BIRYANI FESTIVAL

Hyderabadi biryani is one of India’s most famous biryani; some say biryani is synonymous with Hyderabad (The crown dish of the Hyderabadi Nizami). Hyderabadi biryani developed under the rule of Asif Jah I, who had been appointed as the Governor of Deccan by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. It is made with basmati rice, spices and goat. Popular variations use chicken instead of goat. There are various forms of Hyderabadi biryani, one such biryani is the kachay murgh ki biryani or the dum biryani. This is where the murgh is marinated and cooked along with the rice. It is slow cooked on fire or dum which allows the aromatic flavours to come through. Hyderabadi kachha murgh style of biryani is where marinated raw chicken and partially cooked basmati rice are layered and cooked on dum, over low heat, served with mirchi ka salan and raita.

Sindhi biryani is a special meat and rice biryani dish originating from the Sindh province of Pakistan. Due to its popularity, it is considered one of the most consumed dishes in this region. Basmati rice and marinated lamb cooked with keema, onion, yoghurt, ginger, garlic paste and mixed herbs, finished with saffron and served with sauce and raita.

Malabar biryani is the only variation of biryani found in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of many dishes of the malabar community and is very popular. An aromatic mixture of rice, king prawns, yoghurt, brown onion, herbs and Malabar special spices. KOLKATA FISH

The Delhi version of the biryani developed with a unique local flavour as the Mughal kings shifted their political capital to the North Indian city of Delhi. Up until the 1950s, most people cooked biryani in their house and rarely ate out. Restaurants primarily catered for travellers and merchants and any region that saw high numbers of these two classes of people nurtured more restaurants, and their own versions of biryani. Historically this was the reason why most shops selling biryani in Delhi tend to be near mosques (for travellers) or traditional shopping districts (such as chandni chowk). Each part of Delhi has its own style of biryani, often based on its original purpose, giving rise to Nizamuddin biryani, Shahjahanabad biryani, etc. The Nizamuddin biryani is usually sparse in the more expensive meat and spices as it was primarily made in bulk for offering at the Dargah Shrine and thereafter distributed to devotees, A non-dum using a lot of green chillies variety of biryani popularised by the Babu Shahi Bawarchi shop located outside National Sports Club, Delhi is informally called Babu Shahi biryani. Fragrant basmati rice cooked with boneless chicken thigh meat, aromatic spices and herbs, yoghurt, milk, cream, ghee and saffron, served with raita and salad.

<strong>This</strong> vegetarian version of the original, Bombay biryani is made with deep fried baby potatoes, rice, and an aromatic blend of spices. This is a complete single dish that can be served with raita. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city known for its many lip-smacking dishes. Be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the dishes in Mumbai boast rich taste, fieriness and impressive flavors. Aromatic preparation of basmati rice layered with spiced vegetables and baby potato, garnished with nuts, raisins and saffron, served with raita and sauce.