The Delicious Hyderabadi Biryani

 

Hyderabadi Biryani

If you ask people to cast their vote for the best thing they have come across in Hyderabad, the maximum votes would be in favor of the delectable Hyderabadi delicacy, Hyderabadi Biryani. If you want to taste the best cuisine of Hyderabad then Biryani is always in the topmost position of your list. Though foodies can enjoy varieties of Biryani but traditional Hyderabadi Biryani is prepared using mutton. 
 

Biryani is a wholesome dish having Basmati Rice and Mutton as the main ingredients. Spices like garlic, onions, and ginger along with Ghee are needed to prepare this tasty dish of Hyderabad. Biryani gets served with raita, onion salad, Mirchi ka Saalan and lime pieces. Sometimes chicken and Vegetables replace mutton depending on the preference of people. Biryani has derived its name from the word “Birian”, a Farsi word. 

Traditionally Hyderabadi Biryani used to get prepared in Hundi or Deksha, a conical vessel. Preparation of Biryani is done on steam. Biryani is categorized into two types which are Pakki Biryani and Kutchi Biryani. Another popular class of Biryani in India, the Awadi   Biryani, a traditional dish of Lucknow, is Pakki Biryani where meat and rice are first cooked separately and then they get mixed together. 

Hyderabadi Biryani is different from Awadhi Biryani as it is Kutchi Biryani where meat, rice are put in a layer inside the Hundi and then cooking is done on steam. The cover of hundi is sealed using dough so that steam does not come out. Because of its cooking method, Hyderabadi Biryani is also popularly called Dum ka Biryani or Kutchi Gost ki Biryani.     

Biryani got introduced into north Indian region from Persia and in south India it got introduced by the Arabs who landed in Calicut for doing trades. During the Mughal Era, Biryani got introduced into the kitchen of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Slowly it became the royal dish of Nizams and Nawabs of southern and Deccan region of India. The uniqueness of Hyderabadi Biryani is its Mirchi ka Saalan where tamarind is used for preparing it.

You can try this following recipe of Mutton Biryani from Hyderabad.

The main ingredients of this Biryani are mutton (1 KG), 1 tablespoon of salt, red chilli paste, ginger-garlic paste, and green chilli paste each, cardamom powder (1/2  tablespoon), 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 4 cloves, mint leaves, 2 tablespoon of lemon juice, curd (250 gm), few sticks of cinnamon, sautéed brown onion, clarified butter ( 4 tablespoon), 1 teaspoon saffron, semi-cooked rice (semi-cooked rice), water (1/2 cup)and oil (1/2 cup).

After meat is cleaned, it is put into a pan along with all the spices including lemon juice and mint leaves. Then curd, butter, saffron, oil, water and semi-cooked rice is put into the pan and mixed well. The cover is put on the pan and it is sealed using dough. The biryani is cooked on low flame for about 25 minutes. When it is done, it can be garnished with boiled eggs, slices of cucumbers and carrots.