Banarasi Vegetable Biryani ~ My Biryani Trail

I sat holding the hands of my Bua (paternal aunt) tightly, on the steps of the ghats of Banaras, looking into her eyes filled with love for me. I didn't want to let go of her hands let alone her entire being. I continued to take in every bit of her, from her smile, to her words to her scent, to her touch, in desperation, trying to cling on to them for eternity. I was only 12 but I could feel the pain in my young heart, pain of accepting that this might me the very last time I would ever see her. Bua was suffering from terminal cancer & we all had made that one last long train journey to Derhadun to meet her, spend time with her and say our final goodbyes.

Beary Biryani / Mangalore Beary Style Chicken Biryani / Karnataka Beary Biryani ~ My Biryani Trail

So continues my Biryani Trail, as promised, every week, I shall be here with a Biryani, Pulao or Rice Dish which has swept my taste buds off their feet. Here I am today to fulfil that promise to my readers with an unique Biryani Recipe from the South Indian State of Karnataka. Dear readers let me introduce you all to BEARY BIRYANI a speciality of the BEARY Community who inhabit Dakshina Kannada, a coastal district in Karnataka. The word BEARY means trade or business in the native language of this community.

Biryani At Bombay Brasserie ~ Fine Dining Indian Restaurant at Taj Dubai

My love for Biryani is unabashedly unabated, transcends any limitations and is the only thing in the world which cannot be bartered. I guess I had Biryani love in my genes, my father being a Biryani enthusiast, proponent and an excellent cook. After my marriage my love for Biryani was elevated several levels up as Mr. S is not only a Biryani aficionado but an extreme lover of Biryani. He has managed to find a restaurant serving Biryani, no matter what, in every single country, city, that he has visited till date. In fact whenever I have travelled with him I too have been an integral part of savouring Biryani in every single place in our Globe trotting escapade. I have therefore decided to document my indomitable love for Biryani from now on, by recording every single Biryani gorging episode whether it took place at home, in a restaurant, at a friend's place or for that matter anywhere on this planet. I am doing this for the sheer love for this Royal Dish and also to have a place to come back to whenever I want to look back upon and relive those scrumptious moments when I was enveloped with euphoria while savouring a spoonfull of Biryani. Also this will be an excellent resource to refer to for all Biryani lovers who share the same fervour for Biryani.

Pyaaz Ka Salan Recipe / Restaurant Style Biryani Side Dish / Gravy / Onion Salan

Pyaaz Ka Salan or Fried Onions in a Thick Rich Gravy is an ode to the Culinary Gem Mirchi Ka Salan. The recipe of Pyaaz Ka Salan is a little different to that of the Mirchi Ka Salan which has a thick brown gravy, resplendent with Bhavnagri Mirch (Chillies from Bhavnagar, Gujrat), which are long, fat green chillies with the right balance of heat and finely hand pounded chironji and almonds. The Mirchi Ka Salan dates back to the times when Emperor Akbar ruled the Indian Sub~Continent. The popular theory is that this dish did not originate in the royal kitchen but most probably in the kitchen of a Wealthy Jagirdar when he threw a Regal feast for the Emperor.

Dhaka Style Kacchi Chicken Biryani Recipe / A Distinct Type Of Chicken Biryani From Dhaka, Bangladesh

Life those days was overflowing with selfless, unadulterated, Shat pratishat shudh desi ghee (100% pure Desi Clarified Butter) type of Love. Two sets of grandparents, two dozen uncles and aunts from both sides and off course the most wonderful parents were showering their love on me and my sister and cousins my age or couple of years elder or younger. Life was all about going to school, studying, playing outdoors and on holidays reading my story books, reciting poems from my favourite Bengali and English poets, going for a ride on Baba's Lambretta Scooter. These Italian scooters were in Vogue those days. Scooters in general was romanticized and made a dream ride when the debonair Hollywood Legend Gregory Peck rode one in the movie "Roman Holiday". Baba being an ardent Gregory Peck fan, having watched all his movies would ditch his Ambassador car for his Lambretta scooter many a times. 

Kolkata Style Chicken Biryani Recipe / Calcutta Chicken Biryani Recipe

Kolkata ~ the city of Joy, for me, apart from being the city where my family and extended family have lived for decades, is the city where food and sports are woven into the very fabric of the life of the people. A city which breathes football and cricket, a city where food is a passion and a way to express the rich cultural heritage of this vibrant city. Today let's take a virtual tour through the essence of the most famous and popular dish from here, Calcutta Biryani or Kolkata Style Chicken Biryani.

Kolkata Biryani Masala Recipe / Calcutta Style Biryani Spice Powder Recipe

KOLKATA BIRYANI MASALA holds the complete essence of the much loved Kolkata or Calcutta Style of Biryani. Without this indigenous spice mix you will not be able to achieve that flavour or aroma which is quintessential of Kolkata Biryani. By using the Kolkata Biryani Spice Powder you will get similar results with your Kolkata Biryani in terms of taste and fragrance as that of Kolkata residents, no matter in which country of the world you live. All you have to do is diligently note down the ingredients, which luckily, nowadays are available in an Indian store near you or online, dry roast, hand pound and voila have your own bottle of Kolkata Biryani Masala Powder.

10 Must Eat Food In Chennai (My List) / 10 Famous Food Of Chennai / My List of 10 Things You Must Eat In Chennai

Chennai to me has been a city with a very rich culture and deep rooted traditions which have touched all spheres of life there including food. During my engineering course in Bangalore, Chennai would be the transit station for my journey and in the time gap that I would get between alighting from one train to boarding the next, there would be many a stolen moments to quickly bask in the diverse attributes and gorgeous seascape of this city.

Keema / Qeema, Sabut Malka Masoor, Methi Biryani / Chicken Mince, Whole Red Lentils, Green Fenugreek Biryani ~ My Ode To The Ingenious Chef Sara Riaz

The Biryani love affair is growing stronger and stronger with each passing day in my family. Whether it's that special meal in the weekend, or that one symbolic dish to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or the star dish at any family get together or house parties and even for potlucks, the one dish that is chosen with total majority is Biryani. My eternal gratitude to the queen who first had Biryani cooked for her famished soldiers when she visited their barracks. This one pot dish which houses the flavour of each of the ingredient you would have used, with full vigor to reveal to you a decadent gush of aroma, the moment you remove the lid and allow the fragrant smoke to take over your senses and of those with you at the dinning table.

UlavaCharu / Horse Gram Vegetable Biryani ~ Happy Blog Hopversary

Continuing the Blog Hop Anniversary Celebrations with this post. An year of unending learning, joys which transcended from different corners of the world, a whole bunch of chatter, making the most gloomy day sunny, oh when I look back on this Blog Hopping journey, it does bring the hugest smile on my face. A year of unflinching support from miles across, a whole year where I scaled new heights , traversing through a treasure trove of recipes, ingredients unknown, new methods of cooking and also bringing back long lost dishes and many dear to the tummy recipes. All this was made possible by the lovely ladies, the most enthralling and crafted Bloggers of ~ Culinary Hoppers.

FISH BIRYANI - ALL FOR THE LOVE OF BIRYANI

Like people have soul mates, in my family Biryani is the soul food or food for the soul. We can go anywhere, anytime, in fact to any lengths, to get our hands on that perfect pot of Biryani. When overtly joyous we eat Biryani, all important occasions are celebrated with Biryani as the show stopper, when depressed we eat Biryani to cheer ourselves up, any achievements are lauded with a large plate of Biryani, and I can go on and on.