
This very tasty recipe has its origins in Persia. The story goes that the tribals and nomads carried some dried meat and rice with them during their travels, and they layered the rice and the meat and added some dry herbs and nuts and allow it to simmer on a wood fire for a short time and later buried it in the sand for a few hours, after which the dish was deemed ready. It was a pretty straightforward mode of preparing Biryani those days, utilizing nature and her resources.
Biryani has taken a number of 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 essential elements. The rest of the ingredients, differ based on the type and style of the Biryani being cooked.
There are many varieties of Biryani within India with each city having its own style, but perhaps Biryani from Hyderabad is the most famous of the lot. Believe it or not, a few of the biryani recipes are intensely guarded by restaurants and families across generations. Biryani was infact brought to India by the Mughals which was then improvised by the local Indians to suit their spice craving.
A great Biryani consists of nicely cooked meat and the right mix of spices and herbs, baked together with rice. The Rice and Meat is not mixed while cooking. They’re both cooked independently. The final phase of the cooking consists of layering the two alternatively and usually cooked either in an oven or on conventional wood fire, using gentle heat.
For additional details on the many types of chicken biriyani please check out the ifood community at chicken biryani Those interested in vegetable biryani recipes can take a look at vegetable biryani

September 4th, 2010
Roland Dsouza
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