H yderabadi Biryani is the gold standard, so that's what I'll discuss. Chicken is probably best to start with, because most people love chicken. There are a number of variations that you can choose from and the spicing is entirely up to you. I will give you a place to begin and that is with a choice. Marinate or sauté? To marinate, mix your chicken (I prefer thighs on the bone, skinless) in the yogurt, then add your spices, (garlic and ginger paste, cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, maybe cinnamon or clove) Cover and refrigerate overnight. You can rinse and parboil (5 minutes) your rice along with salt, cloves, bay leaf and cumin seeds. Drain and reserve.

This ends up as a one pot dish, so choose a pot that works for you. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet, add the chicken and the marinade and cook for 10 minutes, turning once. As that is going sauté some thinly sliced onions in oil or ghee to a golden brown color. If some get crispy, good, that adds flavor. Drain the oil. Add some saffron to a few ounces of water in a small bowl and stir. Melt some butter or ghee, don't burn it. Chop a bunch of coriander. These are your layers.

Now the Fun In your chosen pot, layer the chicken, add some of the chopped coriander and onions, enough to make a sparce layer. Add the rice in a layer. Now drizzele the saffron water and the saffron and the ghee in a way that pleases your eye. Heat on medium until it just gets hot, then on low for 20 minutes or so. Take it off the heat and let it rest. Spoon it onto plates or platter and top with the rest of the onion and coriander. Nice job