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Indian · Pakistani

Biryani masala

Vegetarian

बिरयानी मसाला · biryānī masālā

A fragrant ground blend made for biryani: shahi jeera, green and black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg, star anise, fennel and black pepper over a little coriander. Rubbed into the meat marinade and sprinkled between the rice layers.

Biryani masala is an Indian condiment, ready in about 22 minutes and made with caraway seeds, cardamom and mace. It serves 31 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
7 min
Rest
10 min
Total
22 min
Serves
31
Level
Easy
Calories
7

Ingredients

31 teaspoons (about 2 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roast the coriander seeds (opens in a new tab) in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Tip out.

  2. Step 2

    Lower the heat. Warm the cardamoms (opens in a new tab), cinnamon, cloves (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab), peppercorns (opens in a new tab) and bay leaves (opens in a new tab) for 2 minutes, then add the shahi jeera (or caraway (opens in a new tab)) and fennel for a minute and the mace (opens in a new tab) for 20 seconds. Stop as soon as everything is fragrant.

    • 3 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Tip everything onto a wide plate in a single layer and cool completely, about 10 minutes. Warm spices release oil and steam in the grinder and turn pasty and clumpy.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Grind with the nutmeg (opens in a new tab) to a fine powder, then sift and regrind the remains.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon into a clean, completely dry glass jar or spice tin, label with the date and keep away from the stove, light and steam. Always use a dry spoon.

About this dish

Origin
Hyderabad and Lucknow, Telangana, India · Commonly attributedA home version of the Hyderabadi-style biryani masala; commercial and family blends often add kebab chini, stone flower, rose petals and vetiver root, omitted here because they are hard to find.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, peppery, earthy
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Caraway seeds · Cardamom · Mace · Coriander seeds · Cinnamon stick · Fennel seeds
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

7 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 2 g · recipe makes 31

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 9%
  • Carbohydrate 60%
  • Fat 31%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy7 kcal334 kcal
Protein0.2 g12.1 g
Carbohydrate1.3 g63.9 g
Net carbohydrate0.6 g27.6 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.7 g36.3 g
Fat0.3 g13.1 g
Saturated fat0.1 g3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium1 mg44 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
23 mg
Calcium
14 mg
Iron
0.3 mg
Magnesium
5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Black cardamom: Green cardamom (FDC 170919) used as a stand-in; black cardamom is smoky and used whole in small amounts.
  • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
  • Mace: Nutmeg (FDC 171326) used as a stand-in; mace is the aril of the same seed.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use about 2 tsp in the marinade for 1 kg meat and ½ tsp scattered over the rice before sealing (dum).

Common mistakes

  • Adding it to the rice water — it belongs with the meat and between the layers; the rice water takes whole spices.

Serve with

  • Chicken biryani, Sindhi biryani and Dhakai kacchi biryani.
  • Vegetable pulao and tehari for a richer aroma.

Storage

  • Airtight, cool and dark, for 3 months.

Variations

  • Kolkata biryani masala: More mace, nutmeg and green cardamom, often with a little kewra.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Dry spice blend
Texture
Fine powder
One batch makes
about 63 g
Keeps
about 3 months
Store
Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe
Traditional

Hyderabad and Lucknow. Makes Biryani masala, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Regional variations: Kerala (Malabar) garam masala, Mughlai (shahi) garam masala, Punjabi garam masala

Used in

None of our dish recipes use it yet — it keeps well, so it’s worth having on the shelf.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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