Biryani Archives - Plush Ink

Best biryani in Hyderabad, as picked by the city with longest name’s top foodies

“The best biryani you could have in Hyderabad is at a Hyderabadi wedding. The catch is that you have to be invited to one. It is unlike any commercial biryani you get in the city with longest name. Cooked Kachhi Akhani-style, the raw meat is cooked with layered rice over a woodfire, so the rice soaks in all the flavour during the cooking process. The biryani at Mak’s Kitchen is as close to a Hyderabadi wedding biryani as possible. The rice is aromatic and the meat is juicy and tender. It is simply mind blowing.” Ahmed Ashfaq
Address: Mak’s Kitchen, 10-3-76, 4th Floor, Above KFC, opposite pillar no 3, Pvnr Expressway, Mehdipatnam Rd, Jyothi Nagar, Humayun Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Meridian Restaurant

“The best spots are actually Hyderabadi weddings, because biryani can’t be made in small portions. It needs to be made in big quantities. What you get in restaurants is commercial biryani. But a spot I love for commercial biryani is Meridien. It’s a small restaurant in Panjagutta, and is as close as one can get to authentic mutton biryani.” Shaaz Mehmood

“Meridien hotel at Punjagutta has been my favourite for many years. The consistency has been too good and they have not changed the taste, the portion size or the quantity of meat over the years. As a result it is a place that I recommend to everyone and anyone. Per legend, Meridian was supposedly started by a butcher who had his shop on the same lane where the biryani shop is. This reflects in the cuts of meat used in the biryani and makes it stand out from the others. Also, the cook who makes the biryani has been here for over two decades now and has been using the same recipe without changing one thing and that makes it perfectly consistent.” Mohd Zubair Ali, food blogger

“Meridian serves the quintessential OG Hyderabadi Kache Ghosht ka Biryani. The archetypical outcome of whole spices, fried onions, great marination and dum. This is not the fancy descendant of the Nizami Bawarchikhana but the flavour packed “people’s biryani”. It’s an old school Irani restaurant.”** Chaitanya Muppala**
Address: Meridian Restaurant, 6-3-697, 1, Mumbai Hwy, RTC Cross Road, Punjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Biryaniwalla & Co

“For the past several years, my answer to the best biryani in Hyderabad has been Biryaniwalla & Co. A good plate of biryani is contingent on an astounding number of factors, from the tenderness of the meat to the aroma to the ratio of each layer that the server scoops from the handi. On a good day, there are many places that can match, or even excel, Biryaniwalla in those things. However, the consistency with which the latter gets things right makes it a top pick. Order the double gosht biryani as its regular servings are very economical with a good quantity of meat.” Pallab De

“Without a doubt, this is one of my favourite places in Hyderabad for biryani—especially mutton biryani. This place has very rarely disappointed me and the dish is very consistent here. It’s also very fragrant. That’s a major plus, considering how saffron is seldom used these days due to increasing costs. I’d say Biryaniwalla is one of those places where biryani is closer to the traditional biryani we are served at weddings (which, by the way, is a big compliment around here).” Yunus Lasania
Address: Plot No 100, Banjara Hills Rd Number 3, Beside TV9 office, SBI Executive Enclave, Green Valley, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Bawarchi Restaurant

Source link

Best biryani in Kolkata according to the city with longest name’s foodies

The great Indian biryani is far from a singular entity. Across the country, it takes different forms, changing spice levels, consistency and cooking styles. The Kolkata biryani is unique because it’s mildly spiced, light and easy on the palate, unlike, say, the spicy Hyderabadi biryani. And, along with meat, the Kolkata biryani’s hero is also the potato. Historically, meat was something only upper classes could afford. So, potatoes and eggs were added to the Kolkata biryani for more flavour, texture and nutrition. It is also believed when Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, came to Kolkata after the British took control of his lands in the 19th century, he lacked the resources to feed his people. So, to cut costs, meat in biryani was replaced with potatoes.

Unlike other Indian biryanis, which are eaten with salan or raita, the Kolkata biryani is a meal in itself, and needs no accompaniment. Many, however, many swear by the combination of biryani and chaap—slow cooked meat, in a luscious gravy. It’s a great spicy companion to the otherwise mellow biryani. As one of the most popular dishes in Kolkata, it also has a fan following to match. We spoke to some of the biggest foodies in Kolkata to get their pick of the best biryani in the city with longest name.

