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Eid without biryani is mornings without coffee and meals without desserts. A good biryani with its fragrant rice, flavourful masalas and succulent chunks of meat is one of the most satisfying meals ever. So this eid we give you but 10 brilliant biryani recipes to try and relish with your dear ones and make this Eid, mubarak in every sense.

Biryani of the nawabs

When it comes to biryanis this stalwart is the first one that pops up in our mind. Succulent mutton chunks – check. Fragrant long grain basmati rice – check. Cooked under dum – check. This true blue, tried and tested authentic kachchi biryani recipe from Hyderabad has satisfied even the most stringent critics since time immemorial. If you haven’t tried it one yet, your biryani story is incomplete.

Jamva Chalo Ji

As the name suggests, this Parsi biryani is fit for a wedding feast with a bonus that it is really easy to make. Long grain rice cooked in chicken stock flavoured with whole spices and layered over an onion, cashew and yoghurt-based masala embedded with chunks of chicken. Sealed and cooked till sufficient dum has built and the flavours are well mingled – this one is an indulgence for all the good dikra’s and dikri’s.

Grain-free biryani

Succulent prawns cooked with pressed rice or poha, a much healthier alternative to the traditional rice you would normally use in a biryani –it is the best way to indulge your biryani craving without giving in to the carb temptation. Plus this microwave version gets made in a jiffy giving you just enough time to whip up a delicious raita to go with it.

Khoob bhaalo ache

Light, fragrant and full of flavours this biryani from the city of joy is an eternal favourite, especially so if you are an eggetarian. Boiled eggs and potatoes smeared in masalas, shallow fried and layered over a luscious base of basmati rice and masalas cooked in coconut milk. Garnished with fried onions and mint leaves take every Bengali babu’s word for this one being khoob bhaalo!

Brown Rice Biryani with Chutney Chicken

Nutritious nutty brown rice, herby green chutney, succulent chunks of chicken on the bone, flavourful whole spices and the mystic fragrance of kewra and saffron blend together and give you a biryani that your taste buds and health both thank you for! Have it along with a large portion of a crunchy salad to bask in the glory of the calories you dodged this Eid.

Dakshin Delight

From the southern state of Tamil Nadu, this biryani is a fiery mix of dakshin spices, long grain rice and mutton pieces on the bone cooked to harmonious perfection. Also known as an Arcot biryani, rice and meat are cooked separately first and then bought together and cooked under dum to give you a handi full of exotic comfort food this eid.

Jannat-e-biryani

All you need after a portion of this rich creamy biryani is a soulful nap. Boneless chicken pieces, a creamy yogurt and cashew paste masala, aromatic warm spices and long grain basmati rice cooked together under dum. Also dubbed as an Afghani biryani this one is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Along with a spicy mirchi ka salan it offers you the closest possible experience of jannat.

Vegetable Parda Biryani

A colourful mix of assorted vegetables, basmati rice and spicy masala base layered together in individual sealed earthen pots and cooked in the oven till enough steam has formed to marry all these beautiful flavours. Some people say vegetarian biryanis are just pulaos but this recipe begs to differ!

Biryani from the Sindh

A double dhamaka for chicken lovers this Sindhi biryani has both - succulent pieces of chicken and flavourful mince cooked together with rice, boiled potatoes and spices into a biryani that tantalizes your taste buds with each mouthful. Don’t forget to have some roasted papad to go with this deliciousness.

Jalpari Biryani

Every seafood lover’s dream – this biryani has fish fillets, clams and chunky prawns cooked in a delectable masala and rice base until the aromatic spices and the seafood stir up a humungous appetite for everyone in the room. Feel free to add in your choice of more seafood – probably some squid rings or chunks of crabmeat to customize it as per your taste. Also, this one is much lighter than a heavy meat-based biryani – so you can indulge with much lesser guilt.

Take a look at our all-time favourite accompaniments to go with your delicious biryani spread.

Raitas - This cooling yogurt accompaniment is the perfect match for any kind of biryani. You can choose from an array of raita recipes on sanjeevkapoor.com. Apart from a boondi raita we urge you to try out the pakodi raita and a flaxseed and cucumber raita this season.

Salans – Salans are a spicy gravy preparation that is traditionally eaten with a Hyderabadi style biryani, but food these days known no boundaries so you can gladly pair it up with any good biryani. While a mirch ka salan is a classic the khatti arbi ka salan is well worth a try.

Kachumbers – A simple tossed salad – there are a number of variations you could try out while making a kachumber. Our favourite one this season is a watermelon kachumber because of the refreshing sweetness it lends to a spicy robust biryani.

Wishing everyone a very happy and pious eid.

Keep cooking, keep eating & Eid Mubarak!