Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Moradabadi, Thalappakatti are fine, but have you heard of the Lockdowni Biryani?
I wasn’t around when the potato was first put in the biryani in Metiabruz & am not sure about how the Nawab reacted to it. The Lockdowni Biryani though was born in the #finelychoppedkitchen kitchen, so AMA.
This story dates back to the second month of the first Covid 19 pandemic lockdown. We were confined to our homes with no contact with the outside world. Left to fend for ourselves and this included prepping and cooking for every meal. And washing up after that!
There were times when I missed the old normal I confess. Especially a good biryani. They say that cricket is an emotion in India. To me, it’s the biryani! When had at Shiraz or Aminia, it meant I was back home in Kolkata. At Lucky, Bandra… in the city I’ve called home for two decades. At Shadab, Shah Ghouse, Wahid’s, Idris, Lallaji’s, Dindigul or Star, I was Bourdain as I tucked into my plate of khayali pulao.
Here’s the thing. While I can talk endlessly about biryani & finish many plates of it… I had never made one before.
Restaurants were shut, home chefs were yet to storm the Bastille and win hearts across India. I was reconciled to a life sans biryani. Till history was made one night.
I’d marinated some chicken in dahi, ginger & garlic paste, garam masala & sliced onions that evening and grilled it in the oven for dinner. I’d parboiled some rice for a pulao.
I spotted a matka, which had once come home bearing a Dum Pukht Awadhi biryani, in the kitchen.
Suddenly memories from the gulleys of Lucknow flashed in front of my eyes. I was in a spell. I put the grilled chicken and parboiled rice in layers in the matka. Poured the jus that had come out while grilling the chicken on it it. Added salt, garam masala, Jharna ghee, saffron and green chillies. Crowned the matka with a stainless steel lid and placed the pestle from the mortar set I’d once dragged back from Chiang Mai, on it and put the the matka back on the gas hob for 5 minutes.
The result was a satisfying pot of biryani that I welcomed with a hug. The PM would be happy. I was finally #atmanirbhar when it came to #biryani!
