Chicken, mutton, beef or vegetarian, with spices, mint, coriander, onions, yoghurt
Also known as biryani, biryani or biriyani, this is a South Asian rice dish with an origin in the Indian subcontinent. The ingredients vary, but always include meat (chicken, mutton or beef), a mixture of spices, mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onions, and yoghurt.
A savoury chicken and rice dish that includes layers of chicken, rice, and aromatics that are steamed together. The bottom layer of rice absorbs all the chicken juices as it cooks, giving it a tender texture and rich flavour, while the top layer of rice turns out white and fluffy. In the Biryani, you’ll find whole cuts of juicy chicken bursting with flavour from the potent array of spices, herbs, and aromatics it’s marinated in.
These ingredients are combined with meat and marinated for at least half a day, and then cooked together with rice, fried onions, and coriander leaves. The meat and spices will eventually flavour the rice to give a fabulous aroma and taste.
Biryani has a strong savoury taste. This is brought about by frying onions and other Indian spices like garam masala before the rice is added. The other ingredients, such as meat, are also fried in these spices before rice and liquid are added.
If you feel hungry but don’t want anything too spicy, then a biryani could be the way to go. This rice dish is packed full of tasty Indian flavours. How hot is a biryani? Well, you are about to find out the answer. I’ll tell you what’s in it, what it tastes like and what you can expect when you order or make your own!
Biryani is definitely a relatively mild Indian dish. If you were to put it on a hotness scale with 10 being ridiculously hot and 1 being mild, biryani normally sits somewhere in the range of a 3. Unlike curries, this isn’t a saucy dish. In fact, biryani is predominantly made of rice. This rice is fried and mixed with other ingredients like onions, meat and Indian spices. It’s a really filling and tasty dish.
What is Biryani?
Biryani is a rice-based dish served as part of the main meal in Indian cuisine. Plain white rice, this definitely isn’t. Instead, basmati rice is fried in a blend of oils and spices. Consider it a little like an Indian pilaf.
It is normally made with a few vegetables, such as onions, peppers and peas. You will often find meat added to the dish, but this can also be substituted for vegetables.
There is some debate over where the name ‘biryani’ comes from. The Persian word for rice is birinj which sounds sort of similar. However, the Persian word for fry is biryani. Luckily for us, biryani is made with rice and fried, so both could be correct!
Find the restaurants in Zambia that serve biryani on their menu.
