What is Biryani?
As we all know biryani is one of the most famous food preparations in the world and it is the favorite dish of every nine out of ten people in India. This amazingly flavorful dish originated among the muslim royals of the Indian subcontinent as a variant of the dish named Persian pilaf. Biryani is considered as one of the most royal food preparations in India .
India being the country of flavors and spices added a lot of new tastes or flavors and this led to the creation of various types of biryani each having its own flavors and cooking style. India with a vast range of flavors, each flavor being different and unique varying from region to region throughout the country gave birth to some classic fusion variants of biryani . Some might say there are 10 types of biryani, while some say there are 30 types of biryani and others say there are even more . Here, we will discuss some famous biryani styles from Hyderabadi biryani to Lucknowi or Awadhi biryani to Kolkata biryani.
Some different types of Famous Biryani Styles
- Awadhi Biryani – This is a classic and the most famous type of biryani that exists. It has a very unique style of cooking. The meat or chicken that is already marinated is then cooked and the rice with spices , cinnamon and even saffron, both are separately flavored. Then it is followed by layering together in a handi and then cooked, giving it a mild flavorful taste .
- Hyderabadi Biryani – Another very famous type of biryani style that originated from the kitchen of the Nizams. It has a very popular cooking style known as the dum biryani where the marinated meat is cooked with rice in an earthen pot sealed with dough over a charcoal fire .
- Kolkata Biryani – It is a biryani that has evolved from the awadhi style and along with the unique flavors there are two additions. With layered boiled egg and potatoes which makes it stand out of the box.
- Bombay Biryani – This amazingly delicious biryani is found in Mumbai. In addition to chicken or mutton, here fried and spiced potatoes also adds to the unique taste. The signature feature of this type of biryani is the addition of kewra water and also dried plums that gives it a distinguished tangy taste.
- Afghani Biryani – As the name suggests, you can see this type of biryani originated in Afghanistan. The unique and rich flavors of this biryani comes from saffron and dry fruits. With its tempting fragrance and flavorful taste, it gives an overall royal experience.
Many more types of biryanis exist but over the years, there has been so many fusions and birth of different versions of biryanis throughout the country and even in different parts of the world. With lots of new flavors, cooking styles, ingredients and so on, there are over 30 variations of biryani known to the world.
How to make a good Biryani?
Being the first choice for almost every food lover in India, the dish biryani is still not that easy to cook. It takes a lot of experience, practice and a real talent for cooking to make a biryani finger licking good. Even if you are a really good cook with a lot of experience, you still need to make sure that you have got the most important factor for the preparation, right. Yes, I am talking about getting all the key ingredients right. Once you have got the key ingredients right then the real challenge begins that is cooking your biryani as flavorful and as royal as possible.
What makes your biryani a real success? That can jotted down in a few points :
- Using the best and the top quality ingredients there is.
- It is always preferable to cook the meat and the rice separately and try not to overcook the rice.
- You should be familiar with the best rice cooking methods and embrace it.
- One of the key ingredients are the fried onions which often people tend to overlook.
- Adding the extra moisture is a must after the layering of the rice over meat and vegetables is done.
- Always use appropriate pot or utensils for the biryani that should have a thick base that will avoid the burning since it is a very time consuming recipe.
- Then comes paying attention to the cooking time because if overcooked, all your efforts go in vain because it will get messy and would not have a desirable taste.
- Remember to use spiced water for the cooking of the rice.
- Never forget to use saffron soaked in milk and also a drizzle of ghee on the top of the biryani to give its signature color and a distinctive taste.
- Lastly, if the biryani looks good it will definitely taste good.
Conclusion
Biryani is not just a food item or not just some chicken and rice combo dish. Over the years, there has been so many fusions and the birth of different versions of biryanis throughout the country and even in different parts of the world. With lots of new flavors, cooking styles, ingredients and so on, there are over 30 variations of biryani known to the world. Biryani is considered as one of the most royal food preparations in India . India being the country of flavors and spices added a lot of new tastes or flavors and this led to the creation of various types of biryani each having its own flavors and cooking style. India with a vast range of flavors, each flavor being different and unique varying from region to region throughout the country gave birth to some classic fusion variants of biryani . Biryani is not just a food dish for food lovers in India, it is an emotion.
FAQs
Q 1. Who is the founder of Biryani?
Answer : Legend has it, Turk-Mongol Conqueror Taimur brought with him the persian pilaf(the dish from which biryani originated) and over time it fused with Indian spices and flavor to give birth to biryani.
Q 2. Which meat is best for biryani?
Answer : I guess we all know this answer and it is goat or mutton biryani.
Q 3. How many spices are there in biryani?
Answer : About 10 kinds of spices are used in a biryani.
Q 4. What is the most traditional biryani?
Answer : Hyderabadi Biryani
Q 5. What is the best combination for biryani?
Answer : Every biryani lover knows that nothing can go better with biryani than raita on the side.