Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most celebrated and popular biryani dishes and one of my personal favourites.For those unaccustomed with Indian cuisine, biryani is a one-pot dish in which rice is seasoned with a variety of aromatic spices and mixed with meat, fish or vegetables. In traditional biryani preparation the rice is mixed in a dish with precooked meat and vegetables and then baked in an oven.
As the name suggests, Hyderabadi Biryani hails from the historic state of Hyderabad, located in the south-central region of the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, Hyderabadi cuisine was renowned throughout the subcontinent for its exuberance and innovation and the biryani dishes that sprang from the region were no exception. Hyderabadi cuisine emphasises the use of ingredients that are meticulously selected, and stresses the importance of preparing the dishes at the right temperature and for certain amounts of time. Hyderabadi dishes are known for being incredibly full in flavour and Hyderabadi chefs pride themselves on their use and knowledge of a wide variety of rich and aromatic spices.
Like many biryani dishes, the Hyderabadi variants trace their origins to the Mughal Empire and have strong influences from Persian cuisine. The Mughal Empire was a large Persinate Empire that ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 14th Century to the mid-19th Century. It is thought that the biriyani was first brought to Hyderabad during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The Mughals appointed “Nizams” to act as viceroys over Hyderabad, and when Mughal control of the region collapsed in 1724 the Nizams ruled over Hyderabad as sovereign rulers. It was under the reign of the Nizams that the Hyderabadi biryani was truly born and refined to the world class delicacy we know today. The Nizams of Hyderabad were well known for being patrons of art, literature and culture, but were especially known for their love of fine food. The Nizams frequently threw spectacular banquets and the kitchens in their court were known for preparing and perfecting a wide variety of rich and elaborate dishes, with the Hyderbadi variations of biryani being the most prominent dishes developed during this period.
There are two main variants of Hyderabadi biryani; Kachchi Gosht Ki Biryani and Pakki Biryani. Kachchi Gosht Ki Biryani or Ghosth Dum Biryani, as it is alternatively known, is prepared by marinating succulently spiced pieces of meat and then soaking in yoghurt overnight. The meat is then mixed with long grain basmati rice and slowly cooked with traditional clay apparatus. With Pakki Biryani, the meat is marinated for a shorter amount of time and is then cooked with the seasoned rice in a dough-sealed vessel.
