Biryani at its Best: Food Fit for a King

The Muslims from Western Asia conquered a large part of India in the 1520s. Thus began the Mughal Empire, which ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent until the mid-nineteenth century, when it was replaced by the British Raj. The Mughals left their mark on India - not just with their amazing architecture, but also the noble and refined Mughlai cuisine, which is still eaten in Delhi and other parts of Northern India today.

Mughlai cuisine was born as a blend of Persian and Indian food and is known to be very rich and aromatic, as the preparations tend to include milk and cream and fruit and nuts. During the Mughal Dynasty, Mughlai dishes were served in grand feasts for the Mughal emperors. The cuisine includes, among other things, spicy kebabs, fragrant chicken curries, and parathas, which are bread fried in clarified butter and when done right, as flaky as the most delicious croissant. Arguably though, the most superior and the most royal Mughal dish is Biryani - a very special rice pilaf.
There are countless different kinds and regional interpretations of biryani - chicken biryani, vegetarian biryani, lamb biryani, goat biryani. One can order biryani at Indian or Pakistani restaurants in the west, but this is not the true biryani of the gods. For that, you must travel to India or Bangladesh and ideally, you must get yourself invited to a Muslim wedding.

Biryani preparation

Biryani at most wedding feasts is cooked in giant cauldrons outdoors and stirred with a very long spoon which can resemble an oar of a boat. In Bangladesh, the biryani is made with long-grain rice, meat from black goats, potatoes, prunes, rose water, saffron, and plenty of butter and cream.The meat is marinated in yogurt and spices and the assorted ingredients are layered on top of one another like in a lasagna.

The result is a golden medley of rice, meat and potato. The prunes get plumped up and caramelized, the meat is soft and satiny, and the potato - ah the potato - sweet, luscious, and no longer just a humble starch, the biryani’s potato is graduated to an almost regal status. A taste of this divine concoction and you are transported back to the Mughal courts - you are the king and your servants are fanning you with palm fronds.