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Glite Dictionary
biryani

biryani

4 4.7
A rice dish from India cooked with spices and meat or vegetables
  • noun
  • /bɪˈrjɑːni/
: biryani
  • For dinner, we ordered lamb biryani served with a side of raita.
  • chicken biryani

Examples

  • Biryani with mango chutney.

    Victoria & Abdul (2017)

  • Just got chicken biryani, this looks so good it's massive.

  • "Who is she to say that my biryani is dry?"

    Material (2012)

  • I'm in it for the biryani.

    City of Tiny Lights (2016)

  • "Yeah, Ma, the biryani was a bit spicy, Ma."

    Material (2012)

  • This time, 43 years ago, I was having a lamb biryani in an attempt to coax you out.

    Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

  • Carl turned and then froze, the platter of biryani in his hands.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Mutton biryani.

    The Big Sick (2017)

  • He enjoyed a flavorful biryani made with tender chicken and fragrant spices.

  • My favorite dish at the restaurant is the spicy shrimp biryani with herbs.

Synonyms

jambalaya
vsbiryani
  • US
11 7.8

A spicy rice dish with meat or seafood and vegetables from Louisiana

is a South Asian, highly seasoned rice dish unlike Creole tomato-based versions
biriani
vsbiryani
  • Indian
1 7.9

A dish of spiced rice cooked with meat or vegetables

is the preferred standard spelling used for that Indian rice dish
pilaw
vsbiryani
  • US
1 6.5

A rice dish cooked in a tasty broth with onions, vegetables, and sometimes meat

uses richer, stronger seasoning rather than mild broth flavors

How Seasoned

biryani
4 4.7
pilaf
4 3.3
fried rice
14 1.0
ricey
1 6.7

Surface Forms

biryani singular
biryanis plural

Etymology

Biryani comes from Persian and Urdu words like biryan and berenj, which mean 'to fry' or 'roast' and 'rice'. So a biryani is rice cooked with meat or vegetables and spices, often with a rich, roasted flavour.