Baked Indian Lucknowi Biryani. This North Indian Spiced tofu Rice bake has fantastic flavor with a unique blend of spices! It needs just 1 pan and 15 mins active time. A 2 step bake means no need to stand around sautéing the tofu or the aromatics! Gluten-free. Options for Soyfree and Nutfree

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main, Main Course, Side, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian, north indian

Ingredients

For the spice powder

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 whole green cardamom pods
  • 1 black cardamom pod
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 6 to 8 black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

For the biryani

  • 2 teaspoons oil (optional, see note)
  • 2" cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 green cardamom pods (opened slightly)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
  • 8 ounces firm or extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 15 minutes)

For the rice

  • 1 cup long grain Indian white basmati rice (washed really well and soaked for five minutes)
  • 2 cups water or stock (hot)
  • 2 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • cilantro, lime juice, pepper flakes, and roasted cashews (for garnish)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 410° F (210° C).
  2. Add all the spices under the the spice powder heading to a spice grinder, a small food processor, or a coffee grinder, and make into coarse powder and set aside.
  3. Add the oil to a 10x12” or similar-sized baking dish, then add all of the whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves) and mix in. Add the ginger garlic paste, yogurt, powdered spice mixture you made, and the 1/2 teaspoon salt to the center of the pan. Mix this to make a paste.
  4. Then, add the onion to one side of the pan, and tear the tofu into 1” pieces and put them on the other side of the pan. Toss the onion with half the paste and the tofu with other half. Try to keep tofu a bit separate from the onion, so that it crisps up better.
  5. Put this in the oven to bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the onion is cooked and the tofu is starting to get crisp. Stir once in between and check if the onion is not scorching too much on the edges. If it is, then you can scoop the onion towards the middle of the pan.
  6. When the onions are cooked and the tofu is crisp, remove the pan from the oven. Reserve some of the tofu to top the biryani later. Then, add in the washed and drained rice. Add hot water or broth, non-dairy yogurt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix lightly.
  7. Cover the pan with parchment paper, and put it back in the oven for 20 to 25 more minutes. Check in at the 20-minute mark to see whether the rice is done. If it is looking like it's standing and you can't see any liquid, then check if the rice cooked through. If not, then keep the pan covered and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or so.
  8. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and fluff. Squeeze a little lime juice all over and top with the reserved tofu mixture, cilantro or any other herbs that you like, cashews, and pepper flakes. Serve with some raita (see notes) or non dairy yogurt.
  9. Store refrigerated in a closed container for upto 3 days

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.