Biryani is among the most beloved Indian dishes that has managed to gain popularity in the West as well. Boiled rice grains layered with spiced and tender meat, flavourful vegetables, fried onions, and other aromatic spices and herbs complete celebratory feasts in India. Whether you go from North to South or West to East, each state has a unique variant of biryani that summarises the culinary landscape of the region.
To celebrate the dish that binds India together, Slurrp organised the Grand Biryani Celebration as a part of HT City Unwind 2024, from March 16 to 17, 2024, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. The event was presented by Daawat and co-powered by Zappfresh and Goldiee Masale, with Glen as gifting partner.
From fun cook-offs between home chefs to celebrated chefs sharing their culinary wisdom and demonstrating some of the popular and regional variants of biryanis, the two-day event was a blast among foodies. Not only did they learn various tips and tricks to ace the recipe of different kinds of biryanis, but they also got the chance to interact with chefs like Kunal Kapur, Harpal Singh Sokhi, and Nishant Choubey.
While Chef Nishant Choubey shared insights into making vegetarian kebabs, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi shared secrets to making Hyderabadi Subz Biryani. Chef Kunal Kapur judged a kebab competition and shared his wisdom with the audience during the ‘Handi-Side’ Chat with Slurrp’s editor Shrey Goswami.
Chef Nishant Choubey’s Vegetarian Kebabs
During the workshop for kathal kebabs, the chef said that one of the key steps to ensure you make the best kebabs is to let the protein-rich ingredient shine in the recipe. It could be jackfruit, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, or any other food item, but a cook must always avoid over-seasoning or spicing the mix. You must also avoid overcooking and using excessive starch to bind the kebabs.
Boasting over 23 years of culinary experience and extensive travelling across the globe, Chef Nishant Choubey believes, “Taste is the supreme authority, but the food has to always look good. You eat with your eyes first.” He understands the flavours and communicates his dishes to his guests, which makes him an artist.
Chef Kunal Kapur’s #Kunalish Wisdom
In the last segment on Day 1, Chef Kunal Kapur set ablaze the stage with his presence. He said, “Any celebration is incomplete without food. There is no festival on which we don't cook food. Even for fasting, we have separate delicacies. We make everything around food and biryani is the centre of it. This dish is liked by almost everyone."
While biryani might be one of the most cherished dishes in India, the chef shared that his earliest memories of making biryani are either overcooking it so much that the ingredients burnt or undercooking it so that even the rice grains were not done. It took him several attempts to ace the recipe, understand the accurate temperature, and build muscle memory for seasoning ingredients.
He also settled the famous debate about whether veg biryani exists or not. Taking the audience back in time, Chef Kunal Kapur pointed out that veg biryani is often referred to as pulao, which is a derivative of pilav which was a traditional rice-meat dish called yakhni quite famous in central Asia or modern-day Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. When the dish came to India, people referred to it as pulao. While many made it with meat, a few vegetarians kept the spice mixture the same and replaced meat with vegetables. Later, pulao or tehri came to be known as veg biryani.
For home chefs, Kunal Kapur clarified, “Biryani is a rice dish, it is not a veg or a non-veg dish.” He said if you are cooking 1 kg of meat, you can add 1.5 to 2 kg of rice to it. Speaking about spices, the celebrated chef shared, “Indian cuisine was developed by doctors.” They added spices and herbs to dishes so that people could benefit from their properties. While biryani masala available in general stores is good enough to add flavours to the recipe, you can make a batch at home to suit your taste buds.
Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi’s Hyderabadi Biryani
From Khana Khazana to Turban Tadka, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi is a celebrated name and can be credited with adding diversity to Indian kitchens by introducing an array of dishes from across the country on his shows. He takes pride in teaching authentic recipes with a few tweaks so that people with different preferences can try a variety of recipes at home.
While he is well versed in many regional cuisines of India, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi knows Hyderabadi cuisine like no one else, especially Hyderabadi biryani. He learnt it from the best - Begum Mumtaz Khan and Ustad Habib Pasha. According to the chef, the best thing about this variant of biryani is the preparation of meat by rubbing dry spices on it and beating it so that it absorbs all the flavours. “It is best because in this recipe, raw meat is cooked with par-boiled rice, yet grains are picture-perfect,” he added. The dish shines with the use of shahi jeera, black pepper, and bay leaves.
“You have to master the art of cooking biryani. It comes with time and does not happen over time. Biryani is a process, and you need to do it every day to master it,” the chief said.