The Kolkata Biryani - My Favourite

Let me tell you something since my biryani journey started in Kolkata, I always will love, talk and show my pure passion towards Kolkata biryani, which is I am sure by now everyone knows is a bit different than any other biryani found in the country.

The history of Kolkata getting its unique biryani goes back to the age of Nawabs approx. in the era on 1856 when Wajid Ali Shah – the tenth and last nawab of Awadh. The legendary bon vivant had brought his large entourage of dancers, entertainers and khansamas — with their kitchen secrets — to Metiabruz, near Kolkata. The British had stripped him of his royal privileges, but Awadh’s culinary legacy remained the banished Nawab’s biggest treasure as he tried to recreate his beloved Lucknow in the southern fringes of the city.

The Nawab, when he arrived in Kolkata en route London — a destination he never reached — was a man of diminished means, but acutely conscious of his image. Feeding the entourage on a stipend of Rs 1 lakh per month was a challenge and the curious use of potatoes in the biryani that evolved in the kitchens of Metiabruz during this. This was the time when potatoes had just been introduced in India and were cultivated mostly in Dehradun by the British. It was exotic enough to be used in the biryani that needed some volume in the absence of enough meat. Though the concept of adding the starchy item to any dish to max its volume caught on with the Bengalis — who are prolific consumers of the potato in every form — potatoes became a staple in Bengali cuisine only much later.

The secret to the perfectly cooked golden brown potatoes – a signature of Kolkata biryani is being pricked through and tossed in hot oil for few seconds and then let it boil in a bit of salt water till it is almost cooked. For colour, add a thread or two of saffron.

The biryani korma is cooked in mustard oil and later ghee is added only after layers the rice and the korma is settled. Then comes the use of attar and kewra — both favoured by the Mughals.

The end result is stunning. The attar gives the biryani a lovely floral aroma — dominated by rose — while the kewra adds a slightly sharp note. There is no trace of mustard oil, save for the fact that each grain of the rice remains in full bloom — quite unlike the commercial biryani cooked in animal fat, which explains the wax-like layer on your fingers and on the tongue long after you have polished it off.

I am in love with this style of biryani specially the mutton version of it, but it’s difficult to find reyaji (form of mutton with lots of fat) in Mumbai. My last visit to Kolkata, June 2016, I rediscovered eating quality biryani from the evergreen Shiraz situated in Park Circus. If you are in Kolkata, I don’t need to share the best places to eat biriyani from because every corner of the streets has the best ones (remembering the red cloth over the dechki’s) but the few ones I know are as follows:

1. Arsalan (Park Circus)

2. Shiraz (Park Circus)

3. Aminia (New Market)

4. Royal Indian Restaurant (Park Circus)

Image: Shiraz (Park Circus)

If in Mumbai like me then the few ones I have tried and liked has been:

1. Peetuk (Kandivali East)

2. Hangla’s (Lokhandwala, other locations all around)

3. Bhojohori Manna ( Jogeshwari & Powai)

4. BijoliGrill (Powai)

5. Oh Calcutta (Khar, Tardeo & Lokhandwala Andheri)

I will write about the recipe of making the perfect Kolkata biryani next time until that don’t forget to tell me how your experience of having this uniquely popular version of biryani.

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