What to Serve With Biryani: 8 South Indian Sides

Why biryani needs a side at all

A good biryani is already a complete dish, rice, protein and spice cooked together in one pot, which is exactly why it needs a counterweight rather than another rich element. The right side either cools the heat down, cuts through the oil with acid, or adds a texture the biryani itself does not have. Restaurant menus across Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Telangana settled on a fairly short list of answers over generations, and it is worth knowing what each one is actually for before you default to raita out of habit. Our guide to South Indian biryani styles covers the regional differences that decide which side actually fits, since a side built for a dry, spice-forward Andhra biryani is not the one you would reach for with a moist, ghee-heavy Hyderabadi dum biryani.

Onion raita and thayir pachadi

The most common answer for a reason. Thick curd, sliced onion, a green chilli or two, and a tempering of mustard seed and curry leaf if you want the Tamil pachadi version rather than the plainer North Indian raita. Its job is purely thermal: it cools the mouth between spoonfuls of biryani so the meal does not get exhausting by the third helping. Serve it cold, straight from the fridge, and keep it in its own bowl rather than mixed in, since dairy spoils faster than the rice. It is also the cheapest and fastest side on this list, five minutes of chopping and whisking, which is why almost every biryani stall defaults to it even when a heavier gravy is also on offer.

Ennai kathirikai, the brinjal curry biryani deserves

Small brinjals slit and stuffed, then simmered in a tamarind, peanut and sesame masala until the oil separates at the edges. It belongs to the kuzhambu family, the Tamil tamarind-gravy tradition normally paired with plain rice, and the stuffed-eggplant version is one of its best known variants. Put it next to a meat biryani and the tang does something raita cannot: it cuts ghee-heavy richness with real sourness rather than just cooling it down, and the peanut-sesame base gives it enough body to stand up to the rice instead of disappearing under it. We have written out the full from-scratch method, including the exact tamarind and roast ratios, in a dedicated recipe.

If you are making biryani and brinjal curry together on the same day, start the curry first, ennai kathirikai holds and even improves after an hour resting, while biryani is best served close to when it comes off dum. Full method: brinjal curry for biryani.

Dalcha

A lentil stew that began in Hyderabad's kitchens, traditionally paired with the rice dish bagara khana, and today just as commonly ladled next to a plate of dum biryani in Hyderabadi and Tamil Muslim households. Chana dal cooked soft with bottle gourd or raw mango for sourness, tempered with red chilli and curry leaf. Where ennai kathirikai is thick and clingy, dalcha is looser, closer to a soup, which makes it the side to reach for when the biryani itself is on the drier side. It also travels well, dalcha holds its texture for a day or two in the fridge better than most gravies, which is one reason caterers lean on it for large events.

Salna

Salna is a thin, deeply spiced gravy that started as street food in Madurai, sold from buckets by parotta vendors across southern Tamil Nadu. It can carry chicken or mutton, or be made completely plain with just an onion-tomato base. Its texture, free-flowing rather than clingy, is what makes it work equally well spooned over parotta or poured in a small bowl next to biryani, especially in Tamil Nadu's smaller biryani joints where a jug of salna sits on every table as standard. Because it is thin rather than thick, a little goes further than a spoon of dalcha or ennai kathirikai, useful if you are trying to stretch one pot of gravy across a larger table.

Chicken 65

A deep-fried, chilli-forward chicken starter that traces back to Hotel Buhari in Chennai. It has nothing structurally to do with biryani, no gravy, no rice logic, and that is exactly its appeal on the side: crunch and dry heat against soft, moist rice grains. Order it as a starter before the biryani arrives rather than alongside it, since it is best eaten hot and crisp, not steamed soft by sitting next to a hot rice pot. If you are cooking at home and timing is tight, fry it while the biryani rests on dum, both land on the table hot within minutes of each other.

A simple boiled egg

The least glamorous entry on this list and one of the most common. A halved boiled egg, maybe with a pinch of chilli powder and salt, does what dalcha and salna do with none of the cooking: it adds protein and a different texture without competing with the biryani's spicing. Andhra-style biryani stalls in particular tend to serve one on the side as standard rather than a special order. It is also the side that stretches furthest at a large gathering, a dozen eggs cover a table that would otherwise need several litres of gravy.

Mirchi ka salan

Long green chillies simmered in a peanut, sesame and coconut gravy, developed in the royal kitchens of the Nizams of Hyderabad and served at weddings and festive meals specifically alongside Hyderabadi biryani. It is the one side on this list that is genuinely regional rather than generic, if you are serving a Hyderabadi-style biryani and want the pairing to feel complete, this is the one to make, not a substitute raita. Use mild, wide green chillies rather than the small fiery ones, the gravy is meant to be rich and nutty first, hot second.

Matching heat: milder or spicier sides

Which side you reach for should also depend on how hot the biryani already is. A Nellore or other Andhra-style biryani, generally the spiciest of the South Indian styles, does well with a cooling counterpart, onion raita or a boiled egg, rather than another chilli-forward side stacked on top. A milder Hyderabadi or Donne-style biryani has more room for a side with its own heat, like mirchi ka salan, without the plate becoming exhausting to eat. See our breakdown of the spiciest biryani in South India for exactly where each regional style sits on that scale before you decide.

How much of each side to make

Sides do not need the same portioning logic as the biryani itself. A reasonable starting point is 50 to 75 grams of raita, dalcha or salna per person, or one boiled egg for every two guests. If you are planning a larger event and want the maths worked out properly alongside the rice and protein, our guide to biryani quantity per person covers exact quantities for 10, 25, 50 and 100 guests.

A sweet close: double ka meetha and elaichi desserts

Not every biryani meal ends with more spice. Double ka meetha, a bread pudding soaked in sweetened, cardamom-scented milk, is a staple at Hyderabadi Muslim weddings and festive meals, typically served after or alongside the biryani course rather than at the very end of the night. A simpler elaichi-flavoured kheer or a plate of fruit does the same job at a home meal: it resets the palate after a heavy, spice-forward main.

Which side goes with which biryani

There is no single rulebook, but regional habit does line up fairly consistently. Use this as a starting point, not a law.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common side dish for biryani?

Onion raita or its Tamil cousin thayir pachadi. It is cheap, quick and does the one job every biryani needs, cooling the palate between bites.

Is brinjal curry always served with biryani?

Not always, but ennai kathirikai is close to standard with Ambur, Dindigul and Tamil Muslim wedding biryani specifically. See the full brinjal curry for biryani recipe to make it from scratch.

What is the difference between dalcha and salna?

Dalcha is lentil-based and Hyderabadi in origin, thicker and often has mutton and a sour vegetable like raw mango in it. Salna is a thinner, Tamil Nadu street-food gravy, usually tomato-onion based, with or without meat.

Can I use a curry paste to make a side dish faster?

Yes. A Chettinad or Green Chilli paste base cooked with onion, tomato and a little extra water gets close to a salan-style gravy in well under the time a from-scratch masala takes to grind and roast.

What dessert goes with biryani?

Double ka meetha at Hyderabadi weddings and festive meals, or a simple cardamom kheer at home. Both are meant to close a spice-heavy meal, not compete with it.

Last reviewed 25 September 2026 by the Spicy South Kitchen.