When the argument is about the foods of the Asian continent, ‘Biriyani’ is the dish which can stop it immediately by only spreading its smell. A plate of Biryani is so rich with spice and taste that it not only satisfies the appetite but also fills the heart with happiness. So far to relate with Love At First Bite. The Asian countries like India,Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc enhanced the taste and the type of Biryani by retaining the cooking process same as Mughals. The historical background of this dish speaks that, in India this flavourful dish came through the culinary artists of Mughal period. But in the context of the modern world the grace of this specific dish is no longer confined to Asian Continents; rather , it spreaded its peerless smell in the Middle East, European and America too.
The word ‘Biryani’ is a Urdu word that is used by the Persian people. Here ‘Birian’ means ‘fried’ or ‘roasted’. Biryani is usually prepared in ‘Dum’ or low heat where the rice and the meat, fish or veggies are cooked together along with spices in a sealed container or pot. Even though this dish came to the Asian continents through the Mughals, the variation,method and technique of cooking this dish modified and created so many new varieties of it.
Some of the most well-known varieties of Biryani from India are Hyderabadi Biryani, Kolkata Biryani, Awadhi Biryani Of Lucknow, Malabar Biryani as well as the Bangladeshi varieties such as Dhakai Biryani, Kacchi Biryani, Pakki Biryani, Orsh Biryani from Chittagong etc. The Pakistani varieties of Biriyani are Sindhi Biryani, Lahori Biryani, Bohri Biryani and each of the mentioned varieties contain different spices, flavour and unique preparation method but the only thing common here is the ‘Dum’ or slow cooking under low heat.
What’s ‘Dum’?
The traditional process of cooking biryani follows the ‘Dum’ method. Dum refers to the cooking method in a sealed container under low heat. The steam pressure in the container helps the food to boil and cook properly. This culinary process of cooking enhances the aroma of food outstandingly as well as the taste. By following this technique biryani is cooked over low heat for a certain period of time and it requires patience. In this method the meat, fish or the veggies need to be cooked partially with spices. The rice should also be half-cooked separately. Then by layering the half-cooked meat over the half-boiled rice with spices it needs to be cooked in another sealed container on low heat. With time and heat the rice and the meat, fish or veggies will be cooked together allowing the flavours to blend through the whole container.
The most phenomenal feature of this dish is the delicious aroma. As it requires all the ingredients to be cooked at the exact time in one container, this slow process of cooking generates a unique and delicious aroma by enhancing the taste of it frequently.
How To Cook?
In recent times, various types of biryani have emerged with different tastes and fusions. Though traditionally it is a meat-based dish, the other versions like fish biriyani (fillet cut fish), prawn biryani, keema biryani as well as vegetable biryani, paneer biryani etc are also added in the legacy. Let’s describe a common method which can be followed to cook almost all types of biryani. As it’s a meat-based dish therefore at first chicken or goat should be cut into proper pieces. The marination process of the meat requires onion-garlic-ginger paste, yogurt, lemon juice salt and the powdered spices like turmeric, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala etc. After marinating the meat with all the ingredients mentioned it should be left to rest for at least 2-3 hours or preferably whole night. The longer it will be marinated the better the biryani taste will be. Meanwhile the right proportion of Basmati rice should be half-boiled and drained. In addition to many brands now-a-days are selling powdered Biryani Masala which also can be added in the marination to enhance the flavour. If the reader needs the Information related to biryani masala, the ‘Spices’ section is available to serve at Mealbei.
It’s time to cook the biryani now
Firstly ghee or oil should be heated in the container where the biryani will be cooked. After that whole spices like Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Shahjeera or Caraway Seed, Fennel seed, Bay leaves should be fried along with chopped onion. Additionally some sliced onions can also be fried separately, which is called Beresta or crispy fried onions, to sprinkle during the layering process to enhance the smell.
After frying the onion with whole spices the marinated meat should be added and cooked until it’s half cooked. Meanwhile the taste can be checked here manually and powdered spices can be added to adjust the tastes if it requires. Once the meat is half-cooked it’s time to add the layer of half boiled rice. To layer it properly at first a layer of meat should be spreaded in the bottom of the container then a layer of rice should be added. Over that layer a smidgen amount of ghee, kewra water, saffron milk, mint leaves and fried onion or beresta should be spreaded. The same layering process should be repeated for the leftovers.
After layering everything properly its time to seal the container tightly. Let the biryani cook on dum or low heat for at least 30-45 minutes. After 45 minutes your biryani is ready to serve with raita.
Variations of Biryani
This same method can be used for making fish, prawn, paneer or vegetable biryani too but to prepare fish biryani the boneless fish fillet should be used. There’s a fun debate around about using potatoes in biryani. While bengali biryani is incomplete without potato but some other variant doesn’t add potato in biryani. But to use potato, it should be fried with salt, tumeric and chilli powder and should be added with the meat and rice during the layering process.
When the topic is Enriching Food Culture, Biryani is one of the irreplaceable item. Despite the fusion in taste, aroma and type this dish evokes another level of deep emotion to biryani lovers. That’s why any celebration or gathering feels incomplete without a plate of Biryani rich in flavour, taste and tradition.
By Oisheki Das Arthi