Indian Regional Food Experts Share Biryani Secrets At An Event

When you hear biryani, your brain reminds you of popular variants like Hyderabadi or Lucknowi biryani. But every state of India has its variant, probably more than one, of the rice-based delicacy that is popularly called a feast dish. While only a handful of Indians know about the lip-smacking Malabar biryani, Kolkata’s variant is infamous for flaunting potatoes. Do you know how potato was introduced to the Kolkata biryani? 

Slurrp organised an interactive Grand Biryani Celebration as a part of HT City Unwind 2024, from March 16 to 17, 2024, presented by Daawat and co-powered by Zappfresh and Goldiee Masale, with Glen as gifting partner. Foodies and home chefs across the capital and India joined esteemed regional chefs, Abida Rasheed and Manzilat Fatima, to learn new recipes of biryani and participate in interactive sessions.

Day 1: Abida Rasheed Demonstrated Malabar Biryani At the Slurrp Event

Abida Rasheed, chef and expert in Moplah cuisine, showcased the art of making delicious Malabari biryani. In the Malabar region of Kerala, Moplah refers to the cooking techniques and dishes prepared by the Muslim community. It is an integral part of the cuisine of God’s Own Country. 

Chef Abida Rasheed said that the best feature of the Malabar biryani is its subtle flavours. “While most variants of biryani are spicy, Malabar biryani boasts succulent meat and spices are mild,” she added. For this recipe, the chef used the smallest grain of rice and cooked the meat in raw masala so that when it is layered with rice, it leaches its flavour into it. The chef is also advised to use dry onions while cooking meat, or else the water from onion slices will ruin the texture of mutton or chicken. 

“Biryani is not a dish that you make every day. Whenever there is a celebration or an event, biryani is cooked. People sit together and eat it together,” said the chef while reminiscing about her childhood and sharing how the rice-based dish brings family members together. “My mother and grandmother used to shout in the kitchen, ‘Bring this or bring that’. There used to be a lot of energy floating around,” she added. 

Day 2: Manzilat Fatima Cooked Kolkata Biryani At Slurrp Event

Manzilat Fatima, chef and expert of Awadhi cuisine and great-granddaughter of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, introduced the audience to the art of cooking Kolkata biryani. “Awadhi cuisine has a lot of Persian and some Mughal influence. This cuisine is specific about aroma, the smell, and flavours in dishes,” said the chef. 

She calls Kolkata biryani a cousin of Lucknowi biryani. She said, “The visual of other variants of biryanis is strong, they look like spice, and they have mint leaves, coriander, and other spices. On the other hand, Kolkata biryani has minimal use of spices and potato distinguishes it from all other kinds of rice-based delicacies in the country.”

After Nawab Wajid Ali Shah shifted to Metiabruz, a suburban locality in Kolkata, he wanted to recreate the food he enjoyed while being the king of Lucknow (formerly known as Awadh). In those days, potatoes were a delicacy, costlier than even meat. That’s how today's staple vegetable gave the world one of the best variants of biryani. 

One of the crucial things that you have to keep in mind is ensuring the level of salt is perfect because you have to cook mutton, potatoes, and rice grains separately for this recipe. The chef prefers to soak rice overnight so that you can achieve longer grains for biryani. The meat and potatoes must be cooked perfectly. 

While making Kolkata biryani, you should not go overboard with chillies. Remember her mother’s advice, Chef Manzilat said, “Amma always used to say ki khane ka maza masalo me nahi, masalo ke ratio me hota hai (My mother always said that the taste is not in the spices but it is in the proportion of spices).” You should also use rose water and kewda water in moderation, or else they will overpower the flavours and aroma of the biryani.