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Sanya Malhotra’s Mrs has kickstarted several conversations that are not going to dial down soon. Based on the concept of The Great Indian Kitchen, the movie explores how many Indian women find themselves in the four walls of the kitchen. They feel burdened under the several rules created by the men in the house, obviously to suit their agendas and feed their orthodox mindsets.
While the world continues to praise the actor for her performance, compare it with the original Malayalam drama, and criticise it by calling it propaganda under fake feminism, its bold statement and social messages cannot be ignored. It is also among a handful of films that used food (North Indian dishes here) as a medium of storytelling.
Video Credit: Cooking With Benazir/ YouTube
Among several delicacies featured in the movie, dum pukht biryani stands out. It made Richa realise her place in the house - someone who is responsible for cooking delicacies without being respected for all the effort she put in. It was also a dish that she learnt from scratch only to be told that it lacked salt. The protagonist realised that the family continues to demand love, respect, and devotion from her while they don’t do as much as pay a compliment for all that she keeps on doing for them.
While you did not get to taste Richa’s dum pukht biryani, it sure made your mouth slabber. Following a chef’s social media channel, she followed every step meticulously, and now, it’s your turn to do the same.
Marination
Whether you like chicken or mutton, marinating the meat is the crucial step. It will infuse flavour into depths and make it easy to cook the pieces. According to the film, one must prepare a blend of garlic, ginger, curd, and pudina chutney. It will add sourness, robustness, spiciness, and freshness to the meat, making it more delicious to consume.
Rice Boiled To Perfection
If you are sceptical about the proportions of water to rice, it is 1:1. Whether you are cooking the grains in a container or pressure cooker, keep this ratio in mind. Don’t forget to sprinkle salt in the pan to prevent rice from tasting bland. Home chefs should keep track of how much grains are cooked because if they are overcooked, they will stick together, and ruin the texture of biryani.
Slow-Cook Meat
After marinating the meat for 30-60 minutes, cook it in a heavy-bottom kadhai on a low flame. This will infuse the pieces with aroma and irresistible taste. This step is crucial because if the meat is not cooked to perfection, your biryani will be spoiled. You cannot serve raw meat because it will impact the health of your guests.
Thinly Sliced Onion
To prepare the gravy for the meat and garnish for the biryani, cut onions into thin moon-shaped slices. This ensures a creamy consistency and faster cooking of the vegetable. Thinly sliced onions are easy to roast in oil and spread across different layers of biryani. It will also add a subtle sweetness to the recipe when caramelised to perfection.
Layering In Biryani
To infuse plain rice with the flavours of meat and spices, layering is crucial. The base is the gravy, vegetables, and meat. It ensures that the rice and other layers do not burn when you slow-cook the ingredients. The next layer is of rice topped with saffron milk, caramelised onions, pudina, and fresh coriander leaves. This way, you will create alternate layers of rice and meat.
Slow-Cooking Of Biryani
In the end, use atta dough to seal the container. It will prevent steam from escaping, allowing it to cook the ingredients. Slow-cooking for at least 20-30 minutes is important for all the ingredients to come together for the dum pukht biryani to be a legendary delicacy. This is the last step which cannot be skipped, and you must open the seal on the dining table so that everyone can relish it with their nose and eyes before tasting it.
