Donne Biryani: Served In Dried Leaf Bowls, This Dish is Dear To Bengaluru

Visiting Bengaluru and having not tasted the famous Donne Biryani, it’s next to impossible. This biryani that is made with biryani is made with shorter rice, the Seeraga samba. This rice happens to be staple for making of biryani in the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The uniqueness of this biryani lies in the fact that it is served in dried leaf bowls also known as donna at some parts of the country. This biriyani too gets its name due to it being served in a unique way in the dried leaf cup. This biryani happens to be the most famous dish that one gets to gorge on in the local military hotels; these were eateries that were started for the Maratha soldiers in the seventeenth century. The military hotels also served as an eating meeting joint for soldiers from both that of Tipu Sultan as well as the British army. Unlike any other biryani where meat and rice are cooked separately here, they are cooked together in mutton/chicken stock.. Every morsel is deep seeded with aroma. 

The key difference that lies in this style of biryani is this one doesn’t use basmati rice and also doesn’t see the flavour of onion nor tomato as the prominent masala. This style is almost not known outside the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The amazing aroma of the blend of spices, coriander and mint leaves and of course dollops of ghee. The taste is mild yet will leave you salivating for more. More in texture like a pulav where the rice is cooked with meat and spices and green masalas. The short grained aromatic jeera samba rice is used and the biriyani is available in both chicken and mutton and like the very own Kolkata biryani this one is also served with an egg minus the potato. Coriander, cumin, whole garam masalas and ginger garlic paste are the only spices that goes into making this aromatic dish. Most of the time the dish get’s its aroma from the rice mainly. The donna too adds a rustic flavour to the dish. Served with some thin runny raita, an egg and some salan at times this one is a complete meal in itself. 

Shivaji Military Hotel, Jayanagar, that started way back in 1935 by Manaji Rao with an intention to introduce Maratha cuisine to the city. This place till date is known to serve one of the best Donne biryani that the locals swear by. The hot steaming biryani is everyone’s favourite in town. The aroma alone is surely enough to gorge on one full plate yet crave for some more. This biryani served in dry leaf bowl surely emits traditional vibes along with great taste and flavour.