• Facebook
  • Whatsapp
  • Threads
  • Messenger
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Dr. Who?
  • Contact

Butter Over Bae logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Dr. Who?
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Summer Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Dr. Who?
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Main Course

    Published: Jul 21, 2018 · Modified: Nov 14, 2022 by Wajiha · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Quick Karhayi Biryani

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Although for a desi, Biryani is like, only the most royal things ever, yet sometimes we are just short on time to make the whole Ordeal of doing the conventional Biryani. Enters Karhayi Biryani. As the name itself suggests, this biryani uses spices and ingredients similar to that of a Chicken Karhayi and is also a quick fix for your Biryani cravings.

    Pair it with a hearty bowl of kachumbar salad and raita, and you have yourself a party!

    INGREDIENTS AND STEPS FOR MAKING BIRYANI

    karhayi biryani ingredients
    karhayi biryani ingredients

    Firstly, the rice is prepped pretty much similar to any recipe, soaked in water and boiled in whole masalas with vinegar and kewra water. One medium chicken is enough to serve 6 adults.

    This recipe calls to add brown onions to your gravy and I usually keep a packet of frozen fried onions in the freezer for such days. While this recipe calls for onions, I’ve even made this recipe without it and it still turns out fine so you can skip it if you don’t have the time to fry them. Just blend your tomatoes and chillies and ginger garlic in a blender and you have your masala base ready.

    Literally all you have to do is dump all your ingredients in the pot and just let it cook. I tend to add yoghurt later since it has a tendency to burn the masala if added at an early stage. But you can keep an insulator or a pan right below your pot and add yoghurt from the start.

    GARNISHING

    Biryani is as much a treat for the eyes as it is for your palate. Your Biryani needs to look like the royalty it is. Don’t ever be stingy when it comes to the Garnish of the Dish. This one needs all the fresh ingredients above, to bring out the freshness of your Biryani.
    The quantity for this recipe will give you roughly 3 layers of rice and 2 layers of chicken. Make sure to add some garnish before every addition of the Qorma to the pot.

     

     

    And the top is where you add your color, Please don’t add red food color to this biryani, this one requires a more orangish food color. Every Biryani has its own hue which makes it what it is,

    TIP: Make sure your pot is big enough that even after all the layers, the top still has a little space left. A fully loaded Cauldron will cause your rice to be sticky and wont give it enough room to expand while it cooks. 

    Always seal the pot very well. For a proper steam and cook, the better your seal, the better the flavours. If you feel your pot lid is loose, try covering up the pot with foil first and then the lid. Alternatively you can weight on top of your lid to create that internal pressure in the pot.
    more on Biryani 101 in future posts.

     

    RECIPE OF QUICK KARHAYI BIRYANI

    Quick Karhayi Biryani

    This version of Biryani tastes absolutely delicious with a bonus point: it is much easier and quicker to make than regular biryani!
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: South Asian
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 850kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Ingredients

    For Rice

    • 4 ½ cup long grain Basmati rice
    • 1 tbsp kewra water
    • Saabit garam masala aka 5 cloves, 1 piece of Cinammon stick, 10 Round blackpeppers, 4 green cardomom, 2 black cardomom
    • 1 tbsp salt or to taste
    • 1 tbsp vinegar

    For Chicken Masala

    • 1 kg medium chicken cut up in pieces
    • ½ cup oil
    • 2 medium medium onion sliced
    • 6 medium tomatoes cut
    • ½ kg yoghurt beaten
    • 8 to 10 serrano greenchillies
    • 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
    • 1 tbsp Garam masala powder all spice powder
    • 1 tbsp salt
    • 1 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tbsp zeera/cumin powder
    • 2 tsp red chili powder

    For Layering Garnish

    • 1/2 cup Mint leaves
    • 1/4 cup Cut up green serrano chillies
    • 1/2 cup Brown onions (left over from the chicken masala)
    • ½ tomato thin slices
    • 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
    • 3 pinch Orange food color mixed in 3 tbsp of milk

    Instructions

    METHOD TO PREPARE CHICKEN MASALA

    • First of all, put oil in cauldron or pot at a medium flame and add onions and fry until brown. Remove half of the onions and turn off heat. (you can skip this step for an even quicker biryani)
    • Secondly, a blender add tomatoes, green chillies with a little bit of water and blend well.
    • Add tomato puree to the oil pot along with all the masalas and chicken and cover the lid. Let it cook at medium flame for about 20 to 25 minutes or when the oil separates from the curry.
    • Beat yoghurt well and add to the curry and leave at medium flame for another 10 minutes or until the gravy thickens. You can remove the lid at this point and keep stirring until you reach the desired consistency of the gravy or you can let it cook on it own.

