Welcome to a secret world. This is my story and that of the storied Biryani! It is a chicken and rice dish like no other. You don't have to take my word for it, take Gordon Ramsey's! Almost half the world’s population swear by it, yet in USA, quite surprisingly, there aren’t many places that sell it, fewer that make it well - you can immediately discard the 'chicken biryani' available on most Indian restaurant menus from this list as they are invariably more chicken, rice and turmeric than Biryani - and absolutely none that sell the kind that we make (which is similar to the one shown in the Youtube video but we use chicken only and our scale is, let's just say, more manageable and the cooking more relatable, in a state-of-the-art commissary kitchen).
In the USA, you get a distant cousin of the Hyderabadi Biryani - a south Indian variant, which is rich in heat and masala - we call this the American Biryani. Oh! Did you know that there are upwards of two dozen types of Biryani in India (no kidding)? Why the Hyderabadi variant took root in USA is hard to figure but most likely immigrants from South India were more in number, and also perhaps more entrepreneurial, so they started selling the variety closest to their heart and it gained some popularity over time.
I am originally from Calcutta, now called Kolkata, a megapolis in the eastern part of India. The region boasts of some of the most enduring culinary traditions, and yet, quite puzzlingly, one that the West has been least exposed to. This can be attributed to the fact that those who make foodstuff over there hardly immigrate out of the region and only those seeking higher degrees and interested in academic excellence come here. And that is how I too came here. Yet food is my passion and Kolkata Biryani, a variant that is revered even in the land of Biryani connoisseurs, is a weakness. In Kolkata, Biryani is nothing short of a religion, that can not only be practiced standing in a narrow street in front of a roadside stall but can also be preached at one of those BIG, FAT, Indian weddings!
The Biryani that we cook is very different from what
you get anywhere in the USA. Instead of the heat of
the Hyderabadi biryani it has aroma, instead of the
spicy masala and coriander it has more subtle flavors. It has four different essences (aromatics) that are missing from the Hyderabadi/American version and one of them, the saffron, is considered to be one of the costliest ingredient in the world. Although good Hyderabadi Biryani in India sometimes have saffron, none of the American version that we tasted (and we have tasted a lot) use it. But that's only the aromatics. And then there is the unique mix of spices, the ultra-long grained basmati rice from the foothills of the Himalayas cooked with locally produced Red Bird chicken, a combination of ghee, milk and yogurt as the cooking base, the cooking style ….
I can go on and on …. because I have perfected the recipe while growing up in a distant land where destinies of young couples are forged (or not) and business partnerships are sealed over a plate of this exquisite dish. But instead of more text, we suggest you simply dig in.
And you will know what I mean!
