One of the most-loved new-age Indian actors who is known for her love for all things delicious, Shraddha Kapoor is a die-hard foodie who never shies away from sharing all about her indulgent food escapades on social media. From proudly announcing to the world that she snacks at 3.30PM every day to indulging in grand vegetarian thalis, Shraddha Kapoor always gives foodies amazing food goals. But a recent post by Shraddha Kapoor not only highlights her delicious plate of food but also comes out in support of vegetarians who love biryani.
In a recent story on Instagram, Shraddha Kapoor shared a picture of a scrumptious plate of Kathal Biryani, or a vegetarian biryani made with raw jackfruit. “Haan veg waalo ki bhi biryani hoti hai...haan,” the actress wrote as a caption to the story. The simple but impactful sentence, translated to English says “yes vegetarians also have their biryani...yes”. Shraddha Kapoor also adds the hashtags of Kathal Biryani and #NotPulao to highlight the fact that while fully vegetarian, this Kathal Biryani does indeed qualify as a biryani and not a pulao.
Video Credit: YouTube/Chef Ranveer Brar
For those unaware, Shraddha Kapoor’s post highlights a much-debated topic among Indian foodies—the issue of whether vegetarian biryani is actually biryani made using slow-cooked dum techniques or is it just a vegetarian pulao. The point made by many food experts is that a traditional and authentic biryani needs to be slow-cooked on dum with a layer of ingredients like parboiled rice, fried onions and meat or chicken. As the biryani pot cooks slowly, each layer gets infused with the aroma and flavours of all the ingredients, making for a delicious treat.
Yet, the argument is often made that slow cooking vegetables over a long period of time can turn them mushy, any biryani that claims to be vegetarian in India or anywhere in the world doesn’t really qualify as dum biryani. Instead, what vegetarians call vegetable biryani is most often just a version of Pulao. Shraddha Kapoor’s plate of Kathal Biryani, however, highlights the fact that making a vegetarian biryani that has been layered and cooked on dum for a long time is possible, if you pick an ingredient like jackfruit.
Also known as vegetarians’ plant-based “faux meat” in India, raw jackfruit or kathal has bold, meaty flavours and takes time to cook until tender and juicy. So, a biryani made with this vegetable using authentic dum method is not only possible but also utilised today by Indian chefs catering to vegetarian and vegan foodies. So, Shraddha Kapoor is indeed right in pointing out that for vegetarians, a true biryani experience can be enjoyed by whipping up a pot of Kathal Biryani. Now if that doesn’t inspire vegetarians and vegans craving biryani flavours in India, then what will?