Ryuji Gets Serious About "The Ultimate Biryani": Pakki-Style Chicken Biryani Cooked with Basmati Rice

According to Ryuji, biryani is trending right now. When asked, however, the staff said they had "eaten it before, but don't eat it much."

As the motivation for this episode, Ryuji described an experience: being invited to the home of mito from clammbon, who has also appeared on the channel, and eating an authentic biryani. That biryani used rose water, a water used in India that smells somewhat like soap. Ryuji says the authentic flavor made them think, "Biryani is really good." Ryuji also mentioned that mito apparently studies the methods of renowned biryani restaurants. Ryuji, however, made it clear that they would not use ingredients like rose water, and would instead stick to "the line of what you can just barely do at home."

Ryuji's position is that biryani made with Japanese rice is delicious in its own way. Biryani is essentially Indian mixed rice cooked with ingredients, and Ryuji explains that this time they wanted to make that dish properly. The previous Japanese-rice version apparently drew hundreds of comments saying "this is fake," and Ryuji expects to hear plenty of that again this time. Even so, Ryuji said, "I don't think of biryani as something difficult. Making it seem difficult does no good at all."

The star this time is basmati rice. According to Ryuji, most people believe you can't call it biryani without it. This time Ryuji bought a 5 kg bag on Amazon. The purchase was prompted by an earlier experience cooking with the 200 g basmati rice sold at KALDI and finding it "super good." Ryuji recommends KALDI's 200 g bag as an easy way to try it, and notes that it can be found at ordinary supermarkets these days too.

Basmati rice is boiled rather than cooked by absorption. Ryuji explained this as a health benefit: the rice's carbohydrates move into the boiling water, so the carbohydrate content is considerably reduced, and the value indicating how easily it raises blood sugar (shown as "GI" in the subtitles, presumably the GI value from context) is also low. According to Ryuji's explanation, simply swapping your usual rice for basmati rice reduces carbohydrates, so it is also attracting attention for its health benefits.

Ryuji also talked about texture and quantity. Basmati rice is light and tastes good even when cold. The 200 g used this time is about 1⅓ gō in Japanese rice terms, slightly short even for two servings. But because basmati rice gains volume, 200 g makes a solid three servings, Ryuji says. According to Ryuji, about 70 g per person is enough to fill you up. Ryuji also said that because the rice is light, it works well as a snack with drinks, and that for a light meal it would make about four servings.

When asked for their impression, Ryuji answered, "It's rice, but if anything it's closer to pasta." Because it's a rice defined more by aroma than by flavor itself, treating it the same way as Japanese rice won't make it taste good, and the cooking method has to change too, Ryuji says.

There are surprisingly few ingredients: onion, chicken thigh, yogurt, canned whole tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and cilantro. Ryuji emphasized, "As long as your method is right, you don't need that many ingredients."

As for cilantro, Ryuji said that mint is traditionally used, so mint is fine if you dislike cilantro, and you can also leave it out. Ryuji likes cilantro, so they use it. Ryuji also mentioned that many restaurants apparently use cilantro these days.

The spices are cumin seeds, turmeric, coriander, chili pepper, and garam masala. No curry powder is used. Ryuji was particularly insistent about the choice of garam masala. Ryuji used the garam masala sold at KALDI, which they say has an authentic flavor. Ryuji asked viewers to avoid S&B's garam masala because it's "just really spicy," and instead recommended non-S&B options such as GABAN. Ryuji explained that garam masala is a spice blend of cumin, pepper, coriander and so on, and that adding it gives a curry-like flavor.

Ryuji stressed using whole cumin seeds rather than ground cumin. Regarding chili pepper, a staff member said, "I'd probably get it wrong without checking the description," and there was an exchange clarifying that it's different from chili powder.

First, soak 200 g of basmati rice in water. When a staff member asked whether to give it a quick rinse, Ryuji answered that soaking alone is fine. It's said to be best to soak it for 20–30 minutes before boiling, Ryuji says. The rice this time was "a pretty good one," with a strong aroma even at the soaking stage, and Ryuji mentioned that it smelled completely different from KALDI's. The subtitles also include the phrase "salt soak," so it appears the rice was soaked in salted water.

Slice the onion. The onion forms the base of the curry and provides almost all of the sweetness. Mince the garlic and ginger.

