Indian Cooking Tips: How To Prevent Biryani Rice From Getting Sticky And Mushy

Think indulgence, and at some point, you are bound to picture a handy full of biryani. This one-pot dish has been associated with festive spirit and celebrations since time immemorial. Despite our fascination with the global cuisine, and easy accessibility to all kinds of food, Biryani's popularity remains undisputed. This one-pot dish -- made with rice, meat and an array of spices -- is prepared in myriad ways across the country. Hyderabadi biryani is remarkably different from the Kolkata biryani, but if there's one common factor about most of these biryanis is the texture of rice. Super fragrant and non-sticky, a biryani is as much about the rice as it is about the meat and spices. So, make sure you get that right!  How, you ask? We have some handy tips and tricks that will make your home-made biryani the talking point of your spread!

(Also Read: Indian Cooking Tips: Easy Biryani Masala Recipe For Homemade Biryani)

^{This one-pot dish has been associated with festive spirit and celebrations}

1. To make sure your biryani rice is not mushy, you have to pick the right kind of rice. Long grain basmati rice is apparently the best pick according to many chefs. The shorter the size of the grain, the greater are the chances of it clamping together, since they are starchier than long grain.
2. It is also a good idea to wash the rice well, and soak the rice grains in water for at least 30 minutes before cooking them. Doing so may help soften the rice and allow them to absorb water while cooking.
3. Do not overcook the rice, when you are boiling rice, make sure you parboil them. After about five minutes of boiling, use a spoon to scoop out some rice, press and check the consistency.
4. Some people also use lemon juice while cooking the rice as a handy hack to prevent it from sticking to each other. You could also try lacing your 'handi' or vessel with bay leaves at the bottom, make sure you do not use too many and the flavour of bay leaf may overpower in the final preparation. 
5. The quantity of yogurt used in the marination shouldn't be too much, it could make the biryani mushy.
6. Even the cooking utensil you choose should be big enough so that it gives enough room to rice for cooking.

(Also Read:7 Biryanis From South India You Shouldn't Miss, From Hyderabadi To Bhatkali, Beary And More!)

Here Are Our Favourite Biryani Recipes From NDTV Food That You Can Try Making At Home:

Click here for recipe of Mutton Biryani

Click here for recipe of Chicken Biryani

Click here for recipe of Kathal Biryani

Click here for recipe of Paneer Makhani Biryani

Try making biryani at home today, and let us know how you liked our tips!

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About Sushmita SenguptaSharing a strong penchant for food, Sushmita loves all things good, cheesy and greasy. Her other favourite pastime activities other than discussing food includes, reading, watching movies and binge-watching TV shows.