Everyday Kitchen

Indian · Dinner

Egg biryani

Draft recipe — not kitchen-tested
Non-vegMedium

Diet: Non-veg · Gluten-free · High-protein

Hard-boiled eggs sit in a spiced tomato base beneath fragrant rice. Keep the eggs whole during steaming and halve them for serving.

Prep
20 min
Cook
35 min
Soak, marinate, rise or chill
15 min
Total
70 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Cuisine
Indian
Course
Dinner

Estimated times for the original batch. Preparation, cooking and listed waiting time are included. Batch cooking can take longer.

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Representative photograph of egg biryani
Representative photograph of egg biryani. This photograph is not a result of testing this draft. Photo credit and licence
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Ingredients

Metric weights use grams. US weights use ounces; liquids use fluid ounces. Conversions are rounded. Spoon measures use 5 ml teaspoons and 15 ml tablespoons; cups use 240 ml.

Serves 4

Choose any positive whole number of servings. Ingredients and measured amounts in steps scale together. Times, temperatures and equipment stay unchanged. For larger yields, cook separate original-size batches. Counted ingredients can become fractions; beat eggs before dividing them. Fixed correction-water checks remain fixed.

Eggs

Rice

Sauce

Finish

Equipment

Two saucepans; heavy pot with lid; sieve; bowls; knife.

Check all product labels and cross-contact. Diet groups describe this listed draft, not every substitution.

Steps

Prepare the eggs · About 12 min

  1. Place 6 eggs, 1000 ml water for boiling eggs in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool under cold running water and peel.

    Check: The yolks should be firm.

Prepare the rice · About 15 min

  1. Rinse 300 g basmati rice and soak for 15 minutes. Boil 1800 ml water for rice, 1 ½ tsp salt for rice and 3 cardamom pods; add the drained rice. Boil for 6–8 minutes and drain.

Make the sauce · About 15 min

  1. Heat 30 ml neutral oil; cook 200 g onions, sliced for 8 minutes. Add 15 g ginger-garlic paste; stir for 1 minute. Add 250 g tomatoes, chopped, 100 g yogurt, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp turmeric and ¾ tsp salt. Cook for 6–8 minutes.

    Check: The tomato is soft and the sauce is thick.

Layer · About 15 min

  1. Place the peeled eggs in the sauce. Spread rice over them; add 15 g mint, 20 g ghee, 60 ml water. Cover tightly and cook over the lowest heat for 15 minutes.

Rest · About 10 min

  1. Leave covered off the heat for 10 minutes. Lift the rice gently and halve each egg before serving.

Tips

  • Prick only the egg whites with a fork so some sauce can cling to them.
  • Handle cooked eggs gently to keep the yolks inside.

Substitutions

  • Use plain thick yogurt instead of regular yogurt, with a little water to loosen it.
  • Use unsalted butter instead of ghee.

Storage

  • Cool in small shallow portions and refrigerate promptly, ideally within one hour. Use within 24 hours.
  • Reheat rice only once, until steaming hot throughout. For this draft, check reheated food reaches 74°C / 165°F. Add a little water and cover while heating.

Make ahead

  • Boil eggs one day ahead; refrigerate them in a covered container.
  • Make the sauce ahead; heat it thoroughly before layering.

FAQ

Can I scramble the eggs?

That makes a different dish. Use hard-boiled eggs for this layered version.

Should I fry the eggs?

You can lightly brown peeled eggs in a small amount of oil before adding them to the sauce.

Can I use brown rice?

Its cooking time is different. Cook it separately until nearly tender before layering.

Food safety references

FoodSafety.gov: cooking temperatures · Food Standards Agency: rice storage and reheating

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