Berry Pulaoબેરી પુલાવ

Name: Berry Pulao
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Parsi
Ingredients: 2 cups basmati rice — બાસમતી ચોખા; 500g mutton (bone-in shoulder or ribs); 3 tbsp dried barberries (zereshk) — ઝ઼ેરેશ્ક; 2 large onion, thinly sliced; ½ tsp, soaked in 3 tbsp warm water saffron — કેસર; 4 tbsp ghee — ઘી; 1 of each (1 stick, 3 pods, 4 cloves, 1 leaf) whole spices: cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf; 3 tbsp yoghurt — દહીં; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste — આદુ-લસણ; 3 tbsp oil for frying onions; to taste salt — મીઠું; 1 tsp (to balance the barberry tartness) sugar — ખાંડ

⏱ Prep 45m🍳 Cook 90m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Non-veg

Video: Get Curried (YouTube)

Berry Pulao is Bombay's great Parsi gift to rice: long-grain basmati cooked with saffron, fried onions, and sweet dried barberries, piled over slow-braised mutton. The tart pop of a barberry against the fragrant, slightly sweet rice is the defining flavour — it comes from the Iranian tradition brought by Parsi settlers centuries ago. No Parsi wedding is complete without it, and the dish has earned a devoted following far beyond the community.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

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Ingredients

▪basmati rice — બાસમતી ચોખા2 cups
▪mutton (bone-in shoulder or ribs)500g
▪dried barberries (zereshk) — ઝ઼ેરેશ્ક3 tbsp
▪large onion, thinly sliced2
▪saffron — કેસર½ tsp, soaked in 3 tbsp warm water
▪ghee — ઘી4 tbsp
▪whole spices: cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf1 of each (1 stick, 3 pods, 4 cloves, 1 leaf)
▪yoghurt — દહીં3 tbsp
▪ginger-garlic paste — આદુ-લસણ1 tbsp
▪oil for frying onions3 tbsp
▪salt — મીઠુંto taste
▪sugar — ખાંડ1 tsp (to balance the barberry tartness)

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Dried barberries (zereshk): The defining ingredient. Available at Persian grocery stores and increasingly at Indian stores in North America as Parsi cuisine gains recognition. Dried cranberries can substitute — use half the quantity and skip the added sugar as they are much sweeter.
Mutton: Bone-in goat works best. In Australia/Canada/USA, a lamb shoulder is the closest substitute — reduce braising time by about 15 minutes.
Dum cooking without a proper heavy pot: Use a Dutch oven and seal the lid with dough rope, or line a regular pot with foil before sealing with the lid to trap the steam completely.

Method

1Soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes, then drain. Soak the barberries in cold water for 10 minutes to plump them, drain and set aside.
2In hot oil, fry the sliced onions until deep golden-brown and crisp (patience here — about 20 minutes). Reserve half for garnish. Use the remaining oil to sauté ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute.
3Add mutton to the pan and brown on all sides. Add yoghurt, salt, and 1 cup water. Pressure cook for 3–4 whistles (or simmer covered for 60–70 minutes) until the mutton is tender. Reserve the braising stock.
4Cook the drained rice in salted boiling water with whole spices until just 70% done (par-cooked, still firm at centre). Drain immediately.
5In a heavy pot, melt 2 tbsp ghee. Layer par-cooked rice over the base. Scatter the cooked mutton pieces on top. Pour 3–4 tbsp mutton stock over everything. Drizzle the saffron water over the rice. Add remaining ghee.
6Seal the pot tightly with foil and a lid. Cook on low dum (steam) for 20–25 minutes until rice is fully cooked and fragrant.
7Warm the drained barberries with 1 tsp ghee and 1 tsp sugar in a small pan for 2 minutes. To serve, layer rice on the serving platter, arrange mutton on top, and scatter fried onions and the glazed barberries over everything.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.