The World-renowned Indian dish, Biryani takes time and practice to make but is worth every bit of the effort. Long-grained rice flavored with exotic spices is layered with lamb, chicken, fish, or vegetables, with a thick gravy.
This biryani has a mild fragrance, sticky rice, a distant taste of rice with hot and tangy flavor along with soft meat or vegetables, and it has a unique taste for different biryanis.
Biryani is so popular because the protein used whether chicken or meat brings in the core richness. The meat used is the major component, along with rice are the chief features to fall in love with the biryani. Also, any biryani makes you fall in love with it because of the way they cook it in dum! (steamed).
How you mix them? What spices/rice you use? And how much you want it to be cooked all these vary from region to region, for example, some biryanis are spicy and some are colorful.
There are two different ways to cook biryani- raw and cooked separately. The raw biryani has par-cooked meat and rice, which are layered together and cooked fully in dum. In cooked biryani, the meat and rice are cooked fully and separately and then layered together.
Key ingredients in Good Biryani
It is a surprise that the versions of biryani do not limit to only the Indians. But most important key ingredients that true biryani lovers cannot rule out are:
Now, various countries around the world have created their versions of this dish and tasted the flavor. That’s a proud moment for biryani lovers, as they can taste even more varieties.
We can confirm the old saying the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so when you want to bribe in India it is this royalty dish that first comes to mind. Because the masses love it, politicians woo voters with it, and festivals are incomplete without it - as this delicious biryani is the favorite of all Indians.
Here are some biryanis that you should try atleast once in your lifetime.
Hyderabadi Biryani (Andhra Pradesh)
Hyderabadi biryani is one of the foremost popular dishes in south India. For many home cooks and chefs, this dish from Mughlai cuisine is a challenge to cook, and has its unique way of spicing it up. What makes it stand out is the usage of saffron and coconut. They cook this biryani in layers the major challenging part in its creation. While most other biryanis are always dominated by mutton and chicken gravy, here the saffron mixed-rice takes over. Should serve it with brinjal gravy.
Dindigul Biryani (Tamil Nadu)
Dindigul is a city in Tamil Nadu and is popularly known for its Chola, Pandya, and Vijayanagar settlements and its delicious food, especially biryani. Dindigul Mutton Biryani is a melange of spices that include star anise, cloves, and mace powder that will surely leave you asking for more. We know South Indian biryanis for their slightly sour taste that makes them stand out. The rice used in it is very different jeera samba rice instead of Basmati, giving it an entirely new flavor. The biryani also uses cube-sized mutton/ chicken pieces instead of enormous chunks. Apart from the standard masala, tons of pepper are added.
Ambur Biryani (Tamil Nadu)
Ambur is a compact town in the Arcot region, Nawabs of Arcot once ruled that in Tamil Nadu. We know it for its biryani with unique meaty flavors made with dried chili paste and whole spices. The locals eat Brinjal Masala as an accompaniment. This dum mutton biryani includes curd and mint leaves, making it almost like its counterpart- Lucknowi Biryani. The highlight of this biryani is that the fact that chefs soak the meat in curd before adding it to the rice, which imparts a fresh taste to the dish.
Bhatkali Biryani (Coastal Karnataka)
This biryani makes a unique delicacy within the coastal regions of Karnataka. They infuse the rice and chicken with spicy masala, giving it a distinct flavor. Unlike marinated chicken added in other biryanis, this dish doesn’t need any marination or a base. Rather, it contains a generous amount of onions, tomatoes, and spices. Unlike Ambur biryani, in which they soak mutton pieces in curd, Bhatkali biryani chefs cook mutton chicken pieces in curd. This eventually makes the biryani less spicy.
Lucknowi Biryani (Uttar Pradesh)
The Lucknowi Biryani was as grand as a royal dish could go but in terms of taste and not spices. It has a mild flavor and is comparatively lighter on the stomach. Very similar to the Calcutta Biryani in making, the difference lies in the potato’s absence. It uses few spices but makes up for its aroma and rich flavor. Based on the Persian style of cooking, they make the Lucknowi biryani with the use of a unique method known as dum pukht. As is like the norm with most Persian formats, they partially cook the meat and gravy layered as in the dum pukht style.
Kolkata Biryani (West Bengal)
Kolkata biryani has its roots in the Nawabi style biryani of Lucknow. The chefs from Awadhi kitchens brought the signature biryani recipe to Kolkata, which later got tweaked into the unique Kolkata biryani that we all know today. The Kolkata biryani is different, because of its subtle use of spices combined with ghee, Basmati rice, and mutton. The addition of potatoes and boiled eggs also lends a unique flavor to the dish. Added nutmeg with saffron and kewra gives this biryani its signature aroma.
Malabar Biryani (Kerala)
The unique rice called khyma rice, with a rich flavor of spices, and usage of cashew nuts and raisins characterizes Malabar biryani, famous in Kozhikode, Thalassery, and Malappuram. Chefs in Kerala add these ingredients generously while preparing the biryani. The key difference is the method of preparation. They cook separately the rice from the mutton gravy and mix well only at the time of serving.
After reading this, nobody will resist their tongues to taste these unique varieties of biryanis. So, start one by one and experience the bliss that you have tasted in your life is a major content.
