29 March,2025 08:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Phorum Pandya
Ahmed specialises in biryani with Rampuri and Mughlai influences. Pic/Shahla Ahmed
The eyes of Sayed Safar Ali, 84-year-old owner of Lucky Restaurant, light up when we tell him we want to speak about biryani. "Making biryani is art, not science. The word biryani comes from the Persian word âbiryan'. When it came to the Mughals, they called it biryani. In the early days, few Mughlai restaurants in Bombay served biryani. Lucky, which opened in 1938, was one of them," he says with pride. The restaurant serves Mughlai biryani, a version passed down from the court of Mughal emperors. "Memoni biryani is similar, just a bit generous with the oil," Ali points out.
Hyderabadi, Lucknowi and Kolkata biryanis are the most popular versions. "The most sophisticated version comes from Lucknow. "The people of Lucknow like nothing better than to eat and be happy. They perfected the art of biryani, their recipe leaning towards a more fragrant style. Hyderabadi is spicier, with bold masalas. Kolkata, with the addition of egg and potatoes is overall mild" says Ali. Biryani is highly dependent on the hands that make it.
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Sayed Safar Ali with a plate of chicken biryani. Pic/Satej Shinde
"Vegetable, mutton, chicken or fish are marinated in curd and masalas are mixed in. The last addition is of birista or fried onions, Ali explains. "When a biryani is sealed in atta, it is called dum cooking. This ensures the right temperature fed from above and under so it cooks evenly. There is a right time to put the masala as well, says Ali. "The right time to put the masala in the marinade. It has to be introduced before putting the par-boiled rice," Ali signs off.
Consultant chef Sadaf Hussain's recent book, Masala Mandi, has over 50 types of biryani masala blends. "One is from Assam. While I have been corrected that Assam doesn't have a [traditional] biryani, I wanted to add a version for representation," says Hussain, who loves Delhi's achari biryani made with the addition of pickle. Another version is his mother's recipe that combines Hyderabadi and Kolkata flavours.
Chef Sadaf Hussain
"When in Mumbai, I savour the Bombay biryani, especially the local ones. My top picks are Noor Mohammadi and Biryani by Kilo. I make a version using Shan Masala," he adds. While biryani in the north of India is made from long-grained Basmati rice, south India uses shorter-grained rice like Kaima or jeerakasala. "Due to the popularity of North Indian biryani, many institutes in South India have switched to Basmati," says Hussain.
Deciphering the methods of biryani making, he adds, "Hyderabad has a version of biryani with kacche gosht (raw meat). The meat is cooked after it is marinated in masalas for around 24 hours. It is added to the pot or vessel below the rice for cooking. On the other hand, Lucknowi and Kolkata biryani is usually a pakke gosht ki biryani. This means you first make the chicken or mutton korma and then you're layering it up with rice. Here, the elders and the purest would add rice at the bottom [layer] first and then meat.
While the definitions will divide biryani into regional pockets, homestyle serves merge the borders for a personal, fuller taste. Shahla Ahmed, a caterer in Delhi, who specialises in Rampuri and Mughlai cuisine and runs Khaalaa's Kitchen, says the best biryani is one that has been elevated keeping family traditions and taste palates in mind.
"My father had a typical way of making biryani, and when I started experimenting, I made it as per my taste. My version of the recipe has Nizami influences, along with the addition of saffron that gives it an Irani touch. I was a picky eater. I don't like elaichi or mint leaves in my bite. I grind my own masala."
South India has a robust list of biryanis that resemble meat and rice in curry made moist with the addition of tomato and onions. While the donne biryani of Karnataka is spicy and aromatic, and served in a pouch which lends it its name; Dindigul biryani of Tamil Nadu is dark brown with tender meat; Thalassery or Malabar version of Kerala is a mild dum biryani.
Sarah Jacob Nair of Nair on Fire swears by her mum's biryani. "She has taken several influences as she lived across the state. It is greenish like a donne or a Dindigul, but a milder Kerala style with gentler masala of nutmeg, mace and shahi jeera," says Jacob. On the menu, she has a homestyle pothichoru-style biryani. Traditionally, a pothichoru is a food packed in banana leaf for a journey. "It has sabzi, curry, chutney, omelette and chicken. Our biryani too, doesn't have distinct layers, but is a mish-mashed serving. For Eid, we are offering a Malabar dum biryani," she says.
Kerala also has variations like a rowther biryani from Palakkad and manjali biryani from Kochi. "Fish biryani doesn't take certain masalas as well as chicken and mutton. We do a minimal seasoning of garam masalas, more pepper," Nair elaborates.
Chef Mukhtar Qureshi of Waarsa at NCPA, Nariman Point, simplifies the difference. "In pulao, vegetables are tempered with rice but without dum (slow cooking). In some parts of Delhi, pulao is made with proper dum, but in Gujarat, Kolkata, and Rajasthan, it is cooked directly. Think of pulao as similar to Chinese fried rice," he laughs.
Vegetable biryani. Pics Courtesy/Waarsa
He also acknowledges the much-debated concept of vegetarian biryani. "The most popular vegetarian biryani was Pulao buchi from Kashmir. In Kerala and Rampur, it is made with kathal [jackfruit]. In Gujarat, biryani can have a sweet touch, but in Kolkata, there is no vegetarian biryani - only vegetarian pulao," he explains.
Mukhtar Qureshi
At Waarsa, Qureshi serves a Lucknowi vegetable biryani with saffron, as well as one made with kathal, both cooked using proper dum. "It is just as good as our mutton biryani," he signs off.
>> Lucky
AT Junction of SV Road & Hill Road, Bandra West.
CALL 919820066471
>> Noor Mohammadi
AT Wazir Building, Bhendi Bazar.
CALL 23456008
>> Biryani by Kilo
LOG ON TO biryanibykilo.com
CALL 18002122212
>> Nair on Fire
CALL 9324059522
LOG ON TO @naironfire on Instagram
>> Waarsa
AT NCPA Marg, Nariman Point.
CALL 9594943555
>> Shalimar
AT Mohammed Ali Road, Bhendi Bazaar.
CALL 69098888
>> Go Biryan!
CALL 9152848844
LOG ON TO gobiryan.dotpe.in
>> Jafferbhai
AT Pathe Bapurao Marg, Grant Road East; Dadar and Bandra.
CALL 23875656
>> Oh! Calcutta
AT Shop 99/C, Tardeo; multiple outlets (Andheri and Vashi)
CALL 8356905158
