Great Indian Food: The Great Flavor Of Chicken Biriyani
Biryani is a rice based dish that includes meat or vegetables as the main ingredient. Lots of herbs and spices go into preparing Biryani and the meat and vegetables are encrusted and cooked. Biryani in Persian means cooking and roasting and the word Biryani is derived from the same.
Biryani stemmed from Persia and the legend has it that the nomads and tribals carried loads of rice and meat on their extended trips and they started the culture of layering rice and meat and cooking them as one after smattering plenty of nuts and dry herbs. The customary approach consisted of cooking and simmering the combination under fire and then burying it in sand for a long time before the dish was deemed ready. The traditional form of Biryani has since then been improvised and modernized according to convenience
Biryani has taken various forms since then, and gone on to become a gourmet dish, that has been evolved and fine-tuned to such an extent, that now one comes across at least 50 varieties of Biryanis. I may be wrong there, as the number may be greater.
Biryani has meat and rice as its basic elements. The rest of the ingredients, differ based on the type and style of the Biryani being cooked.
Hyderabad in India is known as the Biryani capital of the world. There are fascinating styles of Biryanis cooked here at various diners. Few of those recipes are tightly protected by restaurants and families, as they have been handed down through several generations. The Mughals brought Biryani with them when they invaded India. It is one of the many influences that came to India with the Mughals and became particularly popular here and with time have further evolved. It also took on some local flavors to suit the spice loving Indians.
A good Biryani consists of well cooked meat and the right blend of spices and herbs, cooked together with rice. The Rice and Meat is never combined while cooking. They are both cooked separately. The final stage of the cooking consists of layering the two alternatively and generally cooked either in an oven or on traditional wood fire, using low heat.
For more details on the numerous varieties of chicken biryani please look at the ifood community at chicken biriyani Those interested in vegetable biriyani can take a look at vegetable biryani