Fish Biryani- A little something unusual this Durga Pujo

by | Sep 29, 2025 | Food, Foodblog | 0 comments

Durga Puja is the time when Bangalis just go berserk in planning for their pet-pujo. For the uninitiated, pet-pujo stands for worship of the stomach, or basically hunger. So we mostly have our meals planned out. Ashtami lunch will be khichuri bhog. Shashti breakfast will be luchi with shada alur torkari. Nabami has to be niramish mangsho. Saptami will be mutton biryani and chicken chaap. We have all the rest of the meals dedicated to street food like chicken rolls, fish fry, moghlai porota, etc. However, fish biryani is not something ever planned.

For us Bengalis and people from Kolkata, we swear by mutton biryani or chicken biryani cooked Kolkata style. Also, ordering in is the call of the hour. However, occasionally, we do cook at home, especially if we have called guests. And then, this fish biryani could definitely become a crowd pleaser. It’s a fairly simple recipe, doesn’t take too long and is incredibly delicious.

Key ingredients for this fish biryani

Well, the most important ingredient, of course, is the rice. It must be high-quality, long-grain basmati rice. Then comes the fish. Use any white fish fillet. I’ve used Bhekti fillet. You can also use basa fillet. The biryani masala is a standard biryani masala. You can either make yours or just buy it from your local kirana. These are the most important things. And then the rest of the stuff is easy peasy. The box below contains the details of the fish biryani recipe.

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Fish Biryani

Easy to make biryani cooked with fish
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Bengali, Indian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Marinade
  • 600 gm Bhekti fish fillet (6-8 pcs)
  • salt to taste
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp mustard oil
For the biryani masala
  • 4 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp black peppercorn
  • 12 green cardamom pods
  • 2 black cardamom
  • 6 cloves
  • 3 cinnamon sticks (2-3 inches each)
  • 2 blades mace
  • ½ nutmeg, grated
  • 2 tejpatta
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 tsp shah jeera
  • 1 tbsp kebab chini (tailed pepper)
Beresta
  • 3 large onion, finely sliced
  • oil for deep frying
  • ½ tsp salt
For the Rice
  • 2 cups Basmati rice
  • 4 green cardamom
  • 8 cloves
  • 1 tsp salt
Biryani
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 4 green cardamom
  • 5 cloves
  • 2 large onion, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp mustard oil
  • ¾ cup ghee
  • 1½ tbsp ginger paste
  • 1½ tbsp garlic paste
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 2 tsp Biryani masala
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • salt to taste
  • ½ cup yoghurt, whisked with 1 tsp maida
  • 1 large pinch of saffron, soaked in ½ cup warm milk

Method
 

Marinate fish
  1. Coat bhekti with turmeric, salt, lemon juice, and mustard oil. Rest 20–30 minutes.
Par-boil rice
  1. Soak rice 30 minutes. Drain. Boil in plenty of salted water with cardamom and cloves until 70% done.
  2. Strain and spread to dry completely. Gently toss with a pinch of salt.
Make Biryani Masala (You can do this in advance or use store-bought)
  1. Clean & measure spices. Crack black cardamom slightly.
  2. Dry-roast on low heat 4–6 minutes, stirring, till fragrant (don’t brown/catch). Add nutmeg in the last 30 seconds.
  3. Cool completely.
  4. Grind to a fine powder. Sieve if you want a smoother masala; regrind coarse bits.
  5. Store airtight, away from light/heat. Best aroma for 6–8 weeks.
Make beresta
  1. Fry the sliced onions on medium heat till deep golden. Drain and reserve.
Make the biryani
  1. Heat mustard oil and ghee (take only half) in a deghchi/lagan. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves. Add fresh sliced onions. Fry till soft and golden.
  2. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli, biryani masala, coriander, cumin, and salt. Cook; sprinkle water as needed.
  3. Lower the heat. Whisk yogurt with maida and stir it in slowly. Cook till the fat separates.
  4. Slide in the marinated bhekti. Coat in masala. Cover and cook 5 minutes on low.
  5. Lift out the fish pieces with the masala and keep aside. Leave the oil/fat in the pot.
Biryani assembly
  1. Layer 1: half the rice.
  2. Layer 2: most of the fish with masala (reserve ~4 pieces for the top).
  3. Sprinkle beresta and a light pinch of biryani masala.
  4. Layer 3: remaining rice.
  5. Top: reserved fish, more beresta, saffron milk, and hot ghee.
  6. Seal tightly (foil + lid). You can also use atta dough to seal the lid. Cook on very low heat for 25 minutes (best over a tawa). Rest 10 minutes off heat.
  7. Fluff from the sides so the fish stays whole. Finish with extra beresta and a squeeze of lime if you like.

Notes

  1. Yogurt + maida prevents splitting and gives body.
  2. Leaving the fat behind for the first rice layer perfumes the grains.
  3. Go generous with ghee; it’s the soul of this version.