    METHOD TO PREPARE RICE

    • While your chicken gravy cooks, soak rice for around 20 minutes before cooking (or as long as your brand or rice demands)
    • In a large pot, boil water with all the ingredients for the rice.
    • Add rice as water starts to boil and allow to boil for 4 to 5 minutes.
    • Check to see if you can break a rice grain with your hand, that’s the point where you remove your rice from the flame and strain it. Set it aside

    METHOD FOR LAYERING

    • Add a layer of rice at the bottom of the large pot.
    • Sprinkle garam masala powder on the rice along with a little bit of fried onions, sliced tomatoes, green chilies and mint leaves.
    • Layer with chicken qorma and repeat the process. Your top layer should be that of rice.
    • Add all the garnishes on the top along with the food color this time.
    • Cover the lid well and put on the stove to steam with a frying pan or a base beneath the pot.
    • Keep the flame on medium to high for 5 minutes and reduce it to low medium for another 10. Finally, turn off the heat and let the Biryani rest for 5 to 10 minutes to seal the flavors before opening the lid.

    Notes

    Serve with salad and raita. And dig into that master piece you’ve just created!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingsCalories: 850kcalCarbohydrates: 128gProtein: 38gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 2498mgPotassium: 995mgFiber: 5gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1548IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 255mgIron: 3mg
    Can't wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae


    Did you try out the other popular rice recipe on the blog? Chicken Malai Boti Pulao will bring some diversity to your next food spread!

    Asian Style Bruschetta Dip »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dania says

      July 27, 2018 at 4:05 pm

      Pictures are amazing. I am sure taste will be good as well

      Reply
      • Wajiha says

        July 30, 2018 at 12:25 pm

        Thanku so much! 🙂 it tasted amazing! considering how quick it was lol

        Reply
    2. Leigh Suznovich says

      July 23, 2018 at 9:09 pm

      This looks so incredibly flavorful! I love anything biryani and this version is on my must cook list now.

      Reply
      • Wajiha says

        July 24, 2018 at 3:23 am

        Hi, It did turn out great to be honest 🙂 yay! lemme know if you try it!

        Reply
    3. Jena Leigh says

      July 23, 2018 at 5:16 pm

      This looks and tastes delicious. I am not familar with kewra water?

      Reply
      • Wajiha says

        July 24, 2018 at 3:26 am

        Hey Jena, thnx. Kewra water is an extract from a plant, like vanilla essence is an extract from vanilla beans. Similar to vanilla essence, it is added to add some south asian cuisines for aroma and taste. Hope this helps 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jordan Hibbs says

      July 23, 2018 at 5:01 pm

      Looks yummy!

      Reply
      • Wajiha says

        July 24, 2018 at 3:27 am

        You are too kind!

        Reply
    4.84 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

    Questions? Thoughts? Leave them below Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hey there! I am Wajiha, the blogger and cook behind Butter over Bae.
    My friends had an intervention for me, to stop me from spamming them with all my kitchen experiments and food pictures. But, instead, I made this! And now I put up my food spam for the world!

    My blog is literally all my food obsessions in one: Pakistani/Indian food, Pan-Asian recipes, and desserts! I’d loveeeee to show you around and tell you more. Grab a cup guys and click below

    Who this lady? →

    Summer Favorites

    • pineapple coconut ice cream scoops in a bowl
      Dairy free No churn Pineapple coconut ice cream
    • dripping rose syrup on malai kulfi icecream bar.
      Easy Malai Kulfi Ice Cream With Condensed Milk
    • 4 scoops of chocolate ice cream
      Easy Home-made Chocolate Ice cream
    • tangy savory lentil oats
      Low-carb Tangy Savory Oatmeal and Lentil bowl
    • a glass of orange hued lemon iced tea with slices of lemon and ice cubes visible in the glass
      Ginger Lemon Iced Tea
    • grilled bihari chicken tikka on a tray.
      Bihari Chicken Tikka

    Popular Recipes

    • paper towel with lots of crispy golden brown onion slices on it against a grey background
      How to make crispy fried onions and store them
    • Qeema macaroni
      Keema macaroni
    • Lahori Chargha Recipe
    • khageena or spicy scrambled eggs in a pan
      Khageena – Pakistani spicy scrambled eggs
    • 2 chicken tikka pieces sitting on a bed of rice in a black plate
      Easy Chicken Tikka Recipe
    • a plate of chicken pieces and colored rice with some onion and cucumber sliced on the side
      Pakistani chicken biryani, Karachi special

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Privacy Policy
    Terms & Conditions

    Contact

    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • TikTok
    • Pinterest

    All images and content are copyright-protected. Please do not use my images or recipes without prior permission.

    Copyright © 2025 Butter Over Bae

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.