Cooking the rice right plays a huge part in how good your final biryani will turn out. So here's a little guide. - At about 3 minutes into boiling, you will start to check the rice. - If you press a grain of rice between two fingers, first it will still be hard and break into small pieces -that's still not there. - Next, it will be a little softer and crumble into small pieces, this is it - If it is soft and gets mashed between your fingers, you passed 70% Drain the rice when it is 70% cooked and set aside.