Sunday 30 September 2012

BIRIYANI

[Discover the India of your dreams @ www.oddroad.com - The Way I Like.]

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. 
 Sindhi Biriyani, influenced by the Pakistani version and found commonly in Punjab, includes a hint of yoghurt with the other ingredients as does the Memoni Biriyani which adds no artificial colours or flavours to the preparation. Kashmir and Kolkata have their own inspired versions. 


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!