Biryani Masala
Biryani masala is the whole-spice blend that flavours a biryani: coriander and cumin for body, cardamom and cinnamon for warmth, and mace, nutmeg and star anise for the floral, layered aroma that sets a biryani apart from an everyday curry. One batch seasons every biryani on this site.
What is in the blend
- Coriander seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Black peppercorns
- Dried red chillies
- Green cardamom
- Black cardamom
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Bay leaves
- Star anise
- Mace
- Nutmeg
This blend has no single canonical ratio: the recipes on this site each season with their own measured spices, and no single blend ratio has been published yet. What is fixed is the method. Toast the whole spices — coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorns, chillies, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and star anise — in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, cool them completely, then grind them fine with the mace and nutmeg. Grind only what you will use within a few weeks: a fresh blend loses its aroma far faster than the whole spices it came from.
Packet-masala substitution
No homemade blend to hand? A shop-bought biryani masala packet works in its place — use the packet in the same step of the recipe where the homemade blend goes in, and hold back any extra salt until you have tasted, since packets are usually salted.
Use the packet measure-for-measure where a recipe names a quantity of homemade blend, and otherwise follow the packet's own serving guidance rather than guessing a ratio per kilogram of rice or meat — no packet brand has been compared here, and no brand is recommended. Taste before adding more salt: packets vary widely, and the homemade blend above is unsalted by design.
Recipes that use biryani masala
The blend also sits in the Desi pantry, and the techniques behind the dishes it seasons are dum and birista.