Use chicken thigh, cut into somewhat small bite-sized pieces. According to Ryuji, in India people apparently don't eat chicken skin, and chicken is sold already skinned. Ryuji uses the skin anyway, but said those concerned about calories can remove it.

mito made it with mutton, but mutton takes a long time to stew, so chicken is the easiest at home, Ryuji says. Ryuji also declared that, "unusually for me," they would not use chemical seasonings (MSG). The reason is that the umami from the chicken is enough, and the curry turns out richly flavored without adding anything more.

The curry portion is made in the following order.

1. Fry 1⅓ teaspoons of cumin seeds in 2 tablespoons of oil, such as rice bran oil, until they crackle and sizzle and release their aroma. Ryuji doesn't usually fry the spices first, but included this step to level up from last time.
2. Once fragrant, add the onion.
3. Add the garlic and ginger as well, and leave it untouched over medium-high heat to char.
4. Add ⅓ can of whole tomatoes and stir-fry. Half a can would make the tomato too strong, so ⅓ was used. Diced canned tomatoes are fine too.
5. Add the spices other than the cumin seeds. Half a teaspoon of turmeric adds aroma and color; 1⅔ teaspoons each of coriander and garam masala; half a teaspoon of chili pepper provides the heat, so reduce it if you don't like spicy food. Also add 1 teaspoon of salt.
6. Add the chicken and stir-fry lightly.
7. Add about 50 g of yogurt (about 3½ tablespoons) and water, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

On the charring step, Ryuji referred to one method of making biryani: making fried onions to layer on their aroma. Fried onions are a hassle, so instead Ryuji thoroughly chars the onion to create umami similar to adding fried onions. Even if it looks quite burnt, that's fine, and Ryuji explained that it actually becomes umami.

Indian cooking doesn't add sugar, so the sweetness comes almost entirely from the onion, Ryuji says. Ryuji also said that in Indian curry, the meat is stewed together with everything rather than seared thoroughly. The yogurt's role is to add richness, umami and mellowness. Once the spices went in, Ryuji said, "It's starting to smell like an Indian restaurant," and also remarked that the cumin aroma was strong and "it'll be a flavor I wouldn't normally make."

After simmering for 5 minutes, the curry is delicious on its own, whether poured over basmati rice or served on Japanese rice, Ryuji says. The target consistency is a "slightly thick curry" that isn't too watery. Once it reaches that point, turn off the heat. If the chicken pieces are large you can cut them, or leave them as is if you want chunky bites.

While the curry simmers, bring plenty of water to a boil and boil the basmati rice. Ryuji recommended measuring exactly 1 liter of water, because the aim is 10 g of salt per liter, or 1% salinity. One teaspoon of salt is about 6 g, so that comes to about 1½ teaspoons. This salt also seasons the rice.

Ryuji also explained how methods are categorized. There are many ways to make biryani, and this one is "pakki style," in which boiled rice is combined with the curry. Pakki means "cooked": you first make a curry gravy with stewed meat, then layer parboiled basmati rice on top and steam it. By contrast, "kacchi style" was introduced as a method in which raw basmati rice is cooked in the pot.

The boiling time is about 5 minutes. Some people boil it for 7 minutes, but at 5 minutes the rice is finished with a slightly firm core. Ryuji likes a risotto-like, almost al dente texture in rice, so they go with 5 minutes, but says it's a matter of preference. At 7 minutes, the rice is cooked all the way through.

The rice used that day was a long-grain type labeled "Extra Long" on the bag, and there was a moment when the staff were surprised by the length of the boiled grains. Ryuji added that KALDI's 200 g bag isn't quite this long.

Drain the rice and layer it over the curry. Ryuji said "biryani is a dish of aroma" and placed the highest priority on not letting the aroma escape. A lid lets aroma escape through the gaps, so cover the pot with aluminum foil to seal it. mito actually did it this way too, Ryuji says.

Once sealed, cook over low-medium heat for 10 minutes. Be careful, as high heat will burn the curry. According to Ryuji, the only tricky part is sealing it with aluminum foil; it may look like a lot of work, but there are no difficult steps.

There was also talk about eating it fresh. Biryani at Indian restaurants and the like tastes good even after it's been cooked and left to sit, so there are few opportunities to eat it freshly cooked. The person who said "freshly cooked biryani is incredibly delicious" was Biryani Osawa, who is working to spread biryani in Japan, according to Ryuji. Osawa's restaurant apparently sets a meeting time and serves that day's biryani to everyone at once, but Ryuji said they haven't been there yet. The staff responded, "Doing this every time an order comes in would be tough."

