The Delectable Biryani

There was a hustle and bustle since morning and an excitement too. Mummy was trying out a new recipe. We children were waiting eagerly, and getting in the way, terribly. The preparations had begun since the previous night when mummy had marinated the chicken with curd, chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and a few other condiments.

We watched mummy eagerly as she sat grinding the masala for the chicken. Her bangles tinkled musically as her hands went back and forth on the large black stone. She pounded cloves, pepper corns, cardamom, cinnamon and other interesting, fragrant spices. Once that was done she added sliced onions, ginger and garlic, and ground everything to a fine paste. That lovely red paste went into the sputtering oil. When the oil began to separate from the masala which had changed into a rich shade of golden-brown the marinated chicken was added. Ohh... I can still recollect that aroma as I sit typing this write-up. The sizzling of the ingredients in the hot oil still echoes in my ears.

While a huge kadhai was used to partially cook the chicken, the rice was partially boiled in a large vessel with spices tied in a small potli. When mummy was satisfied with the first stage of the preparation another big vessel was prepared. Mummy laid the rice and chicken in alternate layers, added food colour and saffron. She then sealed the lid of this vessel with some kneaded flour and placed the vessel on a girdle. The rice and chicken was allowed to cook in the steam for some time. And, while this new dish was getting ready mummy set about preparing my favourite... a boondi raita. A beautifully sliced cucumber salad with onions and tomatoes complemented the dining table.

My sister and I, we could hardly wait for the meal to be served. Finally, the food was ready and mummy served the fragrant rice which tasted divine. It was delicious, no doubt, as it was prepared with so much of love and patience. I later learnt the dish was called a biryani!

Since then, I’ve relished well cooked biryanis many times. Only recently, I came to know that there are two kinds of biryani – raw and yakhni. That day, I realised my mother had prepared a yakhni biryani with partially cooked ingredients. Further research told me that the origin of biryani is hazy but apparently it has to give pulao the credit for its birth. Well, my curiosity led me to learn that there are different kinds of biryanis one can taste in our country like – Hyderabadi Biryani in which mutton is used. The ingredients are cooked together raw, from the first step.

Then, there is Kerala’s famous Malabar Dum Biryani, which stories say came to India because of Arabic sea traders. The men who came to trade in spices brought this spicy version of the dish with them. This biryani, in which a little coconut oil is used, is cooked with mutton and is served with raita and date pickle. The Do Gosht Biryani of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh is famous for providing the delicious taste of mutton as well as chicken together with the aromatic rice. This form of biryani has an Afghani touch and is quite close to yakhni pulao in taste.

What should I tell you about the Kolkota Biryani which includes potatoes as one of its major ingredients and that too all because potatoes in those ancient days were being imported from Portugal and were exotic vegetables, very expensive! So, but natural the khansamas wanted to impress their master and the potato found its way into the royal kitchen and into the biryani! This biryani is very similar to the Lucknowi one, only it’s a bit spicier and it has a very different aroma because of the potatoes. And, finally I read about the Lucknowi Biryani, which has Awadhi connections and is actually a yakhni pulao. This form of biryani is teeming with flavour and fragrance.

What I realised after following my hunger for more information about the biryani is that this dish has evolved in India. There are different forms of biryani which are as unique as the stories accompanying it. It is quite obvious that biryanis in various parts of our country are different in terms of their preparations, spices used, and associated stories but at the end they are all are united in taste.

Now, I don’t know about all of you but all this talk of different kinds of biryani and the complementing raita has enhanced my desire to taste some pretty soon. So, I think I’ll be asking my mother to prepare some on this weekend. Do you think a prawn biryani would taste as good as a chicken or mutton biryani? There’s only one way of finding that out! What do you say?

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