HYDERABAD : Biryani is a dish for all seasons and reasons, and this fact was confirmed yet again in a recent survey done by a food delivery app which revealed that Indians ordered 95 biryanis per minute on an average, or 1.6 biryanis every second in 2019. Biryani is the most common first order by new users on Swiggy, says the company’s ‘StatEATistics’ report on India’s food ordering habits. In fact, this is the third year in a row that biryani emerged the most-ordered dish.
If we are talking about biryani, can Hyderabad be far behind? Despite the emergence of a new globally-known Hitech city and other developments over the years, biryani remains the most enduring symbol of Hyderabad. One might expect that in this age when lifestyle diseases are rampant and people are more health conscious, this rice and meat dish will see a dip in its popularity. However, the sales continue just as ever here where biryani is everyone’s bae.
Omer Aziz, manager at Nayaab Hotel in Old City, says: “Biryani is not an unhealthy dish per se. It will affect your health only if it is made in an unhygienic way. In most of the hotels in the city, it is made fresh nearly every half-an-hour as sales are high. In our restaurant, the meat is of good quality as the animals are slaughtered here. To make one handi of biryani which serves 30 members, we use 150-200 gm of oil, which is a very reasonable quantity. In fact, you might end up using more oil if you are making the same quantity at home.”
Talking about the popularity of the dish, he says: “You might say that the locals are not very crazy about the dish, but sales are driven by people who have come from other parts of the country and made this city their home. Also, the process of making Hyderabadi biryani makes it a unique one.”Echoing his thoughts, Amair, manager at Grand Hotel in Abids, says “Many of the biryani versions sold all over the country is actually pulav, and not biryani.
The real one is cooked by layering meat and rice, and then putting them on dum. Before that, the meat is marinated in curd and spices for nearly two hours so that it becomes soft and soaks in the flavours. There is no chance of the dish turning oily as every ingredient which goes into the dish is measured before hand. We have women here who grind the red chillies as the chilli powder we get in the market is mostly adulterated. Also, eating biryani will harm you only if they are mixing taste powder (monosodium glutamate) in it.”
Javed, the munshi at Hotel Shadab, informs: “We have been using the same recipe since this hotel was established 32 years ago, and I have never seen the sales waver. A handi, which has 5 kg mutton and 7 kg rice, gets emptied every 15 minutes here.” A few eateries in the city, however, are offering biryani sans grain for consumers watching their weight. Fabcafe, located at the Fabindia store at Jubilee Hills, is one of them. Says Rivanjali, marketing manager of the cafe, “We have keto biryani which is made of cauliflower rice and chicken. In the vegetarian version, chicken is replaced by jackfruit. This is a grain-free, and hence a carb-free biryani. We also serve a Kathal Quinoa Biryani. They are very light on the stomach and we have received good response to them.”
The newly-opened Orka Cafe too offers brown rice biryani. Brown rice is said to be healthier than white rice as it has more micro-nutrients and fibre. Software professional Tanushree Singh says: “I am on a no-rice diet, but biryani makes me go weak in the knees. So I indulge in it on my cheat days.”
Traditional or new-age, as long as it’s biryani, Hyderabad says yes.
kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com @kakoliMukherje2