Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani Recipe (5 kg, Asad Pakwan Style)

This is the 5 kg Raseeli Karachi chicken biryani we filmed at Asad Pakwan Biryani Center. It is built in three parts: a spiced chicken gravy with potatoes, a jhol of yogurt, food colour and nutmeg, mace and cardamom, and a layer of herbs, tomatoes and fried onion. Two layers of sela basmati rice go on top, and the deg is given dum. The amounts below come from the video’s spoken captions, which were auto-translated.

Watch the Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani Video

• 0:39 The spices for the gravy
• 1:05 Salt
• 1:24 Yogurt
• 1:44 Potatoes
• 2:10 Chicken goes in
• 3:59 Tomatoes and herbs
• 4:50 Boiling the rice
• 5:42 First rice layer
• 6:46 After the dum
• 7:19 Oil on top

What Makes This Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani Different

Chicken only 60 percent done. The chicken is cooked to about 60 percent, because the rest cooks on dum. Fully cooked chicken would break.

A jhol of yogurt and spices. A thick batter of yogurt, food colour, nutmeg, cardamom and mace goes along the sides of the pot for aroma.

Tomatoes and herbs around the sides. Two bunches each of coriander and mint and 1-1.5 kg of tomatoes go around the gravy.

Sela basmati in two layers. The first 2.5 kg of rice, 60 percent cooked, is levelled over the gravy. The second 2.5 kg, 80 percent cooked, goes on top.

Potatoes. The video says potatoes are optional but sold with all counter biryani in Karachi.

Ingredient Notes

• Rice: sela basmati, soaked a little. The counter biryani in Karachi uses sela.
• Spices: the caption gives the quantities in teaspoons for 5 kg of chicken.
• Salted water: take some out of the rice pot first and add about 1.5 litres of it on top before the dum.

Amounts are from the video and recipe card. Items marked * are our estimate.

How to Make Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani

1. Cook the gravy

Mix the oil, yogurt, all the spices, salt, ginger garlic paste and green chilli paste with a little water, cover and cook on very low flame for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the potatoes

Add the potatoes if you like, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes soften and the spices are cooked.

3. Add the chicken

Add the 5 kg of chicken and cook it only to about 60 percent. The rest cooks on dum.

4. Layer the herbs and tomatoes

Apply the thick jhol along the sides of the pot. Spread the coriander, mint and cut tomatoes around the sides, and add a little nutmeg, mace, cardamom powder and fried onion.

5. Boil and layer the rice

Boil the sela basmati in salted water and take some of the water out. Put the first 2.5 kg of rice, 60 percent cooked, over the gravy and level it. When the rest is 80 percent cooked, put the second 2.5 kg on top.

6. Give it dum

Add about 1.5 litres of the salted water, cover and cook on high flame for 3-4 minutes until steam comes out, then on dum on low flame for 20-25 minutes. Pour a little raw oil on top and mix the biryani well.

Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani

A flavorful and aromatic Pakistani dish made with marinated chicken, basmati rice, and a blend of spices. This recipe serves 4-6 people and is perfect for special occasions. The combination of spices and herbs gives it a unique and delicious taste.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Persons

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Karachi Style / Pakistani, Restaurant Style

Calories: 550

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

Gravy

• 5 kg chicken cooked only to about 60 percent
• 8-10 tsp crushed red chilli
• 6-8 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tsp ground red chilli
• 10-12 cloves
• 25-30 black peppercorns
• 12-15 small green cardamom
• 3-4 black cardamom
• 2 inch cinnamon
• 2-3 star anise (badian)
• 5-6 tsp salt or to taste
• 5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 5 tbsp green chilli paste
• 250 g yogurt
• 250 ml cooking oil
• potatoes optional; Karachi counters add them

Jhol

• 250 g yogurt
• food colour
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp black cardamom powder
• mace powder a little

Layer on top of the gravy

• 2 bunches fresh coriander
• 2 bunches mint
• 1-1.5 kg tomatoes cut
• nutmeg, mace and cardamom powder a little
• fried onion a little

Rice

• 5 kg sela basmati rice soaked a little
• salt in the boiling water
• 1.5 litres salted rice water added on top
• cooking oil raw, a little on top

Method

 

Gravy

1. Mix the oil, yogurt, all the spices, salt, ginger garlic paste and green chilli paste with a little water, cover and cook on very low flame for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes if you like, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes soften and the spices are cooked.
3. Add the 5 kg of chicken and cook it only to about 60 percent. The rest cooks on dum, and fully cooked chicken would break.

Jhol

1. Mix the yogurt with the food colour, nutmeg powder, green cardamom powder, black cardamom powder and a little mace into a thick, not thin, batter. Apply it along the sides of the pot.

Layer

1. Spread the coriander, mint and cut tomatoes around the sides. Add a little nutmeg, mace, cardamom powder and fried onion on top.

Rice and dum

1. Boil the sela basmati in salted water. Take out some of the salted water first. Put the first 2.5 kg of rice, 60 percent cooked, on the gravy and level it.
2. When the rest is 80 percent cooked, put the second 2.5 kg on top.
3. Add about 1.5 litres of the salted water, cover and cook on high flame for 3-4 minutes until steam comes out, then keep it on dum on low flame for 20-25 minutes.
4. Pour a little raw cooking oil on top, then mix the biryani well so the colour spreads evenly.

Video

Notes

Store leftover biryani in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or oven before serving.

Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani Problems and How to Fix Them

• The chicken breaks: it was cooked too long before the dum. Stop at about 60 percent.
• The rice sticks together: a little raw oil on top before mixing keeps the grains apart.
• The colour is uneven: mix the biryani well after the dum; the better you mix it, the better the colour.

Serving and Storing

Serve hot with raita and salad. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge; reheat covered with a splash of water.

Raseeli Karachi Chicken Biryani FAQs

Are potatoes used in this biryani?

They are optional, but Karachi counter biryanis add them.

Which rice is used?

Sela basmati.

Why is the chicken cooked only 60 percent?

It finishes cooking on dum, so it stays whole.

More Recipes

• Asad Pakwan chicken pulao: a 2 kg chicken pulao from the same place.
• Degi chicken biryani: another chicken biryani.
• Karachi beef biryani: a beef biryani from Asad Pakwan.