Biryani comes in many varieties and forms, depending on the cooking style, type of ingredients used, and regional tastes. The main ingredients in biryani are rice, mainly the basmati variety, and meat, such as beef, chicken, and mutton (lamb meat). The meat and rice can be cooked separately and finally mixed together (called pakki biryani), or they can be simply cooked together (kacchi biryani). Sometimes vegetables are used instead of meat to make biryani suitable for vegetarians. The rich, savory taste of biryani comes from the various types of spices used, like cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili, cardamom, and bay leaves.
The deliciousness of the biryani does not come easily. Preparing biryani, whatever cooking style is chosen (pakki or kacchi), takes about 2 to 3 hours from start to finish. One must also make sure that all the spices are being used in suitable proportions, otherwise the flavor of the biryani will be completely off. Nevertheless, if prepared right, biryani can be incredibly tantalizing to your taste buds.
Biryani: A South Asian Delicacy
by Noorhan Amani