As a young child, I always wanted to try all the different "cool" foods the kids at my school had for lunch, like macaroni and cheese, pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. As I grew older, however, my palate started to change and I became quite fond of my mother's rich-flavored, aromatic, South Asian cooking. One of my favorite Desi dishes is my mother's biryani, a meal that magically relieves all my tension and stress.
Biryani is a mixed rice dish popular in South Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. However, its exact origins remain unknown. Some people think that it was brought to South Asia by the Mughals (a group of Turkic peoples), who ruled the Indian Subcontinent from the 16th to the 18th century. Others have said that biryani is derived from pulao, a similar rice dish reportedly brought to South India by Muslim traders. Whatever its origin, biryani is now a staple in Desi cuisine and can be seen in many Desi restaurants all over the world.