Biryani Rice-to-Meat Ratio Calculator

How it works

Rice per person = 110 g × appetite · Meat = rice ÷ ratio · Onions = meat × 0.6 · Yogurt = meat × 0.4 · Water ≈ rice × 1.6

Biryani lives or dies by the balance between rice and meat. A classic dum biryani is rice-forward at about 1.5 parts rice to 1 part meat by weight, giving fragrant, meat-studded rice rather than a wet curry; a balanced 1:1 leans meatier, and a 2:1 stretches a little meat across more rice. Start from roughly 110 g of dry basmati per person — biryani is a hearty one-pot — then set the meat from your chosen ratio. The supporting cast scales with the meat: fried onions at about 60% of the meat weight build the base, and yogurt at around 40% tenderises the marinade. Basmati is par-boiled before layering, so it needs less water than plain steamed rice.

Worked example

Biryani for 6 at the classic 1.5:1 ratio with normal appetites: 110 g × 6 = 660 g of basmati to 440 g of meat, with about 264 g of onions and 176 g of yogurt, and roughly 1,056 ml of cooking water for the par-boil.

Frequently asked questions