Every list of the best biryani in the UAE disagrees with every other one, because biryani is regional and everybody is loyal to the version they grew up with. A Hyderabadi, a Karachiite and a Malabari will not agree, and none of them are wrong.
So instead of another ranking, here is what to actually look at. These five things separate a biryani that was cooked as a biryani from rice that had curry stirred through it.
1. The grains should not taste the same
Real biryani is layered and steamed, not stirred. Some grains sit against the masala and take colour and heat; others stay pale and plain. If every grain is uniformly orange, it was mixed, not layered, and you are eating pulao with food colouring.
2. The rice should be separate and long
Grains should be intact and distinct enough to count. Broken, clumping or sticky rice means it was boiled too far before the dum stage. Good biryani uses aged long-grain rice for exactly this reason.
3. The meat should be on the bone
Bone-in meat gives the layer underneath its flavour during the steam. Boneless cubes cook faster and are easier to portion, but they contribute much less. The best piece in any biryani is the one that was sitting at the bottom.
4. It should arrive with raita, and need it
Biryani is rich and moderately hot, and yoghurt is not a garnish on the side. If a place does not serve raita with it as a matter of course, that tells you something about how often they are asked for it.
5. The price should be sane
Biryani is a volume dish. It is supposed to be one of the cheapest full meals on a Pakistani menu, not a premium one. Chicken Biryani is AED 15 and Mutton Biryani is AED 20 on our menu in Sharjah. Anywhere charging four times that for chicken biryani is charging for the address.
Where Sharjah fits
Sharjah is generally the better value emirate for this particular dish, because it has a large resident South Asian population eating it regularly rather than occasionally. That keeps both the standard and the price honest.
We are in Abu Shaghara, opposite Nesto Hypermarket, open noon to midnight seven days a week, and about a twenty to thirty minute drive from most of northern Dubai outside peak hours. Biryani also runs on the dinner buffet and in every catering package from AED 45 a head.
If you are still deciding between the two rice dishes, we set out the difference between biryani and pulao.
Biryani from AED 15
Layered and steamed, served with raita, daily from noon to midnight in Abu Shaghara, Sharjah.
See Biryani Prices
