Biryani

 ( Andhra Cuisine ) 

The spices and used in biryani may include fennel seeds, ghee (clarified butter), nutmeg, mace, Black pepper, , cardamom, cinnamon, Bay leaf, coriander, Mentha, ginger, onions, tomatoes, green chilies, star anise, and garlic. The premium varieties include saffron. Some commercial recipes for biryani also include aromatic essences such as Mitha attar, kewra and rose water. Dried sour Prune (Plum is called alu bukhara) may also be added to the biryani. In nasi briyani and other variants made in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, typical Southeast Asian spices and aromatics such as pandan leaf may be used alongside typical South Asian spices.

The main ingredient that usually accompanies the spices is chicken, lamb or Goat meat meat; special varieties might use beef or seafood instead. The dish may be served with dahi chutney, dahi chutney, or other accompaniments to soothe the biryani and lower the heat from the spices in the biryani. Other sides include seekh kebab, Qorma, curry, a sour dish of aubergine ( brinjal), , and salad.

• In a pakki biryani, the rice, marinated meat, and any vegetables are partially ("three-quarters") cooked separately, before being combined into layers in a cooking vessel. Different layers of rice may be treated with different spices (e.g., with dissolved saffron or turmeric to give the rice different colours and flavours). The contents are then Baking to complete the cooking and allow the flavours to combine. Alternatively, the components may be fully cooked, and then simply combined by layering before serving.
• In a kacchi biryani, layers of raw marinated meat are alternated in layers with wet, pre-soaked, raw rice (which may be treated with different spices as above), and cooked together by baking, or medium-to-low direct heat (typically, for at least an hour). Cooking occurs by a process of steaming from the ingredients' own moisture: the cooking vessel's lid is sealed (traditionally, with a strip of wheat dough) so that steam cannot escape (proper dum pukht).

A yoghurt-based marinade at the bottom of the cooking pot provides additional flavour and moisture. Potatoes often comprise the bottom layer (a technique also used in Iranian cuisine), because, with their natural moisture content, they brown well with less risk of getting burned accidentally. The lid is not opened until the dish is ready to serve. Kacchi biryani is technically much more demanding and time-consuming than pakki biryani, for the following reasons:

* The different ingredients—meat, rice, vegetables—have different cooking times: tender cuts of meat/chicken can be fully cooked well before the rice is done. To prevent this, many kacchi recipes use parboiled (semi-cooked) rice rather than raw rice.

* If direct heat is used, there is a risk that the food layer in contact with the vessel bottom may get burned while the interior's contents are still raw. This risk is minimized by sustained baking with moderate heat or very slow cooking on low direct heat. This approach, however, increases cooking time considerably.

* One method is cooking the dish "blind", with the cooking vessel sealed, so one cannot monitor the cooking progress—it takes expertise and understanding of the raw foods used, the heat required to cook those raw foods, and how the climate can affect the cooking process. Hence making kacchi biryani requires a seasoned hand.

Some have taken the name of the shop that sells it, for example: Haji Biriyani, Haji Nanna Biriyani in Old Dhaka, Fakhruddin Biriyani in Dhaka, Students biryani in Karachi, Lucky biryani in Bandra, Mumbai and Baghdadi biryani in Colaba, Mumbai. Biryanis are often specific to the Muslim communities where they originate; they are usually the defining dishes of those communities.

The Ambur/Vaniyambadi biryani is often accompanied by dhalcha, a sour brinjal curry, and pachadi or Raita (sliced onions mixed with plain yogurt, tomato, chilies, and salt). It is known to have a distinctive aroma and is considered light on the stomach. The usage of spice is moderate, and curd is used as a gravy base. It also utilizes a higher ratio of meat to rice. Ambur-style biryani is popular as a street food all across South India.

Though similar to those in Thalassery, this biryani differs with lingering after-notes of mashed onions laced with garlic. A few chilies and spices littered with curry leaves lends a unique flavour to Bhatkali biryani. No oil is used.

Another variety common among the Navayath mainly involves rice vermicelli being used as a substitute for rice, therefore lending this biryani the name shayya or shayyo as a result of its use. Like many other recipes, the meat, typically chicken, is first cooked with spices and yoghurt, with the vermicelli and fried onions being added later.

The meat is marinated with a blend of spices, including ginger, garlic, red chili powder, cumin, garam masala, fried onions, and curd, enhancing its rich flavor. This biryani is also referred to as kachay gosht ki biryani or dum biryani, as the marinated meat is slow-cooked with fragrant, short-grained rice under dum (sealed, slow-cooking method) to enhance its aroma and taste. The dish is cooked on a low flame using the dum method, allowing the flavors to infuse deeply, resulting in a rich, aromatic biryani.

Each part of Delhi has its own style of biryani, often based on its original purpose, thus giving rise to Nizamuddin biryani, Shahjahanabad biryani, and others. Nizamuddin biryani usually had little expensive meat and spices as it was primarily meant to be made in bulk for offering at the Nizamuddin Dargah shrine and thereafter to be distributed to devotees. A non- dum biryani, using many green chillies, popularized by the Babu Shahi Bawarchi shops located outside the National Sports Club in Delhi, is informally called Babu Shahi biryani. Another version of Delhi biryani uses achaar (pickles) and is called achaari biryani.

The meat is flavoured with ginger, garlic, turmeric, Chili pepper, cumin, coriander powder, and considerable amounts of onion and tomato. It is first cooked in a thick curry and then cooked along with rice. It is then cooked dum pukht-style (the Indian method of steaming in a covered pot). It has a distinct flavour of tomatoes, jeera and dhania.

Kalyani biryani is supposed to have originated in Bidar during the reign of the Kalyani , who migrated to Hyderabad in the mid-18th century after one of the Nawabs, Ghazanfur Jang, married into the Asaf Jahi family and united their realms. Kalyani biryani was served by the Kalyani Nawabs to all of their subjects who came from Bidar to Hyderabad and stayed or visited their devdi or noble mansion.

The easily distinguishable aspect of this biryani is in its serving. A banana leaf is cut in half and tempered, and the meat, rice and gravy are all placed together in a particular fashion on its surface, involving some herbs and birista (fried onions). Additional accompaniments may include eggs and coconut chutney. After assembly, the biryani is wrapped within the leaf and steamed. Due to the manner in which it is cooked and served, this is most likely ideal to be consumed by only one person.

As a pakki type of biryani, the Thalassery biryani uses a small-grained thin (not round) fragrant variety of rice known as khyma or jeerakasala. The Dum pukht method of preparation is applied to avoid scorched rice.

In Kerala, another variety called beef biryani is well known.