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Indian recipes are said to be historic treasures that tells the historic tales of our ancestors. This is why we are trying to save them, in order to safeguard our history from dying down. For instance, our mystique Mughlai cuisine that has influenced Indian food to a huge extent, is one where the Mughal Khansamas successfully married the foreign influences of Turkish, Afghan and Persian cooking styles with Kashmiri, Punjabi and Deccan ingredients. Now isn’t that worth preserving?
Besides the kebabs and baqarkhanis, Mughals also introduced us to the exquisite biryani – the aroma of which makes us drool till date. A hot-pot of flavourful rice with aromatic spices and herbs, biryani is a plate full of the meaty goodness which is immensely loved not just in India but across the globe. However, the original Mughlai biryani wasn’t heavily spices but was slightly mild and on the sweeter side. A large amount of aromatic spices such as saffron, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon along with nuts contributed to the rich and intense flavor of the biryani, making it perfect for a king! Derived from pilaf, the Mughlai biryani had layers of perfectly spiced meat chunks with kewra scented rice and spices and nuts in between the layers, that emanated irresistible aroma.
There are many stories associated with the evolution of Biryani. One of the most popular one involves Mumtaz Mahal. It says that Mumtaz, wife of Shah Jahan visited the army barracks where she found the Mughal soldiers undernourished. In order to provide a balanced diet to the soldiers, she asked the chefs to prepare dish with meat and rice. The dish was loaded up with spices and saffron and cooked over wood fire. However, another story states that the Biryani was brought to India by the Turk-Mongol conqueror, Taimur, in the year 1398.
So much conversation about the historic dish must’ve made you crave some of it, isn’t it? If you are planning to attempt the royal Mughlai biryani at home, we’ve got the perfect recipe right here.
In the recipe, long grain basmati rice, each grain standing apart, is mixed and cooked with soft succulent pieces of chicken meat, that has been marinated with special spiced yogurt. The recipe boasts of freshness of mint, sweetness of caramelized onions layered neatly between the meat and rice, set to please all your senses. Click here for the full recipe of Mughlai biryani. Try at home and share your experience with us.