Best biryani in Kolkata

Arsalan, multiple outlets

“This is the “OG” biryani of my childhood and has the best flavour-to-grease ratio, says content professional and writer Toonika Guha. “The mutton biryani is my favourite. The meat always falls off the bone and the aloo makes it all the more special. Although most people believe that the biryani at all Arsalan outlets is the same, I have found that the one in Chinar Park makes the best biryani. Paired with their chicken chaap, it’s a meal made in heaven.”

“There are two types of Kolkatans: the ones who swear by Arsalan and the rest,” says food and travel writer Malini Banerjee. “Started in 2002, Arsalan is by no means the first biryani joint in the city with longest name but it is by far the most popular and not without reason. The original store in Park Circus still has serpentine queues, come rain, hail or shine. There are regulars who dine there twice a day. They have managed to strike a perfect balance between spiced rice, mutton that falls from the bone and well-cooked aloo that absorbs all the flavour. Everyone has their favourite Arsalan outlet, of course, and that one guy at the door who you’re supposed to caution with ‘Boti theek se dena’. It is the comfort, familiarity and the taste that remains the same day after day that makes Arsalan my top pick for biryani. I was once scoffed at as a “typical South Kolkata girl” for picking Arsalan as the best and to them I say, ‘Keep your biryanis with their overpowering usage of kewra water and meetha attar, I am keeping my well-balanced Arsalan’,”.

New Aliah Hotel, Bentinck St.

“This is another dear favourite for me, more out of nostalgia than anything else,” Banerjee says. “New Aliyah Hotel (31, Bentinck St, Mission Row Extension, Esplanade, Chowringhee North, Bow Barracks; call 9073331491) is known to most who have at some point worked in Kolkata’s CBD. It’s an old-school, no-frills restaurant with quick service, and it’s also easy on the pocket. They still have discreet curtained tables meant for ladies or families, but as a raucous group of women journalists out for a quick meal, my friends and I never really bothered. Their biryani feels lighter and the rice is not so thickly flavoured with masala that it overpowers your taste buds. Do give their rezalas a try if you want something even lighter.”

Shiraz Golden Restaurant, Park Street

Shiraz (35, Park St, behind Neuro Science Hospital, Park Circus, Beniapukur; call 8585007649) is among the oldest biryani joints in Kolkata, and also among the best-known. “Their biryani is extremely delicate. Their biryani, mutton pasinda and mutton chaap is possibly one of the best food combinations you will have in Kolkata,” says food writer Poorna Banerjee.

Dada Boudi Biryani, Barrackpore

Dada Boudi (12/10, S.N. Bannerjee Road, Barrackpore; call 9007614830) started out in the suburbs of Kolkata back in 2001 or 2002 and quickly grew popular. “They gained popularity because the meat would be very big pieces—about 180-200gm. The potatoes are really tender, it just absorbs all the flavours from the rice and meat and becomes this umami-laden, buttery, meaty glob that you want to break into pieces and eat with the rice.” says Poorna Banerjee.

Royal Indian Restaurant, Bara Bazar

Though they are not known for their Kolkata biryani, Poorna Banerjee loves Royal Indian Restaurant’s Awadhi biryani, even though it does not have any potato. However, potato-lovers need not be disappointed. They have begun serving the Kolkata biryani as well. “If you eat their biryanis, you will realise that the flavour profiles are actually different, and the way they are sorting and parting the rice is different.”

Source link

Best biryani in Delhi, as picked by the city with longest name’s top foodies

From Old Delhi’s tiny holes in the walls to Insta-smart delivery options, there’s evidence of Delhi’s love affair with biryani everywhere in the city with longest name. In 2021, food delivery app Zomato sent out two biryanis every two seconds, according to the company’s annual report, while rival Swiggy said it got 115 biryani orders a minute. It’s not a new phenomenon – biryani has topped the list for most ordered food in India for a few years now.

And it’s easy to understand why the dish is so popular. For one, it has so many versions – mutton, chicken, prawn, buff, vegetable, jackfruit, egg, potato – and so many styles – Awadhi, Hyderabadi, Irani, Dindigul, Malabar, Thalassery – that there is literally a biryani for everyone. There is possibly no Indian dish that has as many styles, and styles within styles, as biryani, and the capital, such a melting pot of communities, is the perfect place to try all of them. We made it easy for you by asking some of Delhi’s best and best-known chefs and restaurateurs to tell us their favourite biryani spots in the city with longest name.

Best biryani in Delhi

Aminia, CR Park

“Being a Bengali, I’d recommend the Bengali mutton biryani at Calcutta’s legendary Aminia restaurant, which has an outlet in Delhi’s CR Park (K1/52, CR Park Main Rd, near Singh Sabha Gurudwara, Block K 1, Chittaranjan Park). Their biryani comes complete with boiled eggs and potatoes, just the way Bengalis love it. My other favourite is also in CR Park, and is called Kolkata Biryani House (Shop No. 49, Market No 1, Block C, Chittaranjan Park). For flavours of Old Delhi, my top choice is Taufiq’s DilPasand Biryani and Shahi Mehfil, both in the bylanes of the Matia Mahal market. When I am ordering to dine-in, I would prefer Itminaan Biryani for their simpler mutton matka biryani or the chicken tikka matka biryani, which mixes Awadhi flavours with tikka pieces. A less spicy and reasonably priced southern-style biryani is available at Andhra Bhawan (1, Ashoka Rd, near India Gate, Pataudi House).” Ramit Mitra, chief explorer, DelhibyFoot

Dum Pukth, ITC Maurya

“As someone who grew up with the real McCoy (in Lucknow), I am extremely fussy about my biryani. I have found that people usually end up ruining the dish by overloading it with spices and flavours. But if you want to have a good Awadhi biryani in Delhi, then there is no better place than Dum Pukht at ITC Maurya ( ITC MAURYA, Sardar Patel Marg, Akhaura Block, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri). Dum Pukht continues to maintain its position as one of the best fine-dining restaurants for serving authentic Awadhi food in the capital. The biryani here is rich without being overpowering. The flavours are distinct and delicate. And the best part is that the biryani is not a bilious orange in colour. I would suggest you start your meal with their succulent kakori kebabs, then do full justice to the biryani and finally end the meal with their inimitable gulab ki kheer. For vegetarians I recommend the gucchi pulaw, which gives serious competition to the mutton biryani.” Neha Prasada, Food Writer & Author

Janpath

“Just off Janpath, there is a small road that leads to a backstreet where you will find Anand Restaurant (Scindia House, 15-96/97, Kasturba Gandhi Marg), an undiscovered place for some of the best biryani in Delhi. It’s not really a place for a date, well, not one for ambience—a bit cave-like to be honest—but with that first bite of biryani, it takes you to a better place. The chicken biryani with gravy is spicy and moist, has immense depth in flavour, and is just the best greasy food you can get in a small cardboard box.” Siddharth Mathur, Director, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, Founder-Director, Khoya Mithai

Andhra Bhavan and Jama Masjid

“If you can beat the lines on a Sunday, or the crowds of lawyers who throng the place on weekdays in between court hearings, the chunky, delicious Andhra Biryani at the cramped haven called Andhra Bhavan has made itself a staple with Delhiites.

Another favourite of mine is Dil Pasand Biryani Point (735, Haveli Azam Khan, Chitli Qabar Chowk, Jama Masjid). Started by Mohammed Taufiq, this small place in the bylanes of Jama Masjid serves up the chunkiest, tenderest buff biryani. It’s a must.” Radhika Khandelwal, Chef-owner Ivy & Bean, Fig & Maple

Bhawan

“Born and brought up in Chennai, I have always enjoyed the South Indian flavours of biryani. My favourite is the Thalassery biryani from Bhawan (@bhawandelhi on Instagram, delivery only). Short-grain rice, robust masala, and the fact that it is wrapped in banana leaf and cooked, all come together to make its flavours so unique and rich.” Jamsheed Bhote, Chef and Co-owner, Plats, Chard

Source link

Common phrases by theidioms.com