Briani Mauricien

About This Recipe

Briani Mauricien is a festive one-pot dish that fuses South Asian biryani technique with local Creole spicing. Long-grain rice is cooked with saffron milk and layered over slow-braised chicken or mutton perfumed with cardamom, star anise, and fried onions. Traditionally cooked for Sunday family feasts.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 gbone-in chicken pieces
• 3 cupsbasmati rice, soaked 30 min
• 2 largeonions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbspbiryani spice mix (cardamom, star anise, cloves)
• 1/4 tspsaffron soaked in 3 tbsp warm milk
• 3 tbspghee

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry onions

   Fry sliced onions in ghee until deep golden. Remove half for garnish.

2. 2

   Braise chicken

   In the same pot, add chicken and biryani spices. Cook 20 minutes until chicken is almost done and coated in sauce.

3. 3

   Par-cook rice

   Boil rice in salted water until 70% cooked; drain.

4. 4

   Layer and steam

   Layer rice over chicken, drizzle saffron milk on top. Cover tightly and cook on low heat 25 minutes (dum).

5. 5

   Serve

   Gently mix layers, garnish with reserved fried onions.

Variations

• •

  Use mutton instead of chicken for a richer briani.

• •

  Add a layer of fried potato slices between rice and meat.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water to restore moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions