10 Kinds Of Biriyani You Must Try If You Claim To Be A Foodie

The food of the Nawabs, Biriyani, is something everyone lusts for at the mere mention of the name. You might swear by the kind of Biriyani cooked at your part of the country, but the taste differs from state to state. While they do make Lucknow Biriyani in Hyderabad and vice versa, the tastes are hardly authentic once the dish is served out of its local proximity.

As a Biriyiani connoisseur, we take up the responsibility of bringing you, if not the food itself, an enticing list of some of the best kinds of Biriyani found in the different parts of our country.

1. The Lucknow Biriyani

Also known as the Awadhi Biriyani, this is the style that was preferred by the Nawabs of Lucknow. The meat and the rice are cooked separately in spiced up water and are then layered slowly in a sealed container, a method known as dum pakht.

This particular kind of Biriyani is cooked with exotic spices and the flavor is beguiling because of the unique ingredients such as cardamon, Kashmiri red chilies, saffron, cumin seeds etc. Try to feel a spoonful of basmati rice softened with fresh made raita on your tongue while the slight smell of ghee adores your nostrils.

 

2. The Calcutta Biriyani

The drool inducing Calcutta Biriyani owes its roots to the Awadhi style but it has evolved in its own style over time. The Awadhi Biriyani came to Bengal with Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s personal cook. However, the poor people of Bengal could not afford meat and they used to cook the rice with potatoes instead.

The idea of putting potatoes in Biriyani caught on and today, it’s one of the distinctive features of Calcutta Biriyani. One of the lesser spicy preparations of Biriyani, it uses nutmeg, cinnamon, maces and cardamon to make the yoghurt base in which the meat is cooked. Its light yellow, sweet and the distinctive smell caused by saffron will draw you towards it from miles.

 

3. Hyderabadi Biriyani

One of the most popular kinds of Biriyani in the country, the Hyderabadi Biriyani is a mix of Andhra and Mughal cooking style. Traditionally cooked with goat, basmati rice and spices, Hyderabadi Biriyani has many variants. It is often cooked with pudina, corriander leaves, fried onions and served with raita and the meat is generally cut into smaller pieces.

The Kachay Gosht Biriyani, also known as the Dum Biriyani, is a very popular variant of the Hyderabadi style of cooking Biriyani, which is slow cooked on fire that gives it a a strong aromatic and fragrant flavor.

 

4. Sindhi Biriyani

Sindhi Biriyani originated from the Sindh Province of Pakistan and it is one of the most popular dishes in the country. The basic method of preparing Sindhi Biriyani is the same as any other variant but the key ingredient used is sour yogurt. It is often cooked with fried onions, chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilies.

The Biriyani is quite rich in taste because of the saffron threads which are generally soaked in milk. Traditionally the Biriyani is cooked with lamb or goat but beef is also very popular when it comes to Sindhi Biriyani.

 

5. The Palakkad Rawther Biryani

Cooked in the God’s own country, Kerala, the Palakkad Biriyani is very popular among the Muslim community called Rawther in the state and also in some parts of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The meat could be of lamb, goat or beef and they are also served with eggs.

The interesting part of the Biriyani is the Kaichar, which is a non-vegetarian gravy and the Thair Chuthney (made of curd) that are served with the dish. A lot of tomatoes and Kashmiri red chilies goes into the making of this delicious Biriyani which gives it a red color. It is often made with Jeerakasala rice, which adds to the aroma of the dum rice Biriyani.

 

6. The Thallassery Biriyani

Cooked mostly with chicken and beef in some occasions, the Thallassery Biriyani uses a kind of of rice called Khyma. The Biriyani is generally on the sweeter side with little chillie used in the preparation. The rice is mixed with ghee and a range of other ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, sultana raisins, mace, cinnamon, cashew nuts, fennel-cumin seeds etc. are used to enhance the taste of this South Indian variety of Biriyani.

The chicken is specially dressed and poured raw into the masala without using any oil. The Thallassery Biriyani is the result of the amalgamation of the Mughals and the people of Malabar, Kerala.

 

7. The Ambur Biriyani

This is one kind of Biriyani where you would find more meat than rice. Served with a sour brinjal curry and raita, known as Pachadi, the Ambur Biriyani has a very distinctive aroma to it. it is also one of the lightest variants of Biriyani you would find which is easy on your stomach. Cooked with moderate spices and served with a gravy base of curd, the Ambur Biriyani is very popular in towns of Ambur and Vaniyambadi in Vellore as well as in Tamil Nadu.

The Biriyani originated in South India during the 1890’s under the rule of the Nawabs of Arcots and today it is one of the most popular dishes found in major South Indian cities like Chennai and Bangalore.

 

8. The Bombay Biriyani

It is an aromatic Biriyani which is prepared with fried potatoes, various Indian spices and generally, chicken. It is rich in taste and loaded with spices. The splash of Kewra essence makes the dish all the more mouth watering and the rice is generally yellow in color.

The preparation generally requires dried plums and fried onions for the distinctive Bombay Biriyani flavor and many people prefer to use milk soaked saffron to get the yellow or orangish color associated to this particular variety of Biriyani. The meat is marinated in coriander, green chilies lemon juice and mint which sets it apart from the rest.

 

9. The Memoni Biriyani

One of the spiciest varieties if Biriyani, Memoni is a style of preparing Biriyani in Gujarat-Sindh area. Often prepared with lamb, fried potatoes, onions, and yogurt, Memoni Biriyani limits the use of added coloring to minimum. This lets the rich color of the rice, meat and the key ingredients come out naturally giving an authentic look to the dish.

Memoni Biriyani has a lot of similarities with the Sindhi Biriyani of Pakistan except for the added coloring. Introduced by the Memons, a Muslim community of the Northern Subcontinent of the country, Memoni Biriyani is one of the most popular dishes in the Gujarat-Sindh area.

 

10. The Kalyani Biriyani

This one’s is from Hyderabad and it is almost like Hyderabadi Biriyani sans rich ingredients used in it. Therefore, Kalyani Biriyani is often referred to as the “Poor Man’s Hyderabadi Biriyani”. The meat of the Biriyani is often prepared with coriander powder, red chili, ginger, turmeric, onion and tomato. First, a thick curry is cooked and then, the rice is added to it.

Small cubes of beef, a whole lot of tomatoes and regular spices goes into the preparation of the Kalyani Biriyani. It’s quite popular in Hyderabad as a tasty, less rich and cheaper alternative to the original Hyderabadi Biriyani,

Here’s hoping to taste each before our time is done!

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