Everything about Biryani totally explained
Biryani,
biriani, or
beriani (
Nastaliq script: بریانی;
Devanagari script: बिरयानी;
Bengali script: িবিরয়ানी) is a family of primarily
South Asian rice dish made in
spices, rice (usually
basmati) and
meat/
vegetables. It was spread through out the
Middle East and
South Asia (and
Southeast Asia to an extent) by
Muslim travellers and merchants, and is very popular in
India,
Pakistan and
Bangladesh.
The name is derived from the
Persian word
beryā(n) (
بریان) which means "fried" or "roasted". There are many kinds of biryanis and each kind has a uniqueness about it. Pre-mixed biryani spices from different commercial names are easily available in markets these days, which reduces the preparation time though the taste differs considerably.
Ingredients
The
spices and
condiments used in biryani are what primarily contribute to the
taste, these are generally
cloves,
cardamom,
cinnamon,
wasabi,
bay leaves,
coriander and
mint leaves, apart from
ghee,
ginger,
onions,
garlic and
yoghurt. The premium varieties include
saffron. For a non-
vegetarian biryani, the main ingredient that accompanies the
spices is the
meat—
beef,
chicken,
goat,
lamb, or
shrimp, though
vegetable biryani varieties are also popular. The dish is served with
dahi chutney or
Raita,
korma,
curry or a sour dish of
eggplant (brinjal).
Types of Biryani
Lucknow and biryani have almost a symbiotic relation for the gourmand. Lucknow (Awadhi) Biryani is the footprint the Muslims of the
Moghul Empire left on the eastern part of India.
Virani Biryani is almost euphoric. It originated in the village 'Bare Next' and although being of a Northern origin, Virani Biryani has a very acquired Southern taste.
Hints on cooking Virani Biryani:- Pound away for an hour at the Biryani and follow up with a pinch of the 'Neil Virani' herb.
Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most popular version non-vegetarian types, especially in
India and the
Middle East.
Hyderabadi biryani is savored in all parts of
India and forms an integral part of
Indian cuisine. Historians claim that the earlier
Nawabs of Punjab wore a matching
turban for each variety of biryani. The
Nizam's kitchen boasted of 49 kinds, which included biryani made from
fish,
quail,
shrimp,
deer and
hare. The Sindhi variant of biryani is very popular in
Pakistani cuisine and biryani of all types are eaten in all parts of Pakistan. Another popular form of biryani is the Awadhi biryani. Malabar chicken biryani is very popular in Kerala.
In
Pakistan and
North India, biryani enjoys substantial popularity. This is especially the case in
Karachi and
Lahore, where the chicken version is popular with both young and old alike as a dish of choice. This is related to Awadh biryani but combines elements of
Bombay biryani and includes
potatoes.
Tehari is the name given to the
vegetarian version of the dish and is very popular in
Indian homes. In Bangladesh, Tehari refers to Biryani prepared by adding the meat to the rice, as opposed to traditional Biryani where the rice is added to the meat.
In
Iran, this dish is made in
Isfahan with baked lung and mutton that's minced and then cooked in a special small pan over the fire. The food is generally eaten with a certain type of bread, "nan-e taftton".
The vegetarian version might have some
textured vegetable protein based protein balls give a meat-like texture. The difference between biryani and
pullao is that while pulao may be made by cooking the items together, biryani, is used to denote a dish where the rice is cooked separately from the other ingredients.
In
Myanmar, biryani, known in
Burmese as
danpauk,
danbauk or
danpauk htamin, is popular among the populace. Popular ingredients are cashew nuts, yoghurt, raisins and peas, chicken, cloves, cinnamon, saffron and bayleaf. In Burmese biryani, the chicken is cooked with the rice. Biryani is also eaten with a salad of sliced onions and cucumber. In
Yangon, there are several restaurant chains that serve biryani exclusively. It is often served at religious ceremonies and luncheons. Biryani in Myanmar utilises a special species of rice grown domestically rather than basmati.
In
Thailand, Thai Muslims have popularized a local variety of the dish which is popular through out the country. Along with Thai
Massaman curry it's one of the two most famous
Muslim Thai dishes. Biryani is also another name for heena.
Video links
Further Information
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