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Biriyani can safely be called the ultimate salvation
food.This lip-smacking dish typically made of rice, meat, vegetables and spices
is stuff that everybody's food dreams are made of.
Invented in Persia, meaning
"to roast before cooking", legend holds that the dish was introduced
to India by Taimor Lang from Kazakhstan. But India is probably one of the
gastronomical super powers of the world!
The subcontinent took the dish introduced
by Mughals to feed the army and made it into a delicacy that no one can resist.
Of the many types present, the most popular perhaps are the Hyderabadi and
Awadhi types. The former is cooked typically with marinated meat and rice
spiked with spices, placed together in a handi to completely blend in all the
various flavours.
The Awadhi type, the original form of the dish, is cooked
differently, with the meat and rice cooked separately and then added together.
These two types left significant mark on India's palate and ever since,
variations have sprung up.
Kashmiris influenced by the Persians, Afghans and
Central Asians, came up with the delicious Kashmiri Bhuna Gosht Biriyani, while the Kolkata
version influenced by Nawabs, serves rice with meat, potatoes and sometimes,
eggs. Bhatkali Biriyani is
interesting.
Originating in coastal Karnataka, this type is cooked in onion
sauce and is quite distinct. Other variations are the Malabari Biriyani, a wedding of Arab
and Kerala cuisines and the Tahari
Biriyani which is a Vegetarian variant.
Be it of vegetarian or
non-vegetarian variety, it is impossible to fight the charms of a Biriyani!
