Biryani base (4)
I believe the answer is:
rice
'biryani base' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for rice that I've seen before include "Grain for food" , "Grains from the paddy field" , "Cereal food" , "Curry side dish" , "It grows in paddy-fields" .)