Shorba is a side dish which goes well with biryani, pulao and any flavored rice dishes. This is a simple South Indian style vegetarian biryani gravy made with spices, herbs and basic ingredients.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 medium tomatoes (cubed)
- 2 green chilies (slit)
- ¾ tsp ginger garlic paste
- ½ tsp salt ((adjust to taste))
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 4 tbsp coconut ((fresh grated))
- 3 tbsps mint (finely chopped (pudina))
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp biryani masala powder
- 1½ to 2 cups water (or stock)
- 1½ tbsp curd ((yogurt) (avoid sour tasting one))
- 1 small bay leaf ((tej patta))
- 1 strand mace ((javithri))
- 3 green cardamoms ((elaichi))
- 2 petals star anise ((biryani flower))
- 3 cloves ((laung))
- 1 inch cinnamon ((dalchini))
- ½ tsp shahi jeera ((caraway seeds))
Method
Preparation
- Add half the oil to a hot pan, fry onions and chilies till the onions turn golden.
- Add grated ginger garlic or paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
- Add chopped tomatoes, sprinkle salt, fry till the mixture turns mushy.
- Add coconut and fry for 3 to 5 mins or until you get a good aroma. Cool this and blend with vegetable stock or water to a smooth puree.
Making biryani shorba
- Heat the pan again, add remaining oil. Fry the dry spices until they sizzle. Add mint and fry for a minute.
- Add the blended onion tomato mix to the pan, add red chili powder, turmeric, masala powder, and more salt if needed. Stir until everything blends well. Add more water to bring it to the desired consistency.
- Bring this to a boil, add yogurt and stir well. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the gravy reaches the consistency.
- Serve shorba or sherva with biryani, pulao.
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.