Biryani

The name biryani or biriani from the Persian word berya-(n) which means "fried" or "roasted". Biryani is a family of primarily South Asian dishes made from a mixture of spices, rice (usually basmati), meat/vegetables and yogurt. 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, 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 Moghuls left on the eastern part of India.

Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most popular version non-vegetarian type, 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.

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.

The vegetarian version might have some Textured vegetable protein based protein balls to present the impression of a meat-based dish for vegetarians. 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, is popular among the populace. 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 Curry Mussuman it is one of the two most famous Muslim Thai dishes.