When you imagine luxury and grandeur in food, it’s here in the north. Life itself was a wonder. Didn’t the Nawabs of Awadh, the Mughals, the rulers of Kashmir, Rajasthan and other princely states live the life of epicureanism to the fullest and fullest? Frau, fire water and food were the order of the day, of which food played a formidable role. Meats were luscious and spices were scarce, with curries usually thick, moderately spicy and creamy. Dramatic use of raisins, plums, apricots, pistachios, almonds, cashews and pine-nuts was also quite common in everyday foods. Dairy products like milk, cream, paneer, ghee and curd added a sense of opulence, audacity and exuberance to the dishes. From this breeding and consensus comes the northern version of our favorite dish, Mutton Biryani.
Lucknowi Pulao
Starting from Lucknowi Pulao, you can get biryani at many places in Lucknow. But the age-old, arrogant, surviving nawabs or khansamas, who claim to trace their ancestry back to the days of Wajid Ali Shah (Nawab of Lucknow), now earn one or two recreational tourists and monarchists for food and fables. Huh. Bygone days, insist that traditionally, biryani was never made in the court of Awadh, it was always a pulao. This brings us to the immortal argument about the difference between pulao and biryani. As much as I’d like, I don’t think I’m qualified enough to debate the issue, but the widely accepted rendering is that, a casserole is made by roasting meat, adding uncooked rice, and cooking both in stock. . Whereas biryani is raw or semi-cooked rice that is placed over cooked meat. Although there are some people who say that there is no difference except that biryani is richer than a pulao, and that is the only difference. I believe the Lucknowi Pulao is this, it is long grain basmati rice, cooked in aromatic spiced mutton stock, to which marinated meat and saffron are added after being half cooked. Then cooked together. Pulao is not oily like biryani, and is gentle, subtle and fragrant with the aroma of rose water and kewra.
Read also: What the Fork: Kunal Vijaykar explains why Mumbai Biryani is the best
Moradabadi Biryani
Moradabadi cuisine is fascinating in itself. Since Moradabad itself was founded by Shah Jahan’s youngest son Murad Baksh and was a staunch supporter of harmoniously merging the land’s Rajput roots with its Mughal influences, the cuisine also evolved into a compelling mix of traditions, culture and community influences. Happened. So, Moradabadi Biryani, which is a product of this marriage, is classically low in spices and high in flavour. Moradabadi Biryani is cooked with ‘raw’ basmati using whole (pitted) spices, and appears pale yellow-white in color due to the absence of turmeric or saffron. It is a mildly aromatic, simple pulao like biryani, fast and lamentably made entirely with chicken instead of mutton. Of course, Morabadi Biryani has been vehemently ridiculed by food historians. He is of the view that since Moradabad was never a kingdom ruled by a king, prince or nawab, and since only feudal rulers always had the leisure and luxuries to experiment with food, this version, Moradabadi biryani, is a local deviation. Honestly who cares? As long as you like it, and maybe, if they stop using chicken.
Kashmiri Biryani
This is how I would describe a Kashmiri Biryani. A biryani cooked in the traditional dum style using tender pieces of lamb and not goat, layered with basmati rice, freshly ground spices like caramelized onions, mint leaves and coriander. Mutton is marinated in sour curd and lemon juice, which gives it a sourness that you can find in many Kashmiri dishes, most notably in the iconic ‘goshtaba’. Gently spiced with dry ginger, fennel powder, Kashmiri red chillies, this biryani stands out due to its use of nuts and dried fruits and even fresh apples available in abundance in this fertile land. Now imagine all this meat, rice, spices and fruit cooked in a little milk. Heaven on earth
Delhi Biryani
Like Bombay Biryani, Delhi Biryani has been originated, revived and spoiled many times. Degi Biryani, so popular as chicken in most corners of Delhi, is not exactly what Delhi might have started centuries ago. To give this due to the city, Delhi had its own cuisine. Not Mughlai, not Punjabi, but Dehlavi cuisine, which I will go into in depth in a future column. Dehlavi-style food was prepared and perfected in the narrow streets and neighborhoods of Delhi, in country houses and even in Delhi’s royal Mughal kitchens. A cuisine that had long been buried under the rubble and rubble of Delhi’s turbulent past.
However, this biryani is simple, light and delicious. Traditionally, the ratio of meat used in Delhi Biryani is one and a half times the amount of rice to meat. Common spices, including floral favors like star anise, embellish the flavor. Saffron is used, of course, if pockets allow, or an unusual ingredient, Harsinger flowers, also known as night jasmine or parijata, which are white fragrant flowers with orange stems. These flowers were soaked in water and then that water was added to the biryani for color and aroma. It is a rich and simple flavor of meat and rice.
Read also: What the Fork: Kunal Vijaykar Discovers the Biryani of the East
Culture and cuisine leave their own design on history. Our country has seen many invaders; And each invader brought its own culture and a new cuisine. In the north, influences from Turks, Arabs, Persians and Afghans from the 15th to the 19th centuries during the reign of the Mughals transformed the culinary arts into an art form, its virtues, including biryani and pulao. Excellent showpiece. A work of art adopted not only in the north, but in time, in any and every part of India.
Kunal Vijaykar is a food writer based in Mumbai. He tweets @kunalvijayakar and can be followed on Instagram @kunalvijayakar. What is the name of his youtube channel? The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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