Try This Balochi Biryani Recipe By Home Chef Sunita Sinha

“It’s almost like the love for Balochi cuisine is in my blood. It was passed down to me by my mother, who learnt it from my nani (maternal grandmother),” said Sunita Sinha, who runs a cloud kitchen in Delhi called House of Baloch, serving traditional delicacies from the cuisine. 

Sinha’s nanaji (maternal grandfather), Dr. Gulab Rai Khurana, belonged to Sargodha in present-day Pakistan. He travelled to Balochistan to treat patients and was accompanied by his wife, Kaushalya Rani. “Over the years, my nana-nani delved into the intricacies of Balochi recipes and passed them down to my mother, Raj Khurana,” added Sinha. 

The cuisine involves the use of minimal but homemade masalas. “Whole spices are first roasted and then ground into a coarse powder. None of our masalas are ready-made; we prepare them freshly at home,” explained Sinha. She also mentioned how each dish has a masala that features a combination of different spices. 

Some dishes that define the cuisine and are Sinha’s personal favorites include sajji (a full chicken or lamb, rubbed with salt and spices, and served with naan or rice), pirki with kaak (a combination of potatoes, fried in a special Balochi spice blend and paired with a traditional soft stone paratha), and keema baida (a tender kaak (roti) stuffed with chicken or lamb keema, enveloped in a crispy, fried exterior). 

However, if there is one preparation that you cannot miss from the cuisine and Sinha’s cloud kitchen menu, it has to be their Balochi biryani. The star of the dish is the coarsely-ground biryani masala that is specific to the cuisine and renders a smoky flavour to the dish. 

Coriander and cumin seeds, black peppercorns, dried red chillies/ red chilli flakes, cloves, green and black cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, star anise, nutmeg, turmeric, and kasoori methi (fenugreek),  are first roasted and then coarsely-ground together to prepare the masala. 

This spice mix is then rubbed on the meat and is also used to marinate it with yoghurt, mint, coriander leaves, salt, and lemon juice. This allows the flavours of the masala to enter the meat. While boiling rice, star anise and black cardamom are used to give it a slight flavour. 

If you love biryani and wish to spend some time preparing your beloved dish, use this recipe for layered Balochi biryani by the House of Baloch.