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Biryaniya Kurdî (Rice with Fried Vermicelli, Raisins and Almonds)

Name: Biryaniya Kurdî (Rice with Fried Vermicelli, Raisins and Almonds)
Prep time: 1 h 17 min
Total time: 1 h 27 min
Cuisine: Kurdish
Ingredients: chicken thighs — 800 g; water — 1200 g; onion — 120 g; baharat — 10 g; salt — 10 g; long grain basmati rice — 400 g; vermicelli pasta — 80 g; frozen peas — 150 g; potatoes — 300 g; sunflower oil — 184 g; blanched almonds — 80 g; raisins — 80 g; saffron threads — 3 g; ghee — 60 g; ground cinnamon — 5 g

Biryaniya Kurdî (Rice with Fried Vermicelli, Raisins and Almonds) reads richness 6.6, sweetness 5.3 and umami 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Kurdish main, about 1 hr 27 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.5 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 6.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.8 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 7.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.6 · Sweetness 5.3 · Umami 5.1 · Nutty 4.0 · Fruity 3.8 · Salinity 3.8 · Allium 2.9 · Floral 2.4 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Earthy 1.5 · Bitterness 1.1 · Sourness 0.7 · Herbaceous 0.6

What's in it (15)

chicken thighs — 800 g
water — 1200 g
onion — 120 g
baharat — 10 g
salt — 10 g
long grain basmati rice — 400 g
vermicelli pasta — 80 g
frozen peas — 150 g
potatoes — 300 g
sunflower oil — 184 g
blanched almonds — 80 g
raisins — 80 g
saffron threads — 3 g
ghee — 60 g
ground cinnamon — 5 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 27 min (1 hr 17 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 137.8 kcal, 6.8 g protein, 5.2 g fat, 16.3 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

This is the Kurdish version of the dish, and it is not the South Asian one: no marinade, no yoghurt, no chilli, and the components are fried separately and folded through plain buttery rice at the end. Kurdish cooks call it biryani all the same.
Simmer the chicken with the water, halved onion, baharat and 1 teaspoon of the salt for 40 minutes until tender. Lift out, strain and keep 700 ml of the broth. Pull the meat into large pieces and discard the bones.
Heat the sunflower oil to 180°C. Fry in turn, draining each on a rack: the potato cubes 5 minutes until gold, the almonds 90 seconds until pale gold, the raisins 20 seconds until they puff — watch them, they burn instantly — and finally the chicken pieces 3 minutes until browned at the edges.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil, add the broken vermicelli and fry over medium heat for 2 minutes until it is the colour of dark honey, stirring constantly.
Add the ghee, then the drained rice, and fry 2 minutes until the grains are coated and turning chalky. Pour in the 700 ml broth with the remaining salt and the saffron water, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat 15 minutes.
Scatter the peas over the surface, replace the lid and cook 5 minutes more, then rest off the heat for 10 minutes.
Fork the rice through and fold in the fried potato, chicken, almonds and raisins along with the ground cinnamon, keeping the grains separate.
Pile onto a platter and serve with yoghurt and pickles.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo Capeados — Mexican
Kare-Kare (Oxtail Peanut Stew) — Filipino
Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds (Mrouzia) — Moroccan
Kebab Karaz (Lamb Meatballs in Sour Cherry Sauce) — Syrian
Kubbat Mosul (Flat Bulgur-Shelled Meat Discs) — Iraqi

Keep reading: what richness, sweetness, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.