The Biriyani Viriyani Basics Every Foodie Should Know

The Biriyani Viriyani Basics

Call it by whatever name, Biriyani, Viriyani, Biriani, Beriani, Briyani, Breyani, Briani, Birani, or Buriyani, every rice eating foodie salivates on hearing just the name. The word birinj, a middle Persian word was ultimately derived from Sanskrit vrihi or rice. Most senior tamils call it Birinji. 

In North India, different varieties of biryani developed as Mughlai cuisine, Rampur or Awadhi cuisine. In South India, where rice is more widely used, several distinct varieties of biryani emerged from Hyderabad Deccan as well as Ambur, Thanjavur, Chettinad, Salem, Dindigal, Kerala Malabar, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. 

According to historian Lizzie Collingham, the modern biryani developed in the royal kitchens of the Mughal Empire and is a mix of the native spicy rice dishes of India and the Persian pilaf. 

Indian restaurateur Kris Dhillon believes that the dish originated in Persia, and was brought to India by the Mughals. 

According to Pratibha Karan, who wrote the book Biryani, the biryani is of South Indian origin, derived from pilaf varieties brought to the Indian subcontinent by the Arab traders. She speculates that the armies, unable to cook elaborate meals, would prepare a one-pot dish where they cooked rice with whichever meat was available. 

According to Vishwanath Shenoy, the owner of a biryani restaurant chain in India, one branch of biryani comes from the Mughals, while another was brought by the Arab traders to Malabar in South India.

Perfect Hyderabadi Biriyani Calls For A Patient Chef

Perfect Hyderabadi Biriyani Calls For A Patient Chef

Basic Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 1 kg

Salt - 2.5 tblspn

Mutton or Lamb – 1 kg with or without Bone

Salt – 2 tsp

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

Best Quality Homeground Meat Masala Powder:

Cinnamon Sticks

Mace 5 Nos.

Coriander Seeds - 1 table spoon

Star Anise - 5

Cloves – 10

Cumin Seeds – 1 table spoon

Ingredients For Masala:

Oil- 1/2 cup

Ghee – 4 table spoons

Onion - 5 large sliced fine

Ginger Garlic Paste – 5 table spoons

Briyani Leaf – 2 chopped

Turmeric Powder – 1 tea spoon

Chilli Powder – 1 table spoon

Cumin Powder – 1 tea spoon

Green Chillies – 10 slit

Tomatoes – 6 large chopped fine

Curd – 2 cups

Salt - 1 tea spoon

Ingredients For Topping:

Onions – Finely Sliced And Deep Fried

Cashews - 1 cup fried

Coriander Leaves And Mint Leaves – 1 cup finely chopped

Ghee – 3 table spoons

Cooking Method:

STEP 1:

Roast all the ingredients given in that list on low flame till it brings out the aroma. Grind and set aside.

STEP 2:

Cook the mutton pieces in a pressure cooker. Add salt and turmeric powder and cook till tender and simmer.

STEP 3:

Cook the rice just short of fully cooked.

STEP 4:

Fry sliced onions till light brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute.

Add spice powder and briyani leaf and mix thoroughly.

Add green chillies and tomato.

Cover and cook for 5 mins.

Add the curd and give a stir.

Add garam masala powder and salt and mix well.

Add the cooked mutton pieces with all the juice and mix well.

Cook at high heat till the gravy becomes thick.

STEP 5:

Split the masala into two bowls equally. 

Spread one bowl of masala evenly in a large pot.

Add half of the cooked rice, chopped herbs, fried nuts, fried onions.

Add half of the masala again on top. Followed again by adding half of the cooked rice, chopped herbs, fried nuts, fried onions.

Top with few table spoons of ghee. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place on a low heat for 20 mins.

Turn off the heat and leave for 20 mins.

Open the lid and mixed well.

Serve with Salads, Lemon and Gravy.

Biriyani is made with spices, rice, and meat

Biriyani is a rice dish with its origins among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. Biriyani is made with Indian spices, rice, and meat. Biriyani is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent, as well as among its diaspora. Biriyani is also prepared in other regions such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.