Western India · Maharashtra · Layered Dum

Bombay Biryani

Name: Bombay Biryani
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian, Western India
Ingredients: 400g Basmati Rice; standard set Whole spices; to taste Salt; 500g Mutton; 3 Potatoes (cubed and fried); 3 Onions (sliced, fried); 2 Tomatoes (pureed); 100g Yogurt; 2 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste; 4-5 Dried plum (Alu Bukhara); 1.5 tsp Kashmiri chilli; 1.5 tbsp Biryani masala; 0.5 tsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Garam masala; 2 tbsp Saffron milk; generous Fried onions; 1 cup each Mint + coriander; 3 tbsp Ghee

Also known as: Mumbai Biryani, Bombay Masala Biryani

Heavy masala, fried potato, tomato tang, and a signature red-orange rice. Street-food royalty that's loud, unapologetic, and eaten at 2 AM standing up.

Prep30m

Cook45m

4servings

Medium

Hot

BasmatiMutton / Chicken + PotatoLayered Dum

📜 History

A street-food-inflected biryani born on Mohammed Ali Road during the late colonial era. Heavier on masala than its northern cousins, with fried potatoes (like Kolkata but crispier), a tomato tang, and often a touch of dried plum (alu bukhara) for sweetness. It's the 2 AM post-Ramadan biryani of Bademiya and Lucky Restaurant.

✨ What Makes It Unique

The tomato-forward masala and fried potato make it the most 'street' biryani in India. Also uses dried plum (alu bukhara) for a sweet-sour note that nobody expects.

Ingredients

Rice & Whole Spices

Basmati Rice400g
Whole spicesstandard set
Saltto taste

Meat & Base

Mutton500g
Potatoes3cubed and fried
Onions3sliced, fried
Tomatoes2pureed
Yogurt100g
Ginger-garlic paste2 tbsp
Dried plum (Alu Bukhara)4-5

Spice Powders

Kashmiri chilli1.5 tsp
Biryani masala1.5 tbsp
Turmeric0.5 tsp
Garam masala1 tsp

Garnish & Finishing

Saffron milk2 tbsp
Fried onionsgenerous
Mint + coriander1 cup each
Ghee3 tbsp

Method

Cook Masala Meat

30 min

Fry onions, add ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree, all masala. Cook meat in this base with yogurt until 80% done. Add fried potatoes and dried plums.

Parboil Rice

8 min

Cook with whole spices until 70% done.

Layer and Dum

25 min

Meat at bottom, rice on top. Saffron, fried onions, herbs, ghee. Seal and cook 25 min on low.

Serve

5 min

Each plate gets rice, meat, one crispy potato, and a dried plum.

Total time: 75 minutes (excluding marination)

💡 Pro Tips

•Fry the potatoes until crispy on the outside — they should hold their shape in the dum
•Don't skip the dried plum. It's the secret that makes Bombay biryani taste different
•The masala should be red-orange, not yellow. Use Kashmiri chilli for colour
•Mohammad Ali Road biryani shops use a LOT of fried onions. Don't be shy