Great Indian Food: The Great Flavor Of Chicken Biryani
By Patrick Henderson on Sep 4, 2010 in Recipes | comments(0)
Biryani is a rice based dish that carries meat or veggies as the core ingredient. Plenty of herbs and spices go into making Biryani and the meat and vegetables are encrusted and baked. Biryani in Persian means cooking and roasting and the word Biryani comes from the same.
Biryani originated from Persia and the legend has it that the tribals and nomads carried loads of rice and meat on their extended journeys and they started the custom of layering rice and meat and cooking together after sprinkling plenty of nuts and dry herbs. The customary approach consisted of cooking and simmering the combination under fire and then burying it in sand for a long time before the dish was deemed ready. The traditional form of Biryani has since then been improvised and modernized according to convenience
Biryani has taken many different forms since then, and gone on to become a gourmet dish, that has been evolved and fine-tuned to such an extent, that now one comes across at least 50 varieties of Biryanis. I may be wrong there, as the number may be greater.
Biryani has Rice and Meat as its important elements. The rest of the ingredients, vary based on the variety and style of the Biryani being cooked.
Hyderabad in India is considered as the Biryani capital of the world. There are mind boggling varieties of Biryanis cooked here at various diners. Few of those recipes are closely guarded by restaurants and families, as they have been handed down through numerous generations. The Mughals brought Biryani with them when they invaded India. It is one of the many influences that came to India with the Mughals and became very well-liked here and with time have further evolved. It also took on some local flavors to suit the spice loving Indians.
A good Biryani consists of perfectly cooked meat and the right blend of herbs and spices, cooked together with rice. The meat and rice is never mixed while cooking. They’re both cooked separately. The final stage of the preparation consists of layering the two alternatively and usually cooked either in an oven or on traditional wood fire, utilizing low heat.
For more details on the various kinds of chicken biriyani please look at the ifood community at chicken biryani Those interested in vegetable biriyani can take a look at vegetable biryani recipes






