WITH the joyous mood of celebrations continuing full swing, flavours of food also have to be festive. And what could be more synonymous to celebrations than the grand culinary varieties of biryani. Known for its aroma and flavour, this food item has always been a favourite for gastronomes.
The most loved variety, the Dum Biryani has a strong spice and the meat, be it chicken or mutton (murg or ghosht), is blended with the rice perfectly. The spices too mix together with these ingredients attracting any food lover. Biryani in Hyderabadi style is another immensely popular variety where the chicken or mutton is marinated and arranged in layers in between layers of rice. The rice and meat in this preparation are not blended completely so one can enjoy both the tastes independently. Lucknowi Biryani is obviously known for its authenticity since it has historically been the home to Mughlai cuisine. Rich in spices, this variety is usually heavy for the tummy. “Biryani is a part of festive food and is one of the most ordered items. We prepare it in two ways. While the kuchi style has raw meat and raw rice cooked together, pakki biryani has the meat and rice cooked separately and then cooked again under pressure,” says S K Rabbani, Hyderabadi Chef at Presidency who has laid a platter of biryani varieties for their Mughlai Biryani food festival. Apart from the above usual assortment of the food item, the festival has various other styles too. Among the non-vegetarian varieties Murg Shahjani and Yakhani varieties of chicken biryani are available. The latter is specially worth trying since it has khoya added for the flavour along with mint and the regular saffron and onion for aroma.
Vegetarians too are being served many diverse forms of biryani. Paneer biryani and soyabean biryani are sure to be a delight, which balance the missing non-vegetarian element of the dish. The mixed vegetable biryani has a mix of seasonal vegetables like carrot, bean, cauliflower, potato and so on. Nawabi Tarkari biryani has a curry in its dried form blended with the rice. But if at the food fest, one should not miss the different types of Shorba offered. As a complementary sideliner one can choose one from among the chicken base variety Jahangiri Shorba, Yakhani Shorba - again with khoya and chicken, mutton base paya, lentil base Dal ka Shorba and Tomato Dhania Shorba. The desserts are also typically Mughlai like the delicious Phirni, Shahi Tukda and Gulab Jamun. On until October 7, the festival is a part of Presidency’s celebrations of the World Tourism Day (September 27) and is open from 11 am to 11 pm.