When asked whether the amount of spices used was actually small, Ryuji answered, "Super small." Ryuji said they used only basic spices, to the point it could be called an easy biryani. Ryuji also mentioned knowing many people who often travel to India, and according to them, spices are expensive in India, so recently people have been using fewer of them overall. Ryuji said that, as far as they know, this is the simplest form of biryani you can make, while stating that it should be of a quality that will genuinely surprise anyone who has never eaten it.

While it cooks, make raita, a side dish, with the leftover yogurt. Mix 4 tablespoons of yogurt with raw grated garlic and a somewhat generous 2 pinches of salt. Adding a little chili pepper, as mito does, gives it color and makes it a more Indian-style raita, Ryuji says.

When asked whether it's a salad, Ryuji answered that it would become a salad if you added onion or cucumber. There are recipes that include chopped cucumber or red onion, but honestly this alone makes a delicious change of flavor, so Ryuji explained they skipped the extra steps.

Butter is used for the finish. mito adds ghee, and ghee is more authentic, but since hardly anyone has it at home, Ryuji said butter is fine. Melting it makes it easier to mix in, so warm it in the microwave for about 20 seconds and drizzle it over at the end.

The topic of ghee led to a back-and-forth with the staff. It turned out that one staff member actually owned ghee, which got everyone excited about how "health-conscious" that was. When the packaging was read aloud, explaining that ghee is butter oil made by heating butter, and that the raw material was unsalted, cultured grass-fed butter, Ryuji retorted, "That's too health-conscious for me to understand. We're just regular folks." Joking that "If I start using ghee, you don't need to watch this channel anymore," Ryuji also said that since cumin seeds and even basmati rice had come out this time, there was likely to be some backlash, and half-apologetically asked to be allowed to do recipes like this once in a while.

Once it's cooked, drizzle the melted butter over and mix lightly. Here Ryuji stressed not mixing too much. The goal is to show the contrast between the white rice and the curry, and overmixing won't produce a beautiful biryani, Ryuji says. The basmati rice is already seasoned by the salt in the boiling water, so a light mix is enough.

According to Ryuji, biryani is said to be "the world's most delicious mixed rice dish." What keeps it delicious and never boring is the difference between the parts where the rice is coated with sauce and the curry parts, Ryuji says. When you scoop from the bottom layer to plate it, the rice comes out light and fluffy, with separate grains. Finally, top with cilantro, and Ryuji declared it finished: "This beauty is what biryani is."

The staff's attitude toward cilantro was lukewarm, "neither good nor bad." Ryuji recommended it because the curry has a punch, so the cilantro serves as an accent, and suggested first putting a little on and trying it, then removing it if it doesn't work.

The staff who tasted it repeated, "It's good," "It's really good." On the cilantro too, there were comments like "It works" and "Maybe it's even better with it." As for drizzling a little raita like a sauce for a change of flavor, Ryuji explained that it makes it refreshing.

Ryuji once again said that mixing everything together turns it completely into mixed rice and makes it boring. Ryuji repeated the point that it doesn't get boring because the flavor differs depending on where you eat from. It doesn't lose flavor even after sitting for a while, and the raita adds punch, so Ryuji always makes raita. There was also a moment where Ryuji asked the staff whether, even for them as people used to Japanese rice, the rice tasted good.

They also ate it cold. According to Ryuji, basmati rice stays light and separate even when cold and doesn't get sticky. Since it's delicious cold, you can also pack it in a container for lunch, Ryuji says. A staff member also mentioned that fried rice made with basmati rice comes out nice and fluffy and tastes great.

At the end, Ryuji said that if you can make it taste like this, you're sure to be impressed. Ryuji thinks a biryani made with chicken you can buy at the supermarket is absolutely worthwhile, and wants to share that with everyone. Ryuji also said they want to convey how good basmati rice itself is, adding that because it's light and you can eat as much as you like, they would strongly recommend it to people who are finding it hard to eat a lot of white rice. As long as you have basmati rice and spices, you can make it just fine. Ryuji said they did this episode because they genuinely thought it was delicious, and closed by encouraging viewers to give it a try.