CHENNAI: The smell of the long-grained basmati rice, hand-ground masalas, spices, and succulent tender meat — everything needed to make delicious biryani are my energy boosters every day,” says chef Rahmathullah, who is in the city for Chennai Food Guide and Hakico Foods – Unlimited Mutton Biryani.
Coming from a small village in Thoothukudi district, he was always around his father, who made lip-smacking biryani out of the limited resources they had. “He used to tell me ‘You can earn money whenever you want, but to earn a good name you need to do your work with passion and interest’. And I’ve been following that mantra,” he smiles.
Rahmathullah distinctly remembers how chili, turmeric, coriander, ginger and other spices smelt while cooking. “Until I was 18, I used to watch my father make it, and feed thousands who loved the ‘Bhai biryani’,” he says.
“When I began, I knew I had to maintain my father’s reputation. I first cooked both mutton and chicken biryani for a group of 200 people, with my father’s guidance, and I can proudly say that I was successful.”
So what’s this biryani master’s favourite? “Mutton biryani. I cook every other variety – be it chicken, prawn, egg or even vegetable biryani. People want to taste Rahmathulla’s ‘kai pakkuvam’. Many ask me how I make it special…I really don’t have an answer,” he says.
While biryani is almost everyone’s favourite, there are a few side dishes that can make it a wholesome delicious meal. Chicken gravy, pepper chicken, fish gravy, prawn fry, prawn gravy, chicken 65 in savory and, bread pudding, rava bhath, ‘semiya’ bhath, and rice milk in sweet are some of the chef’s recommendations. “You don’t have to drink any aerated drinks along with biryani to feel light...have the biryani, take bites of the side dishes and after an hour, you’ll crave for more!” he laughs.
So, what’s the difference between a dum and a normal biryani? “It’s the spice and flavour that makes the difference. A dum biryani is an infusion of masalas, spices and meat in large quantities…it’s for people who love the heat of flavours. It tastes like heaven even if you store it for a day and eat it at night or the next morning! While the flavour is minimal in normal biryani, it’s biryani! It’s always delicious,” he grins.
There are several types of biryanis: Mughlai, Sindhi, Kutchi, etc but Rahmathullah loves the classic mutton biryani.
“Though both mutton and chicken taste the same, the time it takes to get cooked makes the difference. Mutton takes more time than chicken and you have to watch closely how perfectly the meat is cooked. After all the ‘piece’ matters,” he shares.
Biryani is popular in the villages and the chef says that the reason is verragu adupu (wooden stove) on which biryani is made.
“It gives a totally different and rustic flavour to the biryani. It retains the flavours of the masalas and as the meat is also cooked for long, the flavour is amazing,” he explains. Rahmathullah’s biryanis are famous all over the world. He sends fans in places like Singapore and Malaysia, and he sends them parcels regularly!
Apart from his biryani, people love his ghee rice, chicken and mutton gravy. “But my life revolves around biryani and I want to continue doing only this. If I do get an opportunity to explore other cuisines, I will be more than happy to,” he says.
(Biryani Fest 2017 by Chef Rahmathullah will be held at Hakico Live Kitchen, Velachery from March 31 to April 2)