Biryani - A Healthy Winter Food

Dum cooked Biryani provides the warmth you need this winter

So, our beloved season of bone chilling air, ready to make you long for your cozy bed is here! When you are far away from your superhero of a rajai, I bet that it is all you can think about, even when you are working under the wicked nose of your villainous boss. Of course, the only other thing that could comfort your wounded soul in such a situation is – well, a hot plate of yummy Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani.

Sadly, by the time I leave office, the chilly winter winds make me feel like heading straight for home rather than look for a satiatingnon-veg biryani near me. So, I just manage to crawl back into my room, wrap myself into my blanket, pick-up my cellphone and order biryani online. Even after listening to my every Friday’s saga, if you still cannot relate to my love for this delicious dum-cooked meal, let me narrate to you how in the winter season this biryani has it all!

Why an authentic dum cooked biryani is healthy enough?

The traditional dum biryani was cooked with steam in sealed containers on coal in the ages of Mughal Nizams, clearly making the dish a chef-d'œuvre of the cook. However, not everyone can manage to become (or even hire) a chef from that era. The original method of dum-cooking has been, in general, long lost.

Today, not everybody knows the perfect technique to prepare the same. So, my strong advice to you is – if you are brave enough, try replicate the masterpiece in your kitchen with your stove or oven. Or even better, order it from an authentic place (such as BBK) which is well-known to serve the best quality of the dish.

Good restaurants ensure the usage of right oils, in the right quantities.
An authentic restaurant would also know how important is the sautéing and spicing of the meat that goes into the savory meal.
Additionally, making sure that the meat pieces are big in size, with being tender and lean is very crucial. Experienced cooks quite heavily use meat tenderizers while making mutton dum biryani.
What more the cooks insist on is that the spices should not have been stored for long. This is because spices, when stored for longer periods, often lose their pungency hence, denying the dum biryani of the multitude of their fragrances and flavours they can add.
When the rice is soaked for long enough, it is cooked separately.
Post this, the amalgamation of this cooked rice, the perfectly marinated meat, and the impeccable mix of spices is finally set in the cooking pot or ‘Handi’.
The ‘dum’ now comes in play – when the handi, layered inside with all the raw material, is placed on the low flame of the store for slow cooking which lasts good 15-20 minutes.
Some of the few authentic places continue to use coal in place of stove, till date.
One peculiar thing about this style of cooking is that the containers – the handi needs to be sealed. This is often done using dough which seals the flavours and aromas of the dish inside the pot.
This makes the biryani come out nice with the tang of the meat and the spices so that when it reaches your table, your mouth will have all the more reasons to water!

Ingredients in dum cooked biryani that will warmify you this winter

Ghee - Ghee basically helps in digestion and improves eyesight. So next time you think your vision is becoming blurry, sit back and eat ghee-filled dum biryani.
Oil - Due to its antibacterial properties, oil helps to protect the skin and fight germs. The right kind of oil can actually stimulate your growth. Olive oil, bran rice oil are such examples.
Chicken - After a long cold day and tiring hours at work, a hot chicken biryani bowl is what will make your winter evening memorable. Chicken is warm and provides proteins to the body thus serving to be the perfect food for the season.
Star anise - This star shaped nutrient has several healing properties. It protects one from sore throat in the frequent cold and cough inducing months.
Cloves - Clove is widely known for its medicinal and culinary properties. When added in the biryani, it relishes the bursts of flavors while also attributing a warm essence to its taste.
Cinnamon - People usually eat biryani in abundance and face digestion issues. But this ingredient in biryani has several health benefits. This solves the digestion problems. So next time you think about avoiding biryani because of digestion fear, think twice – think more about the satisfaction.

After knowing the benefits of these ingredients, I am sure you would not want to wait to have biryani. So, pick up your phones and place a dum-cooked chicken biryani order at Biryani by Kilo to get a sumptuous plate of this delicious meal, right at your doorstep within 90 minutes. You can also add to the spicy zest of your winters! Just do not forget to order a veg or non-veg galawati kebab along the same.

Biryani By Kilo