast is the point.

How to judge a biryani at a catered event

1. Scoop from the edge and from the centre of the tray. The colour should vary.
2. Check a piece of meat from the middle. It should be seasoned through, not just on the outside.
3. Taste the rice alone. It should carry flavour without any sauce.
4. Smell it before the lid is fully off. Whole spices should come through first.

Leftover biryani, the right way

Refrigerate within two hours. To reheat, sprinkle a spoon of water over the rice, cover, and heat gently so it steams. Do not stir hard; you will break the grains you paid for. It is often better on day two.

Which of ours to try

For one person, the Biriyani at $12, with chicken, beef, mutton or vegetable. For 20 or more, the combos run from the Vegetable Biryani Combo at roughly $20 to $30 per person (quoted on menu and headcount) to the Mutton Biryani Combo at quoted for your event. Lamb biryani is made but not on the online menu; call or text (647) 449-2924.

Biryani questions

Is Sri Lankan biryani hotter than other biryanis?

The rice itself is aromatic rather than fiery. Most of the heat comes from the sides, which you can take or leave.

Where can I read more?

See Sri Lankan vs Indian biryani or chicken biryani in Scarborough.