Biryani Rice Recipe (Kuska Rice)

Biryani Rice is a popular Indian rice dish made with basmati rice & biryani essentials like spices, herbs, yogurt and onions. It is nothing but a one pot vegetarian plain biryani flavored rice made without any meat or veggies. Also known as Kuska rice or plain biryani in South India, this is a very flavorful and spicy dish that can be made in a jiffy. Biryani is one of the most loved dishes in India and there are so many kinds of biryanis made.

While a lot of people say a dish without meat is not a biryani and a lot more say a dish that is not layered and dum cooked is not a biryani. However the truth is that there is no one way it is made. But yes an authentic biryani is said to have meat and is always layered & dum cooked.

About Biryani Rice

Biryani Rice is a fake version of the authentic biryani as it has no meat, not layered and is not dum cooked. Down in the Southern parts of India this is one dish that is immensely popular in the budget & medium scale restaurants. It is also called as kuska or plain biryani. India is a diverse nation and every dish is made in many regional ways. So you will find a biryani rice referred to as Kuska in some regions and the recipes vary widely.

This dish is simply flavor packed and can be eaten without any sides. But in restaurants it is usually served with a gravy known as salna. A lot of people also eat this with Kurma or even with Onion Raita. Vegetarians eat with a vegetarian side and meat lovers serve it with chicken salna or chicken kurma or any meat based gravy.

To make biryani rice, all the biryani essentials like premium quality rice, whole spices, mint leaves, coriander leaves, onions and yogurt are used. Tomato is one unusual ingredient that is used here mostly because the dish tastes bland without it.

Since there is no much chopping or blending work involved this recipe is super quick to make. I have the instructions to make this in a regular pot, stovetop pressure cooker or in an instant pot. Do read the expert tips section below.

More Rice recipes
Chicken biryani
Veg biryani
Egg biryani
Potato biryani
Paneer dum biryani

How to Make Biryani Rice (Stepwise Photos)

This recipe (1x) serves 2. But the pictures demonstrate 2x recipe, so ignore the higher quantities in the pictures.

Preparation

1. Wash and soak 1 cup aged basmati rice for about 20 to 30 mins. Meanwhile slice 1 small onion to make ¼ to ⅓ cup sliced onions and chop 1 medium tomatoes to make ¼ cup chopped. I prefer to deseed the tomatoes before chopping. After 20 to 30 mins drain the rice completely to a colander. Set this aside.

If using Instant pot, perform all the below tasks till step 10 on a saute mode.

Temper spices & make the base

2. Heat 1½ to 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a pot or pressure cooker. Add the following spices:

• 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 2 to 3 green cardamoms
• 1 star anise (chakri phool, biryani flower)
• ⅓ teaspoon shahi jeera (or cumin seeds/ jeera)
• 1 small strand mace (javitri, optional)
• 1 inch cinnamon piece (dalchini)

3. When the spices begin to sizzle, add the sliced onions and saute until golden.

4. Add half tbsp ginger garlic paste and fry until it smells good, for about a minute.

5. Make sure the raw smell of garlic is gone.

6. Add chopped tomatoes and 2 tablespoons whisked curd (yogurt). Stir to prevent burning.

7. Stir in the following spices:

• ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
• ⅛ teaspoon Turmeric
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves or a mix of mint & coriander leaves
• ⅓ sea salt
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon biryani masala powder (optional)

For the kuska rice, most ppl do not use biryani masala powder. But I highly recommend it.

8. Cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and oil begins to separate from the mixture. It turns aromatic when it is done.

9. Pour water or stock & stir well. Choose the amount of water depending on the cookware/ method you use –

• 1¾ cups to cook in a stovetop pressure cooker
• 1¼ cups for Instant pot
• 2 cups to cook in a regular pot/pan

Cook Biryani Rice

10. Taste test for salt, the water has to be slightly salty. Add more if required. Bring it to a rolling boil on a high heat. Add the drained rice and give a gentle stir.

11. If using a Stovetop Cooker, Cover the pressure cooker with the lid, cook on a medium flame until you hear 1 whistle. When the pressure drops, open the lid.

No cooker – Pot Method – if cooking in a pan, bring to a rolling boil. Reduce to medium and cover with a lid. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. If using an Instant Pot, pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Let the pressure drop manually for 5 minutes, after that release manually. 

12. Open the lid and fluff up with a fork.

Serve with raita or with any of the biryani gravy. This rice goes very well with any veg or non veg gravy. Some serving suggestions for vegetarians are
bagara baingan
mirch ka salan
shorba
Non-vegetarians can serve this with
chicken curry
egg curry

Expert Tips

• If you use aged basmati rice, for every cup of rice, you will need 2 cups water to cook in a pot, 1¾ cups water for stovetop pressure cooker, 1¼ cups to cook in instant pot.
• Aged short grain rice requires more water and longer cook times. Use a little more than 2 cups to cook in a pot, 2 cups to cook in a pressure cooker and instant pot (9 mins on pressure cook mode).
• Use the same amount of water as you use to cook the rice plain.
• If you 2x the recipe, don’t double bay leaf, star anise and mace. Double the rest of the spices. For 3x, double the bay leaf, star anise and mace instead of tripling. Triple rest of the spices.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card