Tracing the route of biryani, the monarch of oriental cuisine

Wah biryani! Monarch of oriental cuisine, it did not take long for India to succumb to this delectable dish. Today, folks go crazy over biryani with the high and the low, executive chefs and sous chefs, wayside eateries and star hotels patronizing the dish like never before. Apart from the traditional meats mixed with aromatic rice, biryanis come in innumerable avatars today with fish, prawns, eggs, quail and what not making a spread.

How did the biryani land in India? There are tales galore as to how the dish made its way to Indian shores and got firmly entrenched in the food culture of a predominantly vegetarian land. Obviously, the Mughal influence is predominant. While some say it was Turk-Mongol emperor Timur who brought a semblance of the dish to the borders of India in 1398, others give the credit to the Mughal kings who patronized the mix of rice, meat, ghee, spices and saffron.

Whatever it be, the biryani came, was eaten and stayed for ever on Indian shores.

Here’s a trip into India’s biryani heartlands where the dish is tweaked to suit local palates. Though the meats vary, the spices are the same and the aroma too. As the biryani pot sizzles with the steaming rice, the meats, spices and their juices seep deep down to turn out a dish diners would die for.

Kalyani biryani

The famous Hyderabadi variant is still numero uno. Of the biryanis served here, the best perhaps is, the Kalyani. Though the defining trait of biryani is its flavour, Kalyani lags in that section. But there’s no dispute over the drool-worthy taste of this mutton biryani. The dish is a combination of flavours, coriander leaves, jeera rice, and tomatoes. For a bite of the biryani, a trip to Hyderabad is a must.

Kolkata biryani

This one is slightly sweet. Rose water and saffron enhance the flavours. Wrapped in spices and masalas, the mutton is steamed out before being served. One peculiar trait of the Kolkata biryani is the presence of potatoes. Golden brown crispy potatoes are arranged in the middle of the dish. There are takers aplenty for this biryani. There’s nothing to match its aroma.

Dindigul biryani

Nothing can sweep away the taste and flavour of the Dindigul Thalappakatti biryani. This very popular variant was first introduced in 1957 by Nagaswamy Naidu, a tradesman, who found no parallel for the biryani his wife cooked up. He patented the Dindigul Thalapakkatti biryani and considered it his baby. Jeeraka chemba rice, masala mixes and very tender lamb are what give the dish its special taste. You get to taste this nowhere else except in Dindigul. Hence, a drive down should be worth the trouble.

Click here for Madras mutton biryani recipe

Thalassery biryani

The Thalassery biryani is Malabar’s very own dish which it’s immensely proud of. The taste has crossed local borders and gone across the seas to tickle the palates of Malayalis settled abroad. The aroma of the small kaima-jeerakasala rice, masalas and mutton/chicken being sauted in ghee is irresistible. There’s a lavish spread of fried cashew nuts and sultans on top. Drive down to Malappuram, Kozhikode and Thalassery, for a taste of this hyper local biryani.

Amboor/Arcot biryani

The Amboor variant is easily the king of biryanis, it’s USP being it’s unmatched aroma. This was the main dish at the Arcot Nawab’s dining table. It’s the chemba jeeraka rice which gives the flavor. The rice and the meat are cooked separately, then mixed and given a “dum” (steam). Chennai is the place to go for a bite of Amboor biryani.

Kolhapuri biryani

The dish in Kolhapuri is tweaked to suit the changes in weather. The biryani is light on spices and masalas in summer, heavy on peeper during the rains and very strong on ginger, garlic and masalas in winter.

Sindhi biryani

This one is wrapped in a blanket of spices and masalas. Tangy and spicy, it has a liberal helping of potatoes too inside. It gets its distinctive taste from the curd mixed with the rice. This biryani is the one to go for if you have cravings for the hot and the spicy. It’s believed to have crossed the Pakistani borders to land in Sindh. 

Read more: Malabar's own 'Kuthirabiryani' that bears no relation to the traditional biryani