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When we ordered a mutton biryani at Shadab restaurant, “delight in every bite!” – in Hyderabad, all I could see was a chopped pyramid of rice heading towards us on a silver platter.
But then, the ingredients became visible: lushly perfumed chunks of lamb, with a kaleidoscopic range of flavors (roasted onions, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and cumin seeds, among them) served with a garnish called mirchi ka salan, a chili and peanut. curry mix.
No one knows the origin of biryani, but it is assumed to have arrived with the Mughal conquerors from Central Asia, where it was later refined in the Muslim kingdoms of Lucknow in northern India and Hyderabad in southern India.
There are lively debates about which offers the best version, and Hyderabad usually wins the argument.
Food historian Jonty Rajagopalan believes that “the secret is in the marinating of the meat.”
An Indian star: Bruce Palling travels to Hyderabad (pictured) in southern India and discovers some of its best biryani places
Bruce visits Hyderabad’s Falaknuma Palace (pictured), which serves biryani at its flagship restaurant
Next important thing is how the meat, usually lamb, is seasoned and how it is layered between the rice.
Both are cooked together, sometimes with the skin of the green papaya to soften it.
We start with some of the more aristocratic versions of biryani.
This requires a short trip to Falaknuma Palace, a grand classical mansion on a rock citadel overlooking Hyderabad.
It is a former palace of the Nizam, the ruler of the region until India’s independence and who at one time was considered the richest person in the world.
Food historian Jonty Rajagopalan believes that “the secret” to making the best biryani “lies in the marinating of the meat.” In the photo: Charminar in Hyderabad, the region said to offer the best services
“No one knows the origin of biryani, but it is assumed that it arrived with the Mughal conquerors of Central Asia,” writes Bruce (archive image)
At their flagship restaurant, each biryani comes in its own circular silver container with a chapati-like lid as tight as a drum skin sealed along the edges with dough.
Once broken, spices and lamb aromas are released.
Hyderabad’s most popular biryani restaurant chain is Paradise, ‘the world’s favorite biryani’, with nearly 30 outlets.
The main branch, near Hyderabad’s Sunshine Hospital, has posters of famous Indian personalities on the walls, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
Some claim that Paradise biryani is too spicy to be called authentic. But it is excellent value for money at just over £3.
Even further down the culinary pecking order, the curiously named Saddam Hotel Restaurant serves hundreds of biryani dishes daily in huge steaming pots for just over 50p a plate.
Paradise is the most popular biryani restaurant chain in Hyderabad. Bruce dines at the main branch (pictured) near Hyderabad’s Sunshine Hospital.
Above, posters of famous Indian personalities on the walls of Paradise’s main location.
We then headed to the legendary Shadab, where about 200 people were seated in padded leatherette booths with fans whirring overhead.
Everyone looked for bite-sized portions of lamb, wrapped them around the rice, and ate them with their fingers.
After my first bite I realized that my search for the perfect biryani was over. This was.