Biryani, pulao and rice recipes

Rice dishes are the centrepiece of South Asian and Gulf tables, and they fall into a few families. Biryani layers marinated meat with partly cooked rice and finishes in a sealed pot. Pulao and polao cook the rice in the stock itself. Khichdi and khichuri are the soft, comforting end of the spectrum, and Gulf favourites like machboos and kabsa add dried lime and warm spices.

The trick across all of them is the rice: choose long-grain basmati, rinse it until the water runs clear, soak it briefly, and respect the resting time at the end. Each recipe below lists the quantities and timers so the grains stay separate and the meat stays tender.

This collection has 30 dishes, including Egg Fried Rice, Chicken Pulao, Khichdi. A typical recipe takes about 70 minutes, and each one comes with step-by-step instructions and cooking